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DHS slammed after care disrupted for “thousands” of mentally ill

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Illinois

* From the Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois’ Marvin Lindsey…

The launch of a new state computer system designed to create a “more efficient system” of registering Medicaid recipients to receive mental health care and addiction treatment services has had the opposite effect, according to advocates.

The Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) new “Integrated Eligibility System” has failed to function as intended and has disrupted care for “thousands” of individuals with mental illness. The glitch has also stalled payment to providers as processing patient registration has ballooned to a 90-day delay in many cases, leading to “chaos and delay”, says the Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois (CBHA), a statewide advocacy group.

“Since DHS’ new computer system went live in October 2017, we have been telling DHS that a computer glitch has unleashed chaos and delays for individuals in need of behavioral health services,” said CBHA CEO Marvin Lindsey. “Now we’re in January 2018, and the problem remains unresolved and thousands are being affected as a result.”

DHS’ top official, Secretary James Dimas, acknowledged in a December 18, 2017 letter to the advocacy group that his agency’s new computer system has been hit by delays.

“As with any new technology system this large and complex, as we adjust to this new system IDHS has experienced some delays in the assignment and processing of Recipient Identification Numbers (RINs) which are required for billing and receiving payment for rendered services,” Dimas wrote. “[…] At the current time the backlog is between 10 and 12 days …”

CBHA’s Lindsey fired back in his own letter hotly disputing Dimas’ 10 to 12-day backlog claim after hearing an uproar from his member agencies, saying it’s closer to 60 days and in other cases more than 90.

“I would like to make a correction to your statement that the current time the backlog is between 10 and 12 days,” Lindsey wrote. “We have members who are still waiting on e-RINs to be processed from as far back as September. Most of our members are reporting delays from 30-60 days.”

Lindsey also warned Dimas that DHS’ computer system dysfunction was blocking access to care for those with “behavioral health illness.”

“Some of our members are reporting up to 350 people awaiting e-RINs, which, again, means there are 350 people who could not access treatment,” Lindsey said in his letter. “While the 350 clients are on the high end and cover delays of about 60 days, many of our members are reporting delays from 30-45 days, but, more importantly, consumers seeking help for their behavioral health illness are not able to access treatment.”

Lindsey said that his group has been working with the state agency but the problem remains unresolved.

“The seriousness of the problem has yet to break through to the department officials,” Lindsey said. “We need a fix. And we need it last week.”

The breakdown of DHS’ behavioral health patient registration system is the latest debacle linked to the state’s new computer system. In December, more than 40,000 Illinois families lost their food stamp benefits because of a glitch in the state’s new technology platform.

The Dimas letter referenced above is here.

* From IDHS…

Helping individuals access mental health services in the community is a top priority for IDHS and our staff work tirelessly to ensure that we are facilitating the process of receiving those services. We are aware that the processing of Recipient Identification Numbers (RINs), which are required for billing and receiving payment for services, is behind. We believe this issue to be related to a series of retirements in this unit which reduced staff by more than half. We have implemented a temporary staffing plan that will more than quadruple the current staff dedicated to this issue and would eliminate the backlog in 2-3 months.

Contrary to Mr. Lindsey’s note to the press, department officials take this issue very seriously. We have been working collaboratively with the Illinois Association of Behavioral Health to explore different options to expedite the process. We welcome CBHA to engage with us in a similar discussion.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 11:05 am

Comments

== We believe this issue to be related to a series of retirements in this unit which reduced staff by more than half. … ==

I call BS on that statement. Most retirements are planned / scheduled in advance. Management, IF they were paying attention, should have had enough time to reallocate staff as needed before it became as crisis.

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 11:15 am
I’ve seen systems in beta that are more functional than this one is three months after launch. The fact that this contractor seems to be doing all of the computer upgrades for the state is somewhat worrisome, if this is the type of product the put out after five years.

Comment by Fixer Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 11:23 am
“Reduced staff by more than half”

What have I been screaming folks?
Believe me now?
We were the smallest state workforce per capita Jan 2015
Down 34% from then.
Anybody who could retire or get out did so.
I’ve got 3 people in my office leaving next month
We are absolutely in
Active collapse
And worst of all
Rauner starts his all out
Janus assault next month with the budget
Layoffs
Pension cut attack
Wages attack
Forced geographical transfers

Do you all really think the workforce
Can maintain function?
We are collapsing.
What has to happen before
People believe it?

Comment by Honeybear Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 11:29 am
The underlying ‘crisis’ is that #Unfit4ILGov IS the crises based on he can’t govern.

Comment by sal-says Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 11:33 am
–The launch of a new state computer system designed to create a “more efficient system” of registering Medicaid recipients to receive mental health care and addiction treatment services has had the opposite effect, according to advocates.–

By design or because of incompetence?

We know from experience Rauner likes to stick to the least among us. Yet he also has demonstrated striking incompetence in running the executive branch.

Tough call.

Rauner has been very good, though, in ensuring that his pinstripe patronage IT army gets paid first and on time over other state vendors.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 11:33 am
IES is a $300,000,000 Deloitte special. As seen on TV, it also short changes food stamp recipients, slices and dices. Call Ron Popiel. The IES does it all.

Comment by Sonny Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 11:36 am
The in-house developed systems were working fine prior to the switchover/upgrade. Deloitte has broken everything they’ve ever touched for the state of Illinois. I’m not exactly sure why anyone thought this would be any different.

Comment by CharlieKratos Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 11:40 am
Another DoIT inspired masterpiece

Comment by Annonin' Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 11:41 am
Transformative.
Drivin’ results.
Where we didn’t have to deal with Madigan, we saved hundreds of millions of dollars, rauner said.
These things happen.

Comment by Langhorne Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 12:02 pm
===Most retirements are planned / scheduled in advance.===

That was pre-Rauner RNUG. Now, most everyone who can go is. And often without much planning or aforethought. People are fed up.

Comment by Cubs in '16 Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 12:27 pm
Chickens coming home to roost?

Comment by Annon3 Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 12:33 pm
“On things that we can control, I would give us an A.”

Gov. Rauner, on Chicago Tonight April 26, 2017.

Comment by Henry Francis Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 12:43 pm
== Anybody who could retire or get out did so. ==

Not everyone. Got a relative working for one of the social service agencies who could leave anytime but they are probably going to hang on until they see the election results.

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 1:03 pm
== And often without much planning or aforethought. People are fed up. ==

No doubt but … they still need to give SERS a bit of notice if they don’t want their health insurance to lapse. Guess the Gov can’t get his agencies to coordinate with SERS. Or maybe the back office in each agency isn’t talking to line management.

Regardless, even if it is spur of the moment retirement due to workplace atmosphere, it still all comes back to being a management problem … even if the problem manager sits on the second floor of the Capitol.

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 1:10 pm
I didn’t say everyone, I said most. Regardless, HB is correct with regard to staffing levels. In my agency retirements are outnumbering new hires at least 2-1. The decision-makers give little or no regard to staffing levels when they decide to roll out something new no matter the scope of the project. I’m sure you dealt with your share of rollouts and pilot projects so you know how it works.

Comment by Cubs in '16 Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 1:24 pm
We used to have new staff PC’s hooked up and their email ready to go on their start date. Same thing for transfers. Now new staff have three weeks of ‘Light’ duty while we wait for DoIt to DoIt. Governor Ripoff.

Comment by Al Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 1:41 pm
Honey Bear. Thank You for the Truth.

Comment by DeseDemDose Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 1:45 pm
RNUG what we wouldn’t do to get you back into state government management. It’s awful. Morale is at an all time low. Long time workers say they’ve never seen it worse. Disorder and decline. Further and further behind. New ones don’t stay long enough for certification. I’ve moved up in seniority so fast I’ll get to take VA at thanksgiving, nearly a decade before I thought I’d get that.
But I wish we had a leader like you.

Comment by Honeybear Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 2:34 pm
-Honeybear-

To be honest, I hated when I had an actual management role directly supervising and evaluating employees. Much too direct, not really a touchy-feely type person, although I got better with age. Whenever possible, I worked myself out of direct supervision roles. I was much better at planning, coordinating, and managing task forces / special projects where I could pick and choose temporary staff.

Part of the reason I joke I was in management two and a half times.

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 3:15 pm
The DD system is no better, inadequate state staff, ever increasing compliance tasks that state staff don’t know what to do with when we send it in and computer systems that don’t talk to each other. The entire system in DHS is falling apart. But maybe that’s what they want.

Comment by NeverPoliticallyCorrect Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 4:12 pm
Who is the CIO at DHS and what is his background and experience in IT? Also, who may he be the son of?

Comment by Hmmm Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 5:26 pm
It sounds like DHS is having a brain drain.

Comment by Mama Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 5:32 pm
This IS NOT a DoIT project. It is a contractual system. This is what Rauner wants; cost more $$ which goes to contractors and is less efficient. When state employees wrote massive computer systems, they cared and were around for years for any needed maintenance. Contractors write bad code then move on.

Comment by Crispycritter Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 5:51 pm
== Who is the CIO at DHS and what is his background and experience in IT? Also, who may he be the son of? ==

There are no individual agency CIO’s anymore. It’s all supposed to have been done through CMS, who took over even the programming staff done years ago) and now DoIT.

Just remember, this was all done in the name of efficiency …

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 8:24 pm
Curb your whining and remember Healthcare.gov STILL has issues.

Comment by johnnyagua Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 10:17 am