2019 Medicaid Enterprise Systems Conference (MESC)

HealthTech Solutions sent a large delegation to the 2019 Medicaid Enterprise Systems Conference (MESC) in Chicago. We fanned out for client meetings and sessions, but here were our key takeaways:

 

The pre-conference workshops was a very useful format for digging into specific topics. One of these sessions, hosted by the federal government’s General Services Administration (GSA) 18F, involved a focus on procurements for outcomes-oriented software delivery. Many of the themes discussed in this session support the United States Digital Services Playbook, especially the focus on agile/iterative software development and user-centered research and design. State and federal participants may have further benefited from more specific case studies showing how to evaluate vendor performance in these areas. 

 

Other sessions featuring staff from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) focused on talking to CMS early and often with new ideas. CMS is encouraging states to prioritize measurable, outcomes-based goals for IT projects. For example, CMS recently issued Frequently Asked Questions guidance on using 100% Federal match for improvements and interoperability to the state’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). In this guidance, CMS suggests metrics and benchmarks for outcomes improvement in keeping with the goals of the law. 

 

We were pleased to see a focus on Enterprise Project Management Offices (EPMO) in order to support Medicaid Management Information Systems (MMIS) modularity. We have had enormous success with our clients who have used EPMO and we wrote a primer and case study last year.

Aside from the annual opportunity to connect with colleagues and hear from CMS, our team took an evening to attend a game at Wrigley Field. After the day’s rain cleared up, we had a perfect evening to watch the Chicago Cubs defeat the San Francisco Giants.

 

Looking forward to our burgeoning tour of iconic ballparks at next year’s MESC in Boston.