For a short month February sure packed in a lot of activity, especially for the health care market. Reports from last month continued to make headlines that health care spending reached $2.5 trillion in 2009 and is projected to be $4.7 trillion in 2019. The recession gets the blame for this largest one-year increase on health care spending in 50 years. Since there is much money being spent on healthcare it is no wonder it is front and center as an industry for opportunities to drive vendors' revenue. February found Maximus adding DeltaWares' electronic health record (EHR) technology to its repertoire. EHRs have likewise spurred a partnership between NextGen and Ingram Micro. Microsoft and Eclipsys announced they will combine certain Eclipsys health care IT applications with Microsoft's Amalga Unified Intelligence System. In addition, IBM is expanding its analytics business by acquiring Initiate Systems and ACS now has its new position in the marketplace branded as "ACS, A Xerox Company". Expect to see more activity in months to come.

A whole lot of spending money
Forty states agencies and State Designated Entities received awards in the first round of health information exchange (HIE) grant funding which totaled $386 million. Plenty of participants are happy to receive the HIE funds but they are still trying to figure out their strategies. Providing matching investments will be no small matter for most states and some are still looking for information on how the HIE will work and exactly what it will provide. There are concerns that there may not be enough done to ensure that the money isn't being wasted. Some states are finding it difficult to become invested when they don't ultimately understand the HIEs and how they will be self-sufficient once the money is gone. Despite some concerns, states are detailing their statewide planning approaches to determine where they are, what is needed and ways to get there. This will help states determine how they will need to utilize vendors. Here's a sample of state activities:

Pennsylvania wants to piggyback on the Delaware Health Information Network's existing contract because they feel it is a proven platform based on interoperable standard, is scalable to meet their needs and would satisfy the Office of the National Coordinator's request for states to look into multi-state collaboration to make the best use of federal incentive funds. INPUT is tracking the opportunity under INPUT ID # 57863.

Missouri plans on releasing a Request for Information (RFI) to help gather more information on the technical approach and financing assumptions of their HIE. Missouri has their eye on submitting their plans to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) by May 31st. INPUT is tracking the opportunity under INPUT ID # 60207.

Illinois intends to release a solicitation soon for HIE technical planning services. They will be looking for project management and planning assistance, including the development of strategic and operational plans as well as the state HIE roadmap to help determine next steps for the procurement process of the HIE system. INPUT is tracking the opportunity under ID # 59517.

Massachusetts released a draft Health IT plan in January. They are looking at a statewide HIE with collaborative governance and sustainable funding model. Their strategy is to leverage existing electronic health record and HIE efforts. INPUT is tracking the opportunity under ID # 59998.

Also in February, the Health and Human Services announced $100 million in grant funds from the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) to 10 states to improve health care quality and delivery systems for children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP. These states will use the grants to utilize health IT for quality improvement initiatives.

On a path towards interoperable health information exchange
During February's State Alliance for e-Health meeting, presentations focused on ways to improve the adoption of health IT and operations states should take in order to jumpstart the process. Representatives from various departments and states facilitated conversation pertaining to HIE deployment, sustainability and future activities for the State Alliance. Farzad Mostashari, MD, MSc., the deputy national coordinator for Programs and Policy from ONC explained how states need to focus on incremental changes for the HIEs, by first working on simple exchanges and focusing on factors such as authentication and validity. For further insight into the meeting check out INPUT's Analyst Recap report.

Google's plans to tackle broadband
A notable first this month is Google's plan to experiment with providing super high-speed Internet service. One of their visions is to "allow rural health clinics to send 3D medical images over the Internet". This could be a big step if any medical communities actually get involved in the experiment, potentially stimulating their digital records efforts.

INPUT's Take
I think last month's hodgepodge of activity is a good indicator of what is to come this year as states flesh out their strategies for operations and sustainability of statewide HIEs. They will be looking to leverage existing capabilities and lessons learned from already developed HIEs. Vendors should understand that states are at all different levels of maturity and even if a state had previously developed a Health IT roadmap, they will likely have to revisit plans to ensure they align with national requirements. Consultants should look to those HIE planning initiatives for opportunities as states are setting aside funds for environmental scans, cost benefit analyses, project management, advanced planning documents and so forth. Those that have already made investments will begin to develop plans on how to connect pilot projects and regional efforts. Broadband offers great promise in the medical area and Google's innovations offer a glimpse at the future as we wait to hear more about the federal government's national plans for broadband networks in the next couple of weeks.

The State Alliance for e-Health Meeting (State Alliance) took place on February 19, 2010 in Washington DC. The State Alliance was created in January 2007 by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices as a way for states to come together and discuss ways to improve the nation's health care system. The primary goal of the State Alliance meetings is to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of health information technology (HIT) initiatives as they develop. The meetings consist of various stakeholders sharing and exploring solutions to programmatic and legal issues related to health information exchange (HIE).

The main focus of the conference revolved around ways to improve the adoption of HIT and operations states' should be taking in order to jumpstart the process in an efficient manner.

The meeting consisted of five sessions where representatives from various departments and states facilitated discussion of various areas including:

• HIE
• Using collaboration as a tool
• Building critical infrastructure
• Sustainability
• Future activities for the State Alliance

The final session of the State Alliance meeting involved discussion about future directions for states regarding HIT adoption. A very interesting topic brought up was the idea of disease surveillance and its rightful place in HIT and meaningful use. The idea is that by monitoring disease, communities will be able to exercise prevention by lowering the number of health cases and reducing medical costs. Discussion was also made regarding the lack of attention placed on public health departments and how they should be more engaged and articulated as part of HIT.

Farzad Mostashari, MD, MSc., the Deputy National Coordinator for Programs and Policy , talked about how "real time surveillance" could be used to monitor what diseases are becoming widespread and harming members within a certain community. He explained that it would also serve as a way to engage clinical partners, describing it as, "working smarter". Mostashari went on to mention that a major part of funding for these types of systems relies on evidence that it would truly work. For example, the Beacon Community Program , a grant program that targets communities that have already proven history of using HIT to boost measures such as cost efficiency, health care quality, or population health, is a method used to conjure up this evidence-based data health officials are looking for, since right now there is a lack of it.

Other future activities mentioned in the State Alliance meeting were the need to give states technical assistance through regulations and state consultations. Moreover, this would help states in implementing the grants states recently received from the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). Emphasis was placed on how important it is for state representatives and other stakeholders to bring up issues and provide recommendations to health officials in order to improve the quality and execution of HIT adoption. Furthermore, it was stressed for representatives from ONC and the Center for Medicaid Services (CMS) to trade solutions, as well.

The key factor that must be taken into consideration by stakeholders is the central motive for HIT; the concept of meaningful use. As a result, proving certain systems offer the most efficient, and cost-effective outcomes, is a major driving force for states, in winning funding to pursue HIT adoption. Vendors should pay extra attention to their solutions in ensuring that their systems capture certain data measurements so as to provide the evidence federal health officials are so adamantly seeking. Moreover, some concentration must also be placed on commonalities, and synchronizing systems to make interoperability in HIE possible. Lastly, privacy and security of these systems should also be incorporated in order to ensure meaningful use.

A mix of promising grant funding proposals and a continued effort by state governors to promote public safety initiatives are what fueled the Justice/Public Safety market for February. On top of that, INPUT identified and reported on a variety of different contracting opportunities and awards. These new projects fall directly in line with the efforts outlined by both the Department of Justice and by state governors.

To begin with, the Department of Justice released its fiscal year 2011 budget request on the first of the month. Within that request, the Department outlined a variety of different initiatives it hopes to accomplish in the upcoming fiscal year. These initiatives included an increase in funding for the COPS Hiring grant program (an additional $302 million), the announcement of a new Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program ($40 million) and a new Justice Information Sharing and Technology Program ($15 million), and an increase in the efforts to promote smart policing ($10 million). All of these grant programs need the President's approval. However, this sort of forward-thinking is exactly what public safety agencies are looking for as they begin to plan for the next three to five years.

For example, the Town of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, will be looking into a license plate recognition system in the near future. This is a fine example of a project that would qualify for a variety of these new DOJ grant programs. Another project that could fit the mold of Justice Information Sharing and Technology grant program would be that of Burlington, Vermont, who will be looking into a new computer aided dispatch (CAD), records management system (RMS), and Integrated Justice Information System (IJIS).

While many agencies will look to the federal government for assistance in funding these projects, they should not forget about the funding that will be made available to them by their own state governments. The first quarter of the year always proves to be a busy one for state governors, as most are required to release their upcoming fiscal year budget recommendations. Public safety, corrections, emergency management, and homeland security departments saw recommendations in the multiple billions of dollars. While most of that will go towards general public safety operations, there was plenty of public safety IT initiatives outlined in the governor's recommended budgets. For example, the Colorado Department of Public Safety has requested $2 million for their computer aided dispatch system. Also, Florida has requested that $25.5 million be spent in FY2011 on providing information network services to the law enforcement community.

In concluding, it should be clear that the month of February for the Justice/Public Safety world was a promising one for both the public and private sector. Both the Department of Justice and state Governors have high hopes for public safety offices around the country. INPUT expects that March will be just as promising as additional stimulus funds, such as broadband money, will continue to flow into the hands of public safety departments.

INPUT will be joining forces with the International Association of Chief's of Police (IACP) in providing information on federal grants for public safety and homeland security initiatives. INPUT has been selected to present on this topic at the 34th annual IACP Law Enforcement Information management (LEIM) conference in Atlanta, Georgia, May 24-27th. The conference brings together law enforcement practitioners to share leading practices and lessons learned in the application of technology to fight crime.

INPUT's session will focus on the grant process and our federal grant forecast for the next five years in the public safety vertical. Federal grants account for nearly one quarter of all state and local government spending. INPUT's grant presentation will provide insight into how this funding stream will affect state and local Justice/Public Safety technology spending through President Obama's current term in office and beyond.

Building on the priorities of the early 2009 federal fiscal stimulus, the White House and Congress will establish new priorities for states and localities with fiscal year 2010 grant funding. This will involve shifting billions of dollars along with new guidelines and reporting requirements.

Topics to be discussed include:

• The recession's impact on federal grant funding
• The relationship of FY2010 funding to 2009 stimulus funding
• Current grant priorities vs. those of the previous administration
• Technology funding hot spots
• Examples of effective grant use

Last week, INPUT joined the Public Forum on National Health Information Technology Policy where the likes of Aneesh Chopra, U.S. Chief Technology Officer, and David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, spoke about the value of protecting technology innovations in health care. Here are some highlights from their presentations:

Tech Industry Poised for Growth:

Chopra spoke on the role of the tech industry in health care emphasizing innovative and entrepreneurial activities along with promoting data sharing. He advocated the release and use of data, with hopes the entrepreneurs will come along, run with it and innovate. Chopra said, "I am open for business. Tell me what data you want and it's my responsibility to get it to you." He said the old government model was a tradeoff, it was either "our way or the highway" or to "just let it all happen and good luck my friend". He critiqued that those old models fell short and the new model is to focus on prioritization, transparency, engagement and rapid results. He presented on broad economic themes, reporting the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Q4 saw a 5.7% showing, but there is early evidence of a technology recovery and health IT is among the growth areas for venture capital. Those venture capital investments in health IT rose 37% across 2009. He said the tech industry will be an engine of job creation and investment that will help in economic recovery. Chopra commented on President Obama's strategy to harness technology and innovation to transform the economy through Research and Development (R&D) investment, R&D commercialization, and tech infrastructure.

Meaningful Use Not a Tech Install:

Chopra displayed bountiful merriment and energy during his presentation shouting cheers of "MU!", which stands for meaningful use. While chairing a standards implementation group, he believes they've found a way to hear from people about what it really means to implement meaningful use. Look for a starter-kit group to host a meeting in March to further discuss. Blumenthal said meaningful use is a revolutionary concept of change management, and not a technology installation. Properly implemented, the balance between stretching and realistic requirements could catapult adoption. Blumenthal described an escalator concept for meaningful use; the regulation has an underlying concept of getting people on the escalator and moving them gradually along with assistance and support. The starting point for adoption rates is 2011 and Blumenthal thinks we'll see an upward slope of the adoption curve within a year or two. He described the stages and timeframe of meaningful use as:

• Stage 1 (2011): Emphasis on data collection in electronic form, communicating the information for actual exchange, and initiation of quality
• Stage 2 (2013): Process improvement, disease management
• Stage 3 (2015): Thinking more about outcomes

Stages 2 and 3 are just a conceptual framework and more specs are to come in future years. But Blumenthal said the stages of the meaningful use timeline do allow flexibility. Getting on the 'escalator' you can enter in stage 1 as late as 2014, through he warns you won't get as much money but you will be recognized and receive money for that year. The trade-off is that you will have had more time to prepare.

Conclusion:

We should soon see the Department of Health and Human Services announcing a series of grant awards to the tune of $693 million for extension centers, $564 million for health information exchanges, and $118 million for training. So it appears from both Chopra and Blumenthal's presentations that technology is up to the task and monies are on the way, but that the human factor remains the challenge in the rollout of health IT. Vendors will need to be prepared to break down those perceived barriers and to battle the uncertainty of return on investment with their solutions. The challenge for vendors will be to get their customers to accept that this is inevitable and is worth the cost of getting started.

Last week,at the National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) Policy Forum and Training Conference, the final Session highlighted proposed ideas and directions for child support enforcement (CSE) for the upcoming year to facilitate improved services. Nancy Thoma Groetken, Regional Program Manager for the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration of Children and Families, Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), revealed that modifications had been made towards objectives and that CSE would be more integrated, with the new strategies. A major component of the change involves expansion of the program along with the vision and mission. The strategies are expected to flow from OCSE's new mission: to enhance the well-being of children, and secure avenues in obtaining support for children, including financial and medical. Groetken made sure to point out that the program's mission, are still tentative, and could change as a result of federal health insurance and TANF Reauthorization legislation.

Collaboration was highly touted throughout the Policy Forum, and as a result, came as no surprise when incorporated in the strategic plan. The technique is for agencies to essentially combine services and resources as a way to enhance the quality of services and strengthen families. Particularly, since child support departments overlap with other agencies such as Employment, and Health, it only seems practical to join forces and share knowledge since a lot of their customers are the same. Pam McKee, Planning and Evaluation Manager of the Michigan Department of Human Services, Office of Child Support (DHS/OCS) shared how her department collaborated with their state's Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The agencies have several initiatives they all work on jointly, and utilize a "just in time" attitude, as McKee described. Michigan received a Special Improvement Project (SIP) grant which they used to develop a shared data view system with their Medicaid agency. The system developed cleanup reports that they were able to share amongst their counties. McKee stated that the state does not want to stop there, and will continue to make more efforts towards improving agency collaboration.

Other plans stressed for the future of CSE included the delivery of timely, clear and accessible services adapted to customer needs and circumstances. The use of electronic payment options was also highlighted, in addition to the idea that technology is essential in streamlining many CSE processes. Early intervention and proactive case management was also part of the future strategies including easier access to genetic testing for parents of kids born out of wedlock, and the design of case management tools and programs to ensure regular, consistent payments. Automation was also suggested as a way to manage case-closure effectively. Another interesting factor brought up, was the issue with currency exchange and electronic payments from state to state, and intricacies that ensue. Moreover, this would also be used when responding to cases on an international level as well.

Furthermore, with the new focus on cost-effectiveness and other performance measures to determine how well child support agencies are doing, technology is a key player for the future of CSE. Vendors should explore ways in which technology can be used to enhance the child support program's infrastructure that satisfy the CSE future goals and vision. With that being said, systems must be designed that guarantee efficiency, accountability, and quality case management in order to effectively assess performance and increase funding for further CSE initiatives.

The technique of using performance measures as a way to assess the quality in various child support programs and assist in levels of funding was another major topic examined in the 2010 National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) Policy Forum and Training Conference. It was argued that much of the child support enforcement (CSE) expenditure was not going towards cost-effective measures. The idea was that more support would be seen on the state and local level if more incentives were available. Performance measures would essentially be a way to provide evidence of the quality of work being done within these programs. David Stillman, IV-D Director of the Washington Division of Child Support, supported the idea stating that CSE should be a cost-effectiveness ratio exercised by child support workers. He emphasized the importance of CSE in families and how there should be a reflection of the impact. The idea of performance measures seemed to be a widely accepted theme in the conference even amongst tribal communities. Carleen Anderson, Council Member of the Colville Tribes stated that tribes are more than willing and happy to agree to performance measures. Her only was concern was that decision makers would be mindful and cognizant, in their evaluation, of their unique environment in which they do business, since it significantly differs from that of a state.

Performance could be evaluated in a variety of ways such as the outcomes of child support prevention programs, as seen in ones such as the Parenting and Paternity Awareness Program (PAPA) executed in Texas. Other performance measures could be evaluated with the help of technology. Many states are reconsidering the ways in which data from CSE is being incorporated into their systems, and making upgrades and modernizations accordingly. For example, Pam McKee, Planning and Evaluation Manager of the Michigan Department of Human Services, Office of Child Support (DHS/OCS), revealed a few technology challenges her state had overcome. She stated that recent system changes enabled streamlining of medical support, payment process screens and data exchanges. McKee also revealed that her state's shared agency data view system, developed for cleanup reports, is currently experiencing technical problems and is being considered for revisions.

A representative from New York, Lee Sapienza, Chief of Policy, Planning and Data Analysis shared information about their state's IV-D system that interfaced with Medicaid and the (IV-D) program. The state had experienced problems with the system, including cases where there were no distinguishing codes for Medicaid services, which led to an influx of broad-ranged referrals. A system was then developed, that aligned more with the characteristic codes, in which numbers are run on a nightly basis. The system also assists in notifying the Medicaid program when they get private health insurance in Medicaid-related cases, in which Medicaid does additional matching. Sapienza stated that the state may make more upgrades to the system that will incorporate an interface that includes federal notifications as well.

Kim Newsom Bridges, Executive Director for the Ohio CSEA Director's Association, shared how Ohio had recommendations in July 2008, for improving their CSE system that would get their software up to speed. Bridges stated that the state was doing a fairly good job of getting their child support program into the implementation stage and that the main motivation for making the revisions, and as quickly as possible, was to reach cost-effective solutions and alleviate financial challenges.

Other initiatives to increase efficiencies, discussed in the Policy Forum included the idea that there must be a more uniform process for processing clients and managing cases, and essentially the development of a simplifies system across the state. States seemed to uphold these ideas including San Diego California, who just received a lot of stimulus funds, and plans to move to an electronic interface between TANF and CSE. Further, Louisiana plans on building out an interface that will utilize data-driven decisions and facilitate capacity in their CSE caseloads.

Part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 included $8 billion in grant funding for new high speed rail projects across the country, not exactly pocket change. Just last week, at the St. Regis Hotel in downtown Washington D.C., the Japan International Transport Institute hosted a seminar dedicated to the high speed rail and just a day after the State of the Union address, President Obama visits Tampa, Florida to announce plans for the high speed rail initiative. While the implications of such a plan are numerous, including increased energy efficiency, convenience and more mobility, the benefits to the state and local government may be slightly less clear so soon.

Part of the high speed rail plan is to develop and build these projects across the country in specific corridors and eventually build out to encompass the country. State and local governments that are part of the first roll out will likely have to determine what types of security and other technological aspects will be necessary. The early build out of tracks and system infrastructure will provide a much needed economic boost in those cities, and further down the road, public safety agencies, emergency management offices, among others, will need to formulate their strategic plans to provide security for the new system. Technologies such as biometrics, card readers and scanners, surveillance equipment will all be required.

As more funding becomes available in the future, as part of new grants and Department of Transportation funding, vendors will need to work with cities and counties to develop short and long range plans to make the transition easier and more efficient. It may be soon to start designing closed caption tv systems for these high speed rail sites, but it's not too soon to start planning.

Throughout 2010 states will continue to expand use of technology to support social services programs, given budget constraints are forcing the need to deliver services with lower operational expenses. Whether agencies are seeking to determine eligibility or delivering services for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Child Care, Child Support ,and/or Child Welfare, state leaders are actively and aggressively restructuring their business processes. Widespread unemployment has strained legacy Unemployment Compensation systems , creating the need for system redesigns in some states and even giving rise in some regions to consider new approaches, such as cloud computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions.

Continued expansion and sophistication of calls centers enables governments to lower costs in the delivery of human services. While some social workers continue to operate in state and county offices meeting with applicants face-to-face, a growing number of workers are providing support in a call center environment, reaching a wider array of citizens throughout the state. Doing more with less has been a resounding theme throughout government and more pervasive use of technology is a driving force for agency leaders to meet increasing demands for services. Just as critical as lowering operation costs, states must adhere to required federal and state legislated guidelines for programs. These requirements often led agencies at the helm of human service programs to institute more fraud detection and management systems for the purpose of identifying erroneous claims and payments. As Information Technology (IT) leaders plan system modernizations, they often engage consultants to provide expertise before embarking upon major changes, a critical step to avoid disasters. Many agencies utilize state contracts for professional services when sourcing consultants.

Social Service projects throughout 2010 include:

• California Child Support Maintenance and Operations RFP anticipated February/March – Estimated contract value $72 million

  California's Department of Child Support Services needs technical support services for system operations, application maintenance, and IT support with fully integrated state/contractor technical teams. A Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Child Support Enforcement System (CSE) Maintenance and Operations Services will include requirements for automated services to approximately 10,000 users statewide, collecting and disbursing more than $2.3 billion annually in child support payments.

• Florida – Unemployment Compensation Modernization

  RFP anticipated February - Estimated contract value $68 million

  Florida's Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI) will release a RFP for development of a web-enabled, integrated information system to support Florida's workforce. A Request for Information (RFI) was released in October 2009 and the state is currently evaluating feedback from participating vendors. The project includes development of a web-enabled, integrated information system to provided unemployment services. Deployment of the system will require strong interconnectivity with multiple agency environments and systems maintained by the AWI in addition to managing eligibility functionality.

• Oregon – Human Services Modernization RFP anticipated February/March - Estimated contract value $30 million

  Plans for major changes are underway for the Children Adults and Families Self Sufficiency Modernization Program (CAF-SSM), managed by the Oregon Department of Human Services. Key areas of development in the program include: the rollout of consolidated online eligibility estimators, automation of eligibility determination for Medicaid medical care and consolidation of the caseworker service portal. Much of the project will include planning and design of a unified Self Sufficiency Case Management system which requires development of a self sufficiency data warehouse.

• Pennsylvania – IT Services Strategic Business Systems RFP anticipated March - Estimated contract value $30 million

  The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW) released a Draft RFP for IT Services for DPW's Strategic Business Systems in October 2009. This solicitation followed the RFI the state issued in March 2009. The agency is seeking a vendor to provide "top-tier" support and management assistance in the planning IT needs and to assume responsibility for managing the maintenance and operations of the systems included in the scope of this RFP.

• Washington State Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) RFP anticipated March/April - Estimated contract value $20 million

  The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) recently completed a feasibility study for the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) System. The Department is now engaged in completing an Advanced Planning Document for the initiative.

• New Jersey– WIC Statewide Client Service System RFP anticipated March/April - Estimated contract value $5 million

  New Jersey currently has a contract with CMA Consulting for Women, Infant and Children (WIC) for their Automated Client Centered Electronic Service System (ACCESS), which expires on May 31, 2010. ACCESS has reportedly reached the end of its useful product lifecycle and the state has submitted an Advanced Planning Document (APD) to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). A RFP is being developed and is anticipated for release in 2010.

• Texas – Workers Compensation System RFP anticipated February/March - Estimated contract value $10 million

  The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), Division of Workers' Compensation (TDI-DWC) is planning to migrate a legacy system to a new platform. A RFI was released in March 2009 specifying requirements that replacement systems will need to be compatible with its existing web-based technology platform and the primary focus of the effort is to drive efficiency for users of the compensation system. The project requires development of web-enabled applications for use by staff and external system participants. System modules will need to be rewritten in programming languages compatible with web-development tools and existing database architectures.

• North Carolina – Families Accessing Services – IV&V

  RFP anticipated March/April - Estimated contract value $ 4 million

  North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services released a Request for Proposals for the NC Families Accessing Services through Technology, (NC FAST Case Management Solution )integration project and proposals will be submitted February 1, 2010 (Opportunity #52354). The Independent Verification and Validation Services (IV&V) for NC FAST will be needed to support and validate case management processes for case managers and workers in the county social services departments. The project will include software performance testing and quality assurance.

• Wisconsin – Automated Child Care Attendance Tracking System RFP anticipated March/April - Estimated contract value $ 4 million

  Planning is underway with the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF), Division of Enterprise Solutions, for an Automated Child Care Attendance Tracking System. The state plans to release a RFP after all system requirements are established and funding is finalized. In addition to automated attendance reporting, the agency is interested in linking automated payments to child care providers with a real-time attendance system, and to other cash payment systems such as Food Share, Child Support, or TANF benefits. A solution could likely incorporate payments into a single "smart card" system.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), recently provided grant monies to States to perform planning work for Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) services. States will be looking for vendors experienced in WIC EBT consulting, feasibility studies, Implementation Advanced Planning Document (IAPD) development, Quality Assurance, and Project Management. Here's a look across the country at the states that INPUT is tracking that are in the WIC EBT planning process:

Alabama: The State of Alabama is part of the Crossroads State Agency Model (SAM) Project along with North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. The project is a new web-based system that is designed to expedite most aspects of the WIC participant clinic experience. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services contracted with CSC Covansys for the design and development of the SAM WIC system, which is anticipated to be implemented in 2012. Alabama is using the EBT planning grant separate of the Consortium.

Arkansas: The Arkansas Department of Health engaged Burger, Carroll & Associates for their WIC EBT system feasibility study in November 2009. Burger, Carroll & Associates will compare the design, technology and performance capabilities of SPIRIT with system requirements for electronic benefits issuance and tracking.

Colorado: The Department is planning on using their $444,000 FNS grant for EBT planning. They hope to release a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a planning contract within the next month or so.

Delaware: The State of Delaware Department of Social Services, Division of Public Health, currently has a RFP for WIC EBT Planning, released in early January. Proposals are due by February 26, 2010.

Florida: Imadgen LLC was awarded the Florida Department of Health WIC EBT feasibility study contract in April 2009. According to the WIC Program Data System RFP released in December 2009, Florida WIC intends to seek State and Federal approval to begin procurement of a WIC EBT system during FY 2010-2011 (July 2010-June 2011).

Illinois: The Illinois Department of Human Services received $637,767 to conduct the planning phase of the WIC EBT process in-house. The feasibility study presentation and recommended solution is due by August 2011.

Missouri: The State of Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services received a grant from the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), for Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) planning. The State has written and sent to USDA for review and approval an Invitation to Bid (ITB).

Montana: The Department has confirmed that they will be conducting a feasibility study with their funding and will be utilizing an outside vendor. They are planning for the study to begin in June/July 2009.

Pennsylvania: The State of Pennsylvania, Department of Health, Bureau of Information Technology, is currently engaged in planning activities for a WIC EBT system project. The Department intends to work on an Advance Planning Document and system feasibility.

Virginia and West Virginia: The State of Virginia, Department of Health and the West Virginia are currently engaged together in planning activities for a WIC EBT system, called e-WIC. The states contracted with Maximus for the feasibility study, planning documents, and design specifications. INPUT anticipates a possible EBT RFP in FY 2011. They may also require Quality Assurance services for e-WIC, being tracked here.

Wisconsin: In September 2009 the Wisconsin Department of Health Services awarded Imadgen LLC a contract to conduct a WIC EBT feasibility study. The Imadgen contract has an 18-month base, which would mean a 2011 WIC EBT RFP release date if found to be beneficial to the State. Ciber Inc developed, supports, and hosts the WIC Program's web based data collection system.