Microsoft Chh s

7/27/2019 Microsoft Chh s

1/22

MICROSOFT CONNECTED HEALTH

AND HUMAN SERVICES FRAMEWORK

TRANSFORMINGTHE MANAGEMENT

AND DELIVERY OFHEALTH ANDHUMAN SERVICES

MICROSOFT PUBLIC SECTOR WHITE PAPER

JUNE 2012


2/22

TRANSFORMING THE MANAGEMENT AND DELIVERY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

ii

ContentsExecutive summary ................................................................................................................................................................................ 1Welcome to Connected HHS ............................................................................................................................................................. 3

Why service mattersfor IT .......................................................................................................................................................... 4A new model for the business and technology of Connected HHS.................................................................................. 5

Looking at Connected HHS for care coordination ....................................................................................................................... 6Ideas for care coordination ............................................................................................................................................................ 7

Modernizing systems for the HIX era ............................................................................................................................................... 8Ideas for modernizing ...................................................................................................................................................................10

Shared services: an overview of Medicaid today ........................................................................................................................11Ideas for Medicaid systems ..........................................................................................................................................................12

The architecture of coordination .....................................................................................................................................................13Core infrastructure..........................................................................................................................................................................13Connected HHS enterprise service bus ....................................................................................................................................14Shared services layer .....................................................................................................................................................................15Agency applications layer.............................................................................................................................................................15Always-on services in the cloud .................................................................................................................................................15

Getting started: your roadmap forward ........................................................................................................................................16A roadmap for shared services ...................................................................................................................................................16Manage change: the new governance.....................................................................................................................................17

Microsoft and HHS ...............................................................................................................................................................................18Connected HHS technology from Microsoft ..........................................................................................................................19

List of tables

Table 1. SOA at a glance: benefits of a Connected HHS environment ..................................................................................................... 4Table 2. Phased implementation of a Connected HHS environment ........................................................................................................ 5Table 3. Ways to use CRM in a Connected HHS environment ................................................................................................................... 6Table 4. High-level HIX architecture based on a Connected HHS environment .................................................................................... 9Table 5. Microsoft products and solutions ................................................................................................................................................... 19

2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. This document is provided "as-is." Information and views expressed in this document, including URL and

other Internet website references, may change without notice. You bear the risk of using it.

This document does not provide you with any legal rights to any intellectual property in any Microsoft product. You may copy and use this document for your

internal, reference purposes.


3/22


1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

From Medicaid to children's services to public safety,

state and local agencies provide vital health and humanservices (HHS), typically each with its own information

technology (IT) systems. With changes in policy and

funding models, your organization has the opportunity

to modernize systems so you can coordinate care and

connect services across programs in ways that produce

better outcomesfor the people you serve and for your

agency.

Government, nongovernment, and nonprofit HHS organizations and theirpartners strive to work together and to deliver exceptional services, despite

the fact that many operate in relative isolation, without the ability to easily

share information and to coordinate services. State and local agencies and

partners often rely on legacy IT systems that arose in isolation over time in

response to program-specific needs, independent funding vehicles, and

different policy drivers. Citizens are now served by multiple agencies

spanning functions such as behavioral health, family services, employment

programs, courts, and education.

Given lean budgets and legacy IT investments, how can your organization

move toward the promise of a simpler, connected future? The past decade

of increasingly connected systems of care points the way to innovation,

while changing requirements, such as health insurance exchanges (HIXs), are

driving rapid change. New models of improved access, quality, and

efficiency support the proactive strategies you need to innovate in HHS

deliveryfor example, the rising use of electronic records, relatively

inexpensive data warehousing options, and the ability to bridge diverse

operating environments. Together, these changes can help you devise more

coordinated, interconnected, and cost-effective systems of care that

enhance outcomes.

Innovators such as The Childrens Trust, Health Choice Network, Miami-

Dade County Public Schools, and Ready Schools Miami demonstrate theleading edge of change.

iTheir information exchange may revolutionize the

delivery of health, education, and social services for children from birth

through entry into the workforce. Called Childrens Health Education and

Economic Resource (CHEER), the exchange will enable programs to

coordinate the delivery of services and benefits to children and measure

their impact.ii


4/22


2

CHEER is just one example of something we at Microsoft call Connected Health and Human Services, a vision and a

technology framework for making the most of IT in the service of people. Rather than an all-or-nothing approach to IT,

organizations are using the Connected HHS Framework to evolve over time. Without embarking on a costly rip-and-

replace project, your agency can make improvements incrementally and can share business and IT services across

groupsand start benefitting from new avenues of funding.

Through the Connected HHS Framework and platform, your agency or program can begin sharing services and

information with others in a beneficial exchange that helps support coordinated care models, deliver cost savings,

respond to a changing regulatory environment, and can ultimately improve health and services.


5/22


3

WELCOME TO CONNECTED HHS

New coordinated care models ask HHS agencies to work

together and help connect people to services more

efficiently. Yet many agencies find themselves mired inworkflows that sprang from last-generation software. With

Connected HHS technologies and practices, you can begin

to bridge the gaps and move on.

In the past, federal and state categorical funding requirements effectively

dictated separate infrastructures and organizations. For many years, IT systems

supported only limited, if any, coordination across programs. Dating back to

the 1980s, agencies were tethered to a legacy of large, disconnected transfer

systems that took years to build, were outdated at implementation, and could

not interoperate with one another.

In the past several years, as technology has rapidly evolved, policymakers have

begun to endorse the operating models that support a vision of shared

services. These architectural guidelines recognize the value of a service-

oriented approach to IT, in which technology components can be reused across

organizations and programs that have similar business processes. By sharing

services, agencies can reduce the cost and complexity of both acquiring and

supporting business applications.

Connected HHS is the model and the technology that enable you to shift from

the disconnected systems of care of the past to the coordinated systems of care

needed today and in the future. With this approach, your organization canbegin to:

Connect information. When you bring systems, processes, and peopletogether across public health and social services organizations, partners,

and citizens, you can free the data that is locked in existing systems.

Promote collaboration. When people can work together easilywhetherthrough better program or case management, coordinated workflows, or

information accesseveryone wins.

Support decisions. The right information in the right hands at the right timeunlocks insights. Business intelligence (BI) helps leaders act decisively oncritical issues.

3 steps to Connected HHS

On the road to Connected HHS, you

can start with the systems you already

have. Then, you need a vision of

where you want to go and a list of the

partners to connect to. The journey

takes three steps:

1. Connect. Get systems talking toone another. For that, you need to

connect disparate systems and

integration services that enable

databases to exchange records freely.

That way, you have all the relevant

information you need about a

clientfor example, Samandyouknow you have the right Sam.

2. Analyze. Find the details you needbased on queries of accurate data.

For example, you can find at-risk

populations or see all the services

Sam is receiving.

3. Coordinate care. Collaborate withcaregivers, case workers, care

recipients, and other stakeholders.

With a click, you can be connected

through email, instant messaging

(IM), the phone, a website, or a

common workflow.


6/22


4

Why service mattersfor ITConnected HHS is a technology and a roadmap for transforming HHS delivery using a service-oriented architecture

(SOA) designed to work whenever possible with familiar Microsoft technologies that many agencies already have. Your

organization has the choice to build, deploy, and manage solutions in the way that works beston your premises, in

the cloud, or in a hybrid approachusing SOA and industry standards.

A Connected HHS approach based on SOA works. For example, in 2004, the Medicaid Information Technology

Architecture (MITA) framework from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) advocated a business and

technology architecture in which modular components can be reused efficiently across HHS agencies, and it provided a

path for agencies to modernize their IT systems. The Enterprise Architecture Committee of the National Association of

State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) endorses MITA-like IT concepts and principles for connecting systems, as

does the Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) project sponsored by the Federal Office of Management and Budget

(OMB). Furthermore, to share information among systems, the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) was

created. Also endorsed by NASCIO,iii NIEM provides a common vocabulary for information-sharing across government

lines of business.

Taken together, these guidelines make it clear why SOA matters and how a Connected HHS platform benefits serviceorganizations. You could say that SOA gives power to the people by giving them access to information that helps them

make decisions about care and services. (See Table 1.)

Table 1. SOA at a glance: benefits of a Connected HHS environmentWho Benefits

Caseworkers

Workflow solutions give case workers relief from the burden of redundant administrative reporting processes and

repetitive intake processes that get in the way of service delivery.

Decision-makers

BI solutions help managers focus on problem-solving based on accurate metrics and enhanced analysis. Results can

be seen quicklyeven within an executives tenure.

AgenciesSolutions for coordination bring agencies and programs together so they can focus on common business processes

and target services to at-risk populations, such as children or the elderly. The right services get delivered at the right

time to the right people, helping to reduce administrative overhead and risk.

Citizens Through web-based solutions and self-help tools, clients become more independent. For example, people can log onto web-based information kiosks or portals and then determine eligibility requirements or review their case status.


7/22


5

A new model for the business and technology of

Connected HHSHow do you get started? Think sharing. Shared service initiatives drive for

improvements through specific tactics, such as care coordination, case

management, better business analytics, streamlined communications, dataintegration, and relationship management. Connected HHS technology can

help you meet the needs of these new care models, but you must also

consider how shared services affect your business processes.

The Connected HHS architecture is designed for incremental deployment,

enabling your agency to take a three-phased approach to implementation.

(See Table 2.) Whether you implement all three phases together or over

time, the goal is to deliver early successes that galvanize future efforts.

Table 2. Phased implementation of a Connected HHS environmentPhase Goal Description

1 Build thefoundation.

Select and deploy foundation technologies that use SOA,

because they support the standard protocols and

interfaces needed for cross-agency collaboration,

information access, and process orchestration.

2 Connectthe silos.

Connect disparate systems and information silos. The

Connected HHS enterprise service bus is the key to

providing people-centric views of data and to supporting

performance management across agencies.

3 Use sharedservices.

Develop HHS-specific applications for common functions,

such as intake, financial payments, or eligibility.

A solution for service delivery

Nonprofit Aspiranet delivers services

to more than 10,000 California

children and families a year. It is

imperative for them to carefully

coordinate service delivery and to

keep meticulous records to remain

compliant with regulations. They

deployed a solution based on

Microsoft SharePoint technologies to

help meet their need for case worker

collaboration and enhanced

compliance. The solution helped

them streamline business processes

so that they could enhance the

services they deliver to communities.iv

Affordable email for HHS

Since consolidating its HHS agencies,

Texas needed a long-term solution

for also consolidating their

communications. The Texas Health

and Human Services Commission

(HHSC) was finally able to link five

HHS agencies, representing 55,000

state employees, with a single email

system. They chose Microsoft Office

365, a cloud-hosted service.

Office 365 includes around-the-clocksupport and disaster recovery

services, two features HHSC required

in a new email platform.v


8/22


6

LOOKING AT CONNECTED HHS FOR CARE COORDINATION

What do coordination of care models, e-health initiatives, child welfare services, and

behavioral health programs have in common? People. Coordinated care models ask HHS

organizations to share common data, information, and processes. Connected HHS helpsyou bring people, processes, and systems together.

Organizations are using the new care coordination models to reveal areas where shared services can help them to

streamline and cut costs. The main point of intersection for many agencies, departments, and programs is people: the

citizens, clients, or patients they serve. When health and social services are fragmented, the experience can seem like a

tangle of complex, impersonal, and inefficient interactions between caregivers and recipients. The new coordinated care

models cross traditional organizational boundaries and help caregivers establish ongoing relationships with colleagues,

clients, partners, and patients. For this reason, many are turning to citizen relationship management (CRM) as the

foundation of their Connected HHS environment.

Whether you work in a clinical setting or in a social services organization, CRM is a strategyand technologythat can

help you achieve efficient workflows and improved outcomes of coordinated care. As part of a Connected HHS

platform, CRM gives your organization a way to manage relationships based on the needs of the people you serve. For

example, a social worker can use CRM tools to view all the services being delivered to an individual or familyno

matter who provided those services or when they provided them. From there, it can be much easier to coordinate

benefits, avoid duplication of effort, and get better results. (See Table 3.)

Table 3. Ways to use CRM in a Connected HHS environmentArea Benefits

HEALTH Coordinate care across the continuum of serviceswhether primary care, lab services, vision, dental, or

behavioral health counselingto help improve outcomes.

Manage and schedule ongoing communications for proactive, long-term care and patient follow-up. Analyze and improve processes so you can track complex workflows, become more efficient, and help boost

patient satisfaction.

HUMANSERVICES

Coordinate benefits for a family, and track all the services they receive from different programs. Get up-to-date client information in combination with rich demographic data from multiple sourcesall in

one view.

Manage more tasks across functions, such as intake, eligibility, and enrollment, to maximize your relationshipswith other departments, agencies, and partners.


9/22


7

Ideas for care coordination

Connected HHS architectures support care coordination solutions, which

might look like a mobile application that a case worker can use while out

of the office, an automated process that replaces tedious manual

procedures, or something else. Consider these ideas for enhancing care

coordination:

Streamline administration. Take key tasks, such as providermanagement or benefits management, or joint workflows, such as

tracking, alerting, and e-forms, and look for ways to implement a

common interface across the groups that use similar processes. Or

integrate common administrative functions, such as scheduling, payments, or claims. For example, to provide

benefits for community college students, Single Stop USA created the Benefits Enrollment Network (BEN) using

Connected HHS technologies. Existing IT silos were connected, enabling information-sharing across multiple systems

with identity security. Thanks to BEN, workers can coordinate benefits and provide critical tax preparation assistance;

benefit screening and eligibility for federal, state, and local programs; and even legal assistance. Preliminary data

from select sites indicates an improvement in semester-to-semester retention rates of students who received Single

Stop services.vi

Ease case management. Look for ways to improve forms and records management so case workers can spend lesstime on data entry and manual reporting and more time helping clients. Help boost workflow, too, by offering

workers smartphone applications or automated workflow tools. For example, employees gain mobility when they

can record data in the field using everyday software, such as Microsoft Outlook.

Enhance communications and public safety. Extend care coordination models to systems for public safety. Forexample, the Wisconsin Health Information Exchange (WHIE) aggregates real-time data across more than

142 hospitals and 120 clinics, plus claims information from the state, primarily for use by participating emergency

departments. However, by depersonalizing the records, they can make that information available to public health

organizations, which use it to help support their public health surveillance activities.vii


10/22


8

MODERNIZING SYSTEMS FOR THE HIX ERA

HIX requirements are driving IT modernization efforts

for many state officials. The right solution must help

you integrate multiple aspects of health insurancedeliveryincluding plan enrollment, privacy, consumer

portals, eligibility determinations, financial services, and

program administration.

Although a HIX is often compared to an online travel site, with its one-

time purchasing transactions, the comparison is inadequate. States must

now assume significantly more complex, ongoing administrative

workflowsall while managing numerous regulatory changes

throughout the year. To do that, your agency needs flexible IT

components that support interoperable exchanges in addition toapplications that enable enrollment, assess eligibility, deliver business

intelligence, and support case coordination.

An end-to-end HIX solution based on the Connected HHS Framework

can help you achieve compliance and keep costs down while adapting to

changing regulations and technology approaches. For example, one

large, private Medicare insurance exchange is using Connected HHS

technologies to extend its services in support of HIX requirements. They

plan to provide plan-comparison tools and to add enrollment and call

center functionality.viii

With its infrastructure based on SOA components, the Connected HHS

Framework delivers a consistent architecture that connects internal and

external systems so that you can:

Accommodate the many aspects of health insurance delivery. Get the most out of your existing IT systems. Connect existing systems to new technology and data from other

agencies and the private sector.

Combine all of the components into an integrated, end-to-endsolution.

Expand into health areas not traditionally administered by stateagencies, such as comparing health plans or collecting premiums.

HIX in Utah

Utah Health Exchange was one of the first

operational state health insurance exchanges

in the country. To meet the requirements of

their states health system reform legislation,the state Office of Consumer Health Services

created an Internet portal, the Utah Health

Exchange. It connects consumers to the

information they need to make informed

health care choices and, in the case of health

insurance, to execute that choice

electronically.ix

The Utah Health Exchange is administered by

Microsoft partner bswift, which provides

enrollment and administrative services

through Connected HHS technologies,

including Microsoft SQL Server and the

Microsoft .NET Framework. Through this

flexible, familiar platform, state administrators

are freed to focus on helping Utahs citizens

make the best choice in a health plan.x


11/22


9

With the Connected HHS approach to HIX, state agencies can assess a single offering and a well-known set of

interoperable technology productsa simpler task than evaluating numerous solutions from various firms to find

something that works well with government policies and existing IT infrastructures. In this architecture, back-end

systems help states to handle eligibility and enrollment, while front-end portals provide access to resources for

consumers. In addition, integration with cloud services enables insurers to handle fluctuating volumes of queries,

payment deductions, and processing. (See Table 4.)

Table 4. High-level HIX architecture based on a Connected HHS environmentCONSUMER PORTAL

Eligibility determination

User interfaces

Financial services

Subsidies

Premium pooling

Plan tools:

Presentation Comparison Enrollment

Customer care

Call center

EXCHANGE ADMINISTRATION, OPERATIONS, COMPLIANCE, AND TRANSPARENCY

MICROSOFT CONNECTED HHS FRAMEWORK AND PLATFORM

Another benefit of the Connected HHS approach to HIX is the ease with which business intelligence can be

provided to decision-makers and key stakeholders. By providing healthcare payers with analytics tools to measure

health outcomes, the HIX solution can help reduce costs. For example, state administrators can use the analytics

capabilities to search demographic data so they can research plans for children, senior citizens, or other groups.


12/22


10

Ideas for modernizing

Connected HHS solutions support IT modernization initiatives and help

bring organizations together with up-to-date capabilities, such asaccess to real-time information and collaboration tools.

Consider the following possibilities for your organization.

Get digital. If electronic case files are not part of your institutionsvocabulary yet, they should be. By digitizing health and human

services data, your organization can begin exchanging electronic

records easily and in a highly secure manner across organizational

boundaries. Your agency can also create business intelligence solutions that give employees access to accurate,

up-to-date information.

Build a bus. Bridge disparate legacy systems with a Connected HHS enterprise service bus, which enables youto connect fragmented parts of your services ecosystem. For example, Arizona Department of Health Services

adopted the Partner Healthcare Electronic Data Exchange (PHEDEX) to meet the federal requirement for state

health departments to support interoperable information exchange between public health partners. PHEDEX

organizes exchanges among diverse applications and data types while ensuring that transactions are audited

and backed up.xi

Put business intelligence to work. Empower decision-makers with analytics tools that provide big picture data.Web dashboards can turn raw data into visually appealing charts and graphs. For example, analysts can

monitor claims data more effectively to prevent fraud, administrators gain insight from financial data that can

help achieve cost savings, and managers can visualize demographic and mapping information that helps them

serve key populations better.

Automate compliance and reporting. Help reduce report-processing time with an automated solution based onyour business intelligence. For example, Boulder County, Colorado, had no way to understand the impact of its

services on the 294,000 individuals it served, and reporting requirements were burdensome and inconsistent

across the more than 100 local agencies and organizations involved. To enhance program efficiency and to

improve cross-agency coordination, the county worked with Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Social Solutions to

deploy Efforts to Outcomes (ETO) software, a community-based, collaborative social services solution. ETO not

only helped the county dramatically reduce wait times for participants but also enabled it to measure services

overlap to help improve efficiency, protect against abuses of the system, measure the impact of its various

agencies, and track participant progress toward self-sufficiency on a benchmarked spectrum.xii


13/22


11

SHARED SERVICES: AN OVERVIEW OF MEDICAID TODAY

The ripple effect of federal policy reform opens newdoors for state Medicaid programs. Flexible

Connected HHS solutions can help you meet the

latest mandates for program modernization and

interoperable systems of care.

Health reform is in the spotlight, thanks to the Affordable Care Act and

the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health

Act (HITECH Act). Nearly $25 billion dollars is at stake from various

federal grants, stimulus funds, and incentive payments from the CMS,

Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), and the Office of the

National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). Now

its up to state Medicaid programs to try to keep up with increasing

healthcare costs and expanding populations.

Fortunately, technology has become more flexible and mature since the

days of the Medicaid Management Information Systems (MMIS). The

current legacy of Medicaid policies and MMIS are based on the fee-for-

service model, which has been the norm for decades and which was

designed simply to pay claims. Yet as states shift to managed carein

which commercial payers become accountable care organizations forthe Medicaid populationsstates will benefit from pay-for-

performance models, in which providers are held accountable for

improved patient outcomes. For this shift to occur, the payers who

manage the care of their Medicaid members must have robust

information systems capable of integration with health information

exchanges (HIEs). Only then can organizations gain seamless access to

members medical records.

To fulfill the promise of health reform goalsimproved outcomes plus

more efficient, cost-effective service deliveryhealth information must

flow freely. An MMIS solution based on the Connected HHS Frameworkmakes that possible for payers and providers alike by providing the rich

technologies and business services they need to meet the challenges of

modern health IT.

Connected HHS benefits for

Medicaid

Make use of existing infrastructure. Simplify and speed administrative

processes.

Preserve the organizationalintegrity of caregivers and

agencies.

Help enhance service outcomes. Provide security-enhanced, role-

based access to information.

Deliver improvements in accessand efficiencies.

Provide better analytics.


14/22


12

Ideas for Medicaid systems

MMIS solutions based on Connected HHS components can help you

comply with MITA standards by integrating your existing, agency-shared services with new services.

Consider the following possibilities:

Expedite access to services. Eliminate complex, redundant intakeand eligibility systems, which can discourage individuals and families

from seeking care or finding necessary resources. Portals with web-

based forms offer a simple solution for easing access and reducing

duplication.

Assess where data can be shared. Start streamlining eligibility determination across programs by using asolution that passes client information from one system to anothersuch as Temporary Assistance for NeedyFamilies (TANF) to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Manage identities. Improve data quality while resolving and correlating common data, such as names andplaces, as information is aggregated from across different data systems. You may be familiar with identity

management by another name: Master Data Management (MDM), Enterprise Master Patient Index (EMPI), or

Common Client ID (CCID). By any name, identity management is essential for shared services and enables the

correct matching of information drawn from disparate systems. For example, the Alabama Medicaid Agency

adopted a solution for identity synchronization and autoprovisioning, which helped saved IT staff valuable

hours. The solution also helped the state enhance the security of its data and its compliance with privacy

regulations, such as those detailed in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).xiii


15/22


13

THE ARCHITECTURE OF COORDINATION

Today we have the technology to build more holistic, connected, people-centeredHHS systems. Your IT legacy need not become an impediment. The Connected HHS

Framework demonstrates how interoperability and services can be deployed in an IT

architecture.

By adhering to the tenets of service orientation, federated data,

federated security, and trustworthiness, the Connected HHS Framework

can help you:

Create a security-enhanced, connected infrastructure. How can youmake information accessible when and where people need it? Itstarts with a core infrastructure designed for integration and

interoperability.

Connect operational silos. How can government agencies,nongovernment service providers, nonprofit agencies, commercial

partners, and relevant stakeholders work together unless they can

share information easily? An enterprise service bus connects the

dots.

Modernize information and systems. Do you want to enhance andextend existing applications or to develop new solutions that work

with your existing IT investments? To coordinate care, you need an

architectural framework based on shared services.

Connect people. At the applications layer, the Connected HHSarchitecture exemplifies the meaningful use of technologyto

promote coordination and information sharing across programs,

departments, and communities of careand, ultimately, to improve

your ability to deliver services.

Core infrastructure

The core infrastructure of a Connected HHS technology platform

includes enterprise-level communications, collaboration, and other services that provide the stable building blocks

for an agile applications environment. (See Figure 1.)

Success with SOA

Technical solutions based on SOA

achieve limited success when they are

driven from the bottom up without

attention to an organization's larger

mission. And top-down, mega-projectsoften take so long to implement that

they are obsolete before they are

complete.

How is the Connected HHS Framework

and vision different? Its the:

People. A people-first approach toSOA means implementing

technologies that are mapped to

processes and desired outcomes

according to your roadmap and

business processes.

Incremental approach. Technologiesare implemented as incremental,

iterative projects governed by your

strategic vision.

Rapid return. Unlike systems of thepast that took years of planning and

implementation, an architecture

based on Connected HHS principles

enables you to build solutions that

deliver results fastwithin the tenure

of the executives backing the rollout.


16/22


14

Figure 1. Architectural layers of the Connected HHS Framework rely on a common set of technologies.

Connected HHS enterprise service bus

To join up silos of operations, you need solutions that help you handle diverse systems, platforms, technologies,

access and delivery channels, applications, languages, and credentials. The Connected HHS architecture is

designed to help you support interoperability amidst diversity.

To do this, the architecture uses an enterprise service bus that performs multiple functions. It:

Enables interoperability across programs and systems through web services. Provides the data services used for business performance management tools. Offers a unified view of clients and resources across departments.


17/22


15

Shared services layer

In a Connected HHS architecture, new applications and functionality can be introduced through the shared

services layer. In this context, shared services refer to extensible applications and loosely coupled web servicesreusable components that you can deploy across agencies to target common areas, such as intake, pre-eligibility,

referrals, business rules engine, case coordination, security, and privacy. These types of shared services help you

implement process, program, or legislative changes fast and flexibly.

At this layer, a security and compliance strategy must be built in with appropriate controls. You must protect

confidential citizen information and support compliance with relevant policies yet retain the flexibility to share data

and application functions across boundaries. The Connected HHS Framework is designed with multiple layers of

security. You can also provide a single, consistent identity credential for many applications, including authentication

and authorization of different kinds of users.

Agency applications layer

With a clear view of common service components needed in your environment, you can then choose the most

suitable application technologies. The agency applications layer of a Connected HHS architecture makes available

to users the information that would have been stored away in legacy systems. Even within single departments,

workers can get more from your existing systems. Business solutions can provide improved access to data and

analytics, offer simplified user interfaces for workflows, or deliver flexible, web-enabled interfacesthus liberating

data and creating a platform for business transformation.

Mobile applications, in particular, can help free workers to spend more time with clients. With a smartphone, tablet

PC, or other mobile device, employees have access to the information they need to stay productivevirtually

anytime and anywhere they have an Internet connection.

Always-on services in the cloud

The freeing power of cloud computing is allowing public and private sector professionals to stay connected to vital

work resources while on the road, with a combination of smart devices, Internet connectivity, and powerful apps.

As a Connected HHS option, cloud computing unlocks access to programs using Internet protocols while also

significantly reducing the high material costs of ITservers, software, and operations by in-house IT staff. Instead,

cloud data centers do the work for you so your IT staff can focus on business solutions for your organizations

users.

For example, the nonprofit Czech Red Cross worked with a partner to create a hosted private cloud infrastructure

built on Windows Hyper-V technology. The solution replaced the inefficient, paper-based communication

processes that volunteers had been using and sped the transmission of information during emergencies. Inaddition, the new IT infrastructure can be easily managed by its volunteer staff.xiv

With a platform based on Connected HHS and shared services, you don't have to choose between cloud services

or on-premises solutions. You can configure a hybrid combination that fits your requirements now and in the

future.


18/22


16

GETTING STARTED: YOUR ROADMAP

FORWARD

Out with the stove pipes and silos, in with the shared

services. But how do you get there? Your agency

needs a new approach to its business processes to

take full advantage of Connected HHS technology.

Its time to draft your strategy.

The Connected HHS vision encompasses a new approach to business

processes and technology infrastructure. A project-specific roadmap

guides your teams toward the shared services goal by analyzingbusiness needs, identifying gaps, and then aligning technology

initiatives with business goals.

For example, when the State of Alabama began planning its Connected

HHS deployment, key agencies convened, from the Department of

Human Resources to the Medicaid Agency to the Department of

Finance. Commissioners and key staff worked together to review

processes, systems, plans, and performance results alongside the

Information Services Division. Planning paid off in design specifications

tailored for the critical initial components of the states deployment.xv

A roadmap for shared services

Your roadmap should define the approach, timing, and steps that will

take your organization to a shared services environment:

Establish a baseline. Know what you have so you know what successlooks like. Start by listing existing business and technology assets, and then set targets, establish metrics, and

measure progress against your baseline so you can track the return on investment (ROI).

Get strategic. Articulate a front-to-back business strategy, and align it with a comprehensive technologystrategy. Start with your model for delivering collaborative services. Determine the types of data-sharing that

are useful.

Weigh the choices. Which cases need cross-agency collaboration? How will the agencies and programs worktogether? Review relevant experiences, and evaluate approaches that have been successful elsewhere.

Updating your business model

With the new service models, your

agency needs to develop anarchitecture for its business as much as

it needs one for its IT infrastructure. A

business architecture is your roadmap of

enterprise processes and performance

objectives. With the goal of sharing and

connecting services, your business

architecture aligns with your technical

strategy so that you can drive program

and technology departments in the

same direction.

A roadmap guides the process. As you

begin to define your businessrequirements, you can use the

Connected HHS approach for the

delivery of shared services. You start

with two key pieces of information:

Common practices. By identifying thecommon business processes used

across multiple programs, you begin

to see where organizations can share

services.

Points of intersection. Where doprograms and departments cross

paths? Your architecture must

address these points of informationaccess.


19/22


17

Get funding. Ask how cost will be allocated. Where is the fundingcoming from?

Design for governance.Establish clear parameters for sharinginformation. From a user perspective, clarify accountability. Who

gets to decide the optimal, cross-agency case plan? Who can see

what about whom, when, and where? From a systems perspective,

determine where the integrated system runsand who makes

repairs when necessary.

Invest over time. Don't wait to define perfection on paper beforemoving forward. Instead, plan for incremental changes in alignment

with your roadmaps vision. Grow capabilities over time, build upon

each success, and expectand design forchange.

Prioritize. Let policy set precedence, whether that means providingemergency relief, expanding access to care, becoming more

accountable, improving reporting, or mitigating risk.

Set milestones. Recognize that aspects of the roadmap will probablyshift with time and experience. Adopt regular checkpoints for

roadmap reassessment.

Manage change: the new governance

How agile are you? Youre about to find out. Shared services require a

new approach to governance and change management, and your

roadmap needs to consider this idea. Governanceis the operational

framework you use to determine how existing services are monitored,

defined, and authorizedtasks that often become more complex in

shared services workflows where the number of stakeholders expands.

Therefore, the transition to a more agile and connected business and technology environment requires

organizations to rethink governance. Whether your organization chooses to set up a centralized, distributed, or

outsourced model or to use a hybrid approach, successful governance requires a strong vision and shared goals

across agencies, departments, and programs.

Mind the gap as you go

Your roadmap should include a detailed

gap analysis, which serves as the

blueprint for implementing a Connected

HHS solution. Microsoft Services can

help you assess how closely the

Connected HHS Framework aligns with

your requirements and can help

determine how to tailor the solution to

your needs. Our analysis helps fulfill

your due diligence requirements by:

Identifying gaps before you deploy,which helps reduce risk.

Providing a quick, but thorough,analysis for your decision.

Building confidence that yoursolution will meet expectations.

Reducing the time and effortrequired for implementation.

Contact us for details at:

www.microsoft.com/services
http://www.microsoft.com/microsoftservices/en/us/home.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/microsoftservices/en/us/home.aspx


20/22


18

MICROSOFT AND HHS

The health of our nations HHS systems depends on aservice-oriented business and technology

architecture. Shared services are at the heart of the

Connected HHS Framework and the Microsoft vision

for a holistic, incremental approach to innovation.

Our goal is to help improve access, outcomes, and

efficiency through connected systems of care.

Connected systems of care center on the individual and the family.

Microsoft delivers comprehensive, proven, security-enhancedtechnology and services platform for HHS agencies, departments, and

programs. Through CRM, business intelligence, unified

communications, and other Connected HHS technologies, your agency

can speed response time and deliver greater value to citizens, other

organizations, and the communities you serve.

With more than $10 billion invested annually in research and

development, plus the largest partner ecosystem in the industry,

Microsoft offers wide-ranging choices to public sector organizations

considering business and technology modernization initiatives.

Together with our certified partners, we can help you apply Microsoft

technologies in innovative ways that unite government and IT for

greater impact.

LEARN MORE

Microsoft has a long-term commitment

toand extensive experience inthe

public health and social services sectors.

As a technology leader, we understand

the importance of compliance with

standards and we routinely operate

within open-standard and industry-

standard environments to support your

agencys technology needs.

Contact your Microsoft Account

Manager or partner to learn more about

how Microsoft solutions and Connected

HHS technology can help your

organization.

CONTACT US

[email protected]

www.microsoft.com/hhs
mailto:[email protected]://www.microsoft.com/hhshttp://www.microsoft.com/hhsmailto:[email protected]


21/22


19

Connected HHS technology from Microsoft

Much of the technology and resources needed on the road to Connected HHS may already exist in your data

centers and on your computers. Microsoft can show you how other government agencies have embraced theConnected HHS philosophy by leveraging existing IT tools and integrating new technologies. To learn more,

[email protected] take a look at some of our products and solutions, listed below.

Table 5. Microsoft products and solutionsTechnology Description

Businessintelligence

Derive the most value from information with the enterprise-ready data analysis tools inMicrosoft SQL

Server 2012.

Call centersBoost satisfaction for citizens with the latestunified communicationstechnologies which, together withCRM

applications, can help you manage citizen requests and connect callers to the channels they

preferincluding live service representatives or web-enabled self-service portals.

Casemanagement

Give case workers access to up-to-date demographic information, progress notes, and other information

critical to individual or family care.Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 delivers connected case coordination

capabilities.

Cloud servicesGain more value from your server infrastructure by turning to the cloud. Acloud-optimized data centercan

help you deploy agency solutions and data to community-based organizations and nonprofit agencies that

do not have dedicated IT staff or data centers.

Collaboration Extend the use of existing Microsoft Office products for communication and collaboration. MicrosoftSharePoint 2010gives teams many ways to share information. For more information, download the whitepaper, Improving health and human services with enterprise content management.

Desktopefficiency Get a streamlined user interface and new features that make everyday tasks easier withWindows 7.

Medicaidmanagement

Get help complying with MITA standards. Microsoftsolutions for Medical management information

systems, based on the Connected HHS Framework, can help you to reduce administrative costs, enhance

delivery of essential services, and implement improved security, privacy, and control.

Systemsintegration Connect disparate systems with the integration server solution,Microsoft BizTalk Server 2010, the hub ofyour Connected HHS architecture.

Web servicesProvide flexible access to servicesfrom mobile service centers to self-help portalsfrom a variety of

devices, including PCs, smartphones, and other mobile devices. Web solutions can also provide acentral

workspacewhere cross-agency teams can log on and share information.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/SQL_Server_2012/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/SQL_Server_2012/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/SQL_Server_2012/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/SQL_Server_2012/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/solutions/unified_communications/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/solutions/unified_communications/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/solutions/unified_communications/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/dynamics_crm_4_0/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/dynamics_crm_4_0/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/dynamics_crm_4_0/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/dynamics_crm_4_0/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/dynamics_crm_4_0/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/dynamics_crm_4_0/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/health/ww/solutions/Pages/cloud-optimized-datacenter.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/health/ww/solutions/Pages/cloud-optimized-datacenter.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/health/ww/solutions/Pages/cloud-optimized-datacenter.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/Sharepoint2010/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/Sharepoint2010/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/Sharepoint2010/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/Sharepoint2010/default.aspxhttp://download.microsoft.com/download/2/9/F/29FAF225-FFFC-4D01-8596-C36BB2F067C1/Health_and_Human_Services_ECM_Whitepaper.pdfhttp://download.microsoft.com/download/2/9/F/29FAF225-FFFC-4D01-8596-C36BB2F067C1/Health_and_Human_Services_ECM_Whitepaper.pdfhttp://download.microsoft.com/download/2/9/F/29FAF225-FFFC-4D01-8596-C36BB2F067C1/Health_and_Human_Services_ECM_Whitepaper.pdfhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/windows7/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/windows7/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/windows7/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/solutions/medicaid/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/solutions/medicaid/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/solutions/medicaid/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/solutions/medicaid/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/server/biz_talk_2009/default.mspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/server/biz_talk_2009/default.mspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/server/biz_talk_2009/default.mspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/server/biz_talk_2009/default.mspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/Sharepoint2010/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/Sharepoint2010/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/Sharepoint2010/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/Sharepoint2010/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/Sharepoint2010/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/Sharepoint2010/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/server/biz_talk_2009/default.mspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/solutions/medicaid/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/solutions/medicaid/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/windows7/default.aspxhttp://download.microsoft.com/download/2/9/F/29FAF225-FFFC-4D01-8596-C36BB2F067C1/Health_and_Human_Services_ECM_Whitepaper.pdfhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/Sharepoint2010/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/Sharepoint2010/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/health/ww/solutions/Pages/cloud-optimized-datacenter.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/dynamics_crm_4_0/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/dynamics_crm_4_0/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/dynamics_crm_4_0/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/solutions/unified_communications/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/SQL_Server_2012/default.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/products/SQL_Server_2012/default.aspxmailto:[email protected]


22/22


20

Endnotes

iHersey, Jack. Miami-Dade County makes a connection. Microsoft in Health blog. October 19, 2011.

blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_in_health/archive/2011/10/19/miami-dade-county-makes-a-connection.aspxiiIbid.iiiA call to action: Information exchange strategies for effective state government. April 2011.www.nascio.org/publications/ivCooper, Lane F. Aspiranet leverages collaboration platform to deliver better and more accountable services to California

children and families. Aspiranet case study. 2009.

biztechreports.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/AspiranetCaseStudy.360202244.pdfv Thomas-Flynn, Gail. Office 365 and the cloud make HIPAA easy . Microsoft Government: Bright Side of Government blog.

January 20, 2012.

www.microsoft.com/industry/government/state/brightside/detailBlog.aspx?title=Office_365_and_the_Cloud_Make_HIPAA_EasyviOLeary, William, and Elizabeth Mason. Improving health, human services, and education outcomes and reducing poverty:

Microsoft and Single Stop USA case study. 2011.www.singlestopusa.com/MicrosoftSingleStopUSA.pdfviiThe Wisconsin Health Information Exchange Emergency Department Linking Project. March 2011. Microsoft case study.

download.microsoft.com/download/5/3/F/53F61716-24A3-4EA4-936E-

38F865D546DE/AmalgaWisconsinHealthInformationExchangeCaseStudy.pdfviiiHorowitz, Brian T. Microsoft launches state health insurance exchange platform . eWeek. February 9, 2011.

www.eweek.com/c/a/Health-Care-IT/Microsoft-Launches-State-Health-Insurance-Exchange-Platform-403447/ixUtah Health Exchange website. www.exchange.utah.gov/about-the-exchange/overviewxbswift, Microsoft join forces to provide health insurance exchange solutions. bswift case study. October 25, 2011.

www.bswift.com/index.php?/press-releases/bswift-microsoft-join-forces-to-provide-health-insurance-exchange-solu/xiArizona health agency ups quality and security with interoperable exchange solution. Microsoft case study. August 2009.

www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?casestudyid=4000005113xiiBoulder County deploys collaborative social services tool, wait times drop from weeks to hours. Microsoft case study. August

16, 2010.www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?CaseStudyID=4000008098xiiiAlabama Medicaid Agency to cut time spent on identity management by 75 percent. Microsoft case study. February 2010.

www.microsoft.com/canada/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?casestudyid=4000006514xivHumanitarian group offers timely emergency relief with scalable, hosted private cloud. November 21, 2011. Microsoft case

study.www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Windows-Server-2008-R2/Czech-Red-Cross/Humanitarian-Group-Offers-Timely-

Emergency-Relief-with-Scalable-Hosted-Private-Cloud/4000011451xv Day, Alan, Lynn Davenport, David Meyers, and William OLeary. "Camellia Project: A Connected Health and Human Services

Framework for Alabama." May 2007.www.camellia.alabama.gov
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_in_health/archive/2011/10/19/miami-dade-county-makes-a-connection.aspxhttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_in_health/archive/2011/10/19/miami-dade-county-makes-a-connection.aspxhttp://www.nascio.org/publications/http://www.nascio.org/publications/http://www.nascio.org/publications/http://biztechreports.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/AspiranetCaseStudy.360202244.pdfhttp://biztechreports.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/AspiranetCaseStudy.360202244.pdfhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/state/brightside/detailBlog.aspx?title=Office_365_and_the_Cloud_Make_HIPAA_Easyhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/state/brightside/detailBlog.aspx?title=Office_365_and_the_Cloud_Make_HIPAA_Easyhttp://www.singlestopusa.com/MicrosoftSingleStopUSA.pdfhttp://www.singlestopusa.com/MicrosoftSingleStopUSA.pdfhttp://www.singlestopusa.com/MicrosoftSingleStopUSA.pdfhttp://download.microsoft.com/download/5/3/F/53F61716-24A3-4EA4-936E-38F865D546DE/AmalgaWisconsinHealthInformationExchangeCaseStudy.pdfhttp://download.microsoft.com/download/5/3/F/53F61716-24A3-4EA4-936E-38F865D546DE/AmalgaWisconsinHealthInformationExchangeCaseStudy.pdfhttp://download.microsoft.com/download/5/3/F/53F61716-24A3-4EA4-936E-38F865D546DE/AmalgaWisconsinHealthInformationExchangeCaseStudy.pdfhttp://www.eweek.com/c/a/Health-Care-IT/Microsoft-Launches-State-Health-Insurance-Exchange-Platform-403447/http://www.exchange.utah.gov/about-the-exchange/overviewhttp://www.exchange.utah.gov/about-the-exchange/overviewhttp://www.bswift.com/index.php?/press-releases/bswift-microsoft-join-forces-to-provide-health-insurance-exchange-solu/http://www.bswift.com/index.php?/press-releases/bswift-microsoft-join-forces-to-provide-health-insurance-exchange-solu/http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?casestudyid=4000005113http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?casestudyid=4000005113http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?CaseStudyID=4000008098http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?CaseStudyID=4000008098http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?CaseStudyID=4000008098http://www.microsoft.com/canada/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?casestudyid=4000006514http://www.microsoft.com/canada/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?casestudyid=4000006514http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Windows-Server-2008-R2/Czech-Red-Cross/Humanitarian-Group-Offers-Timely-Emergency-Relief-with-Scalable-Hosted-Private-Cloud/4000011451http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Windows-Server-2008-R2/Czech-Red-Cross/Humanitarian-Group-Offers-Timely-Emergency-Relief-with-Scalable-Hosted-Private-Cloud/4000011451http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Windows-Server-2008-R2/Czech-Red-Cross/Humanitarian-Group-Offers-Timely-Emergency-Relief-with-Scalable-Hosted-Private-Cloud/4000011451http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Windows-Server-2008-R2/Czech-Red-Cross/Humanitarian-Group-Offers-Timely-Emergency-Relief-with-Scalable-Hosted-Private-Cloud/4000011451http://www.camellia.alabama.gov/http://www.camellia.alabama.gov/http://www.camellia.alabama.gov/http://www.camellia.alabama.gov/http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Windows-Server-2008-R2/Czech-Red-Cross/Humanitarian-Group-Offers-Timely-Emergency-Relief-with-Scalable-Hosted-Private-Cloud/4000011451http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Windows-Server-2008-R2/Czech-Red-Cross/Humanitarian-Group-Offers-Timely-Emergency-Relief-with-Scalable-Hosted-Private-Cloud/4000011451http://www.microsoft.com/canada/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?casestudyid=4000006514http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?CaseStudyID=4000008098http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?casestudyid=4000005113http://www.bswift.com/index.php?/press-releases/bswift-microsoft-join-forces-to-provide-health-insurance-exchange-solu/http://www.exchange.utah.gov/about-the-exchange/overviewhttp://www.eweek.com/c/a/Health-Care-IT/Microsoft-Launches-State-Health-Insurance-Exchange-Platform-403447/http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/3/F/53F61716-24A3-4EA4-936E-38F865D546DE/AmalgaWisconsinHealthInformationExchangeCaseStudy.pdfhttp://download.microsoft.com/download/5/3/F/53F61716-24A3-4EA4-936E-38F865D546DE/AmalgaWisconsinHealthInformationExchangeCaseStudy.pdfhttp://www.singlestopusa.com/MicrosoftSingleStopUSA.pdfhttp://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/state/brightside/detailBlog.aspx?title=Office_365_and_the_Cloud_Make_HIPAA_Easyhttp://biztechreports.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/AspiranetCaseStudy.360202244.pdfhttp://www.nascio.org/publications/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_in_health/archive/2011/10/19/miami-dade-county-makes-a-connection.aspx

Documents

Microsoft Chh s