From the desk of William O'Leary
By Executive Director, U.S. Public Sector, Health and Human Services, Microsoft Corporation
The health and human services (HHS) infrastructure in the United States is in need of repair. HHS agencies can comprise up to 40 percent of state spending. Yet in spite of this spending and the best intentions and hard work of professionals in these agencies, individuals and families regularly fall through the cracks.
Many clients rely on multiple HHS agencies, departments, and programs, including public healthcare, behavioral health, child and family services, and care to the elderly and disabled—yet too often caseworkers, staff, and administrators are not able to coordinate these services effectively across agencies and programs. Complexities in state and federal funding further complicate matters—creating redundant administrative reporting requirements and other inefficiencies. The result: confusion, redundancy, and frustration for individuals and families who must navigate a highly regimented system while trying to obtain the urgent help they may need.
Additionally, state and local governments fail to maximize federal revenue streams, and crises occur that might have been averted. Eligible clients may fail to receive the benefits for which they qualify while others who are not eligible continue to receive benefits fraudulently.
Today, much is changing in the realm of traditional HHS. The demand for improved information sharing between public agencies has arisen in the wake of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. The demand to collaborate and share information anytime and anywhere, across federal, state and local boundaries, requires that disparate systems are connected in security-enhanced environments and that accurate information is made accessible to HHS administrators, caseworkers, agencies and the community at large. Similarly, major policy initiatives such as the development of electronic health records (EHR) require greater system interoperability across multiple agencies, multiple jurisdictions, and multiple levels of government.
A new generation of technology tools, services, and applications is poised to bring groundbreaking solutions to HHS professionals and the many individuals and families they serve. These solutions are able to break down the institutional barriers erected by aging, monolithic IT systems and create more flexible, less costly, and more client-centric approaches to public health and other human services.
Microsoft Connected Health and Human Services
Based on new technologies and our expertise as a global software leader, Microsoft has developed Microsoft Connected Health and Human Services (HHS). This strategy for transforming HHS organizations provides a comprehensive services delivery approach that drives efficient program operations, enables responsive and effective coordination of assistance across multiple programs, and enforces full policy compliance. Connected HHS solutions are able to leverage existing information stored in legacy systems and use it to provide more connected and effective services in which both technology and business processes focus squarely on individuals and families and the multiple systems that serve them. These solutions can help HHS organizations improve the functionality and effectiveness of existing programs and systems; create new possibilities for improved services, accountability, and cost management; and better serve the needs of individuals and families. Microsoft Connected HHS provides a realistic, client-centric approach to transforming health and human services management and delivery by providing the tools, technology, and leadership to achieve agile, services-oriented, and connected HHS organizations.
Microsoft Connected HHS operates on the Microsoft Connected HHS Platform (white paper, XML Paper Specification) and is part of Microsoft's Knowledge Driven Health, a strategy that encompasses solutions, technologies, products, and services from Microsoft and our Connected HHS Alliance partners for connecting people to systems and data, improving collaboration, and enabling better informed decision-making. This allows organizations to provide services more efficiently to a broader population, to help protect and promote better health, and to enhance public health status and human services outcomes while managing the cost of delivering care and services.
The time for change is now
The business of HHS is changing rapidly, which means processes must also change to keep pace with emerging requirements. With Connected HHS, Microsoft has put the pieces in place to fundamentally transform health and human services. Increasing integration among agencies, departments, and programs in the HHS ecosystem gives rise to a changing paradigm, from disconnected systems of reporting to individual- and family-centric, connected systems of care that provide a pathway to better HHS outcomes.
By implementing Connected HHS, you have the opportunity to develop innovative HHS practices and methodologies that offer substantial benefits for the individuals and families that you serve. Please contact me at emailhhs@microsoft.com so we can begin a dialogue about health and human services solutions for your agency, department, or program.
Sincerely,
Bill O'Leary
Executive Director, U.S. Public Sector, Health and Human Services
