nterprise Case Management (ECM) is one common platform that can be configured to help plan and deliver services for multiple Department of Human Services (DHS) and DHS-supervised programs. This will allow for easier sharing of information, reduced effort and cost to maintain systems, and enhanced data security and compliance to governing laws and regulations.
Subsystems include:
- Home and Community-Based Services Subsystem (HCBSS): The HCBSS will replace what is currently known as the Home & Community Services Information System (HCSIS). It will serve as the enrollment and case management system for DHS program offices, counties, and providers supporting the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) programs, including Medicaid waivers.
- Child Welfare Case Management (CW CM): The CW CM subsystem will create a single, statewide CW CM System for all Pennsylvania counties.
- Hearings & Appeals: The Hearings & Appeals subsystem will replace the collection of legacy systems DHS uses to manage appeals under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Hearings and Appeals (BHA).
- Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) Enrollment Services: The OLTL Enrollment Services subsystem will be used by the Enrollment Services Entity and DHS and PA Department of Aging (PDA) to manage the process to assist individuals in exploring and applying for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS).
Due to COVID-19, the ECM project has been delayed, but the DHS is actively working to develop a new timeline and will provide information to the counties when it becomes available. Decisions need to be made about the order of subsystems within a phase and the roll-out strategy for each subsystem.
The ECM implementation timeline spans multiple years and is comprised of three phases. The following describes, at a high level, the anticipated phases and timing of each:
Phase 0:
- ECM Pegasystems Platform Established 2022 (upon which subsystems will be implemented)
Phase 1 Beginning Fall 2023:
- Hearings & Appeals Targeted Implementation Date of September 20, 2024
- Home and Community Based Services (HCBSS) Target Implementation Date of May 2026
- OLTL Enrolment August 2026
Phase 2:
- Child Welfare Case Management (CW CM) Targeted Implementation Date of Fall 2026
Implementation is referring to, ECM being ready and available for users and stakeholders to begin accessing and entering information into.
Currently, Hearings and Appeals and HCBSS is in the discovery phase of the project. The program offices are working with Accenture to discuss and further develop how ECM will function.
Discussions on the OLTL Enrollment Services have not started at this time.
Advantages of an integrated Enterprise Case Management system include:
- Promoting effective communication among stakeholders at all levels
- Reinforcing DHS' and counties' connection with the individuals and families we support as well as their providers
- Improving the participant's experience and helping to better ensure their needs are effectively met
- Providing a more holistic view of the people being served
Once implemented, DHS anticipates many benefits, including but not limited to:
- Improved access to complete case information
- Integrated repository for storing and managing documents
- Reduced data entry time through automation capabilities
- Reduced duplication of person records and documentation
- Increased mobile capabilities for access to data in the field and the ability to easily collect information in the field
- Enhanced collaborative tools for participating organizations
- Improved ability to more quickly react to changes in policy, laws, and regulations
- Improved and more flexible reporting capabilities including dashboards and ad hoc queries
- Improved portal functionality for individuals and families to access the status and other information related to their case
ECM will be available through a more modern web-based application that will allow for quicker changes than system that were used before (i.e., HCSIS, CWIS, etc.).
For more information about this process, please visit the Development page.
For HCSIS county stakeholders, nothing is needed until we start user story prioritization sessions at a date to be determined. The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) is an exception as additional inputs may be needed.
For CW CM, Business Process Alignment (BPA) and User Story (US) sessions resumed in April 2021 and are planned to be held through December 2023, with user story review completing in end of January 2024.
Continued participation will be needed from counties during these sessions, as well as during the CW CM Advisory Board and Steering Team meetings that are held twice a month.
Yes, county stakeholders will be involved throughout the design and configuration of the new system.
No direct costs are anticipated to be incurred by counties who are using the Hearings and Appeals, Office of Long-Term Living Enrollment Services (OLTL), or Home and Community-Based Services (Early Intervention, Intellectual Disability/Autism, Behavioral Health) subsystems. Participation by county stakeholders will be required.
For Child Welfare Case Management (CW CM), costs are currently being determined. Counties are asked to submit funding requests through the annual needs-based budget process to address costs associated with participating in CW CM activities.
County users will be required to use the ECM subsystems. DHS is reviewing options for the expanded use of functionality by County Children and Youth and Behavioral Health agencies and will provide more information when it is available.
Development and enhancements of county case management systems should be limited to only critical/mandatory changes.
The commonwealth will share information with the counties about features and functions that are planned to be implemented with each release. The commonwealth will also notify counties about features and functions that are not anticipated to be implemented and share relevant information as it becomes available.
There is a governance structure in place for future system enhancements that includes county participation. More information on the Enterprise Case Management governance structure can be found on ECM Governance.
- For Intellectual Disabilities/Autism and Early Intervention services, use of the Enterprise Case Management (ECM) system will be mandatory and similar to how the counties use the Home and Community Services Information System (HCSIS) today.
- For Mental Health, counties will be required to enroll individuals in and provide case management data to ECM either by using ECM as the primary case management system or by interfacing with ECM to upload required enrollment and case management data.
- For Child Welfare, Governor Wolf issued Executive Order 2019-05 on July 31, 2019 that included a directive for the implementation of a statewide child welfare case management IT system. Implementation of a single statewide Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS) compliant system will maximize enhanced federal financial participation (FFP). Opting out of the Child Welfare Case Management system for county agencies is not an option.
24/7 Help Desk support will be provided. If the Help Desk is unable to resolve an issue, they will escalate the issue to the appropriate party to investigate for resolution.
This will be determined with Accenture, the System Integrator (SI) vendor during the Discovery Sessions.
Training execution will vary by subsystem and stakeholder group. All stakeholder training needs will be considered as part of a broader implementation plan including the use of a variety of training delivery methods. Stakeholders will be informed in advance of training when the sessions are scheduled so they can plan accordingly.
Decisions about the functionality that will be included in the Enterprise Case Management system are being made and will continue to be discussed through the onboarding of the System Integrator vendor. All functionality needed to perform case management and related processes for all subsystems will be addressed as the project progresses.
The PA DHS and its registered business partners will share participant data when it is permissible by policy or required by law. For Child Welfare, the PA DHS Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF) follows statutory obligations and has the authority to grant access to participant data without consent in scenarios where it may be needed to ensure the safety of children, youth, and families.
There will also be consent-based security, which is an authorization initiated between an individual and an organization through an agreement. This is similar to being asked by your doctor’s office if there is anyone authorized to see your records. You may indicate your partner, another close family member, or another doctor who coordinates your care can see your information. Individuals and/or their Legal Guardians/Authorized Representatives will be able to provide this consent in the Enterprise Case Management (ECM) system for other parties, such as physicians and other providers, Supports/Service Coordination Organizations (SCOs), close family members, and attorneys to view some or all of their case information.
The PA Department of Human Services anticipates that counties will take an active role in testing. The details of the implementation phases have not yet been determined.
The following functionality in the Home and Community Services Information System (HCSIS)/Pennsylvania’s Enterprise to Link Information for Children Across Networks (PELICAN-Early Intervention (EI)) will be available in the Enterprise Case Management (ECM) system:
- Eligibility, Financial Management, Evaluation Reporting, Individual/Provider Monitoring, Waiver Capacity, Provider Contracts, Case Management and Reporting for the PA DHS’ Office of Child Development and Early Learning-Early Intervention, Office of Developmental Programs, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, and Office of Long Term Living (ACT 150 and OBRA) waivers and programs.
Enterprise Incident Management (EIM), which interfaces with HCSIS, and Public Welfare Incident Management (PWIM) functionality will be moving to the PA DHS’ Enterprise Licensing System (ELS).
Child Welfare Information Solution (CWIS), IV-E QA, County Child Welfare Case Management Systems will be consolidated under the Child Welfare Case Management (CW CM) subsystem. CW CM stakeholders will document user stories to capture functionality needed for additional systems that may be consolidated under CW CM.
More information on each subsystem can be found below:
Once the System Integrator is on board, the timeframes and details for data conversion, go-live, and training will be developed together with all parties involved.