Reducing Human Service Costs Through Workflow Efficiencies

Transcription

1 Reducing Human Service Costs Through Workflow Efficiencies

2 Presenters Honorable Scott F. Martin Chairman, Lancaster County Board of Commissioners James A. Laughman Human Services Administrator and Behavioral Health and Developmental Services Executive Director, Lancaster County Michael Wassil Consulting Partner, The Binkley Kanavy Group, LLC

3 Lancaster County Third Class County in South Central PA Population and Economic Growth: 11% population increase from 2002 to 2012 Third largest industrial area and $6 billion agriculture industry 12% growth in healthcare and construction business establishments from 2001 to 2011 Fifth lowest unemployment rate in June 2013 (6.3%)

4 Lancaster County Late 2006 Trends: Economic slowing and expectation of future revenue and funding reductions Continued increasing demand for county services

5 Lancaster County County-Wide Strategies To Reduce Costs and Increase the Coordination of Services: Targeted assessments of several departments, including human services, and early retirement programs Evaluations of service overlaps between the county and Commonwealth Management structure changes

6 Lancaster County Human Services Human Service Efficiency Assessment Goals: Improve efficiencies to offset the following without impacting consumer services: Future funding reductions The impacts of a growing number of funding source mandates Increase the coordination of consumer services, departments and units

7 Lancaster County Human Services County Agencies, Commissions and Offices Encompassed By the Efficiency Assessment: Office of Aging (Aging) Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (BH/DS) Children and Youth Agency (CYA) Drug and Alcohol Commission Human Relations Commission Veterans Affairs Youth Intervention Center

8 What Were The Costs and Benefits? Increased Revenues Through Case Manager Efficiencies $1.2 Million Lowered Costs: 14 FTE reductions - $700,000 Paper and printer ink savings - $65,000 Case file and other record storage costs Ah-Ha Moments

9 What Were The Costs and Benefits? Investment In BKG and Other Vendor Consulting Services and Equipment $1.4 Million Human Service Management and Staff Time Estimated ROI: 39% Financial Payback Period: < 1 year

10 When Were The Benefits Realized? Increased Case Management Revenues Cost Savings Iterative Software Development, Testing and Implementation BKG Efficiency Assessment BKG Implementation Assistance and Development of Software Enhancement Specifications

11 Why Was The Binkley Kanavy Group Engaged? Demonstrated human service and HealthChoices expertise Sole focus on county governments, county human service agencies and human service providers Leadership and communicative approach needed to gain acceptance of and drive change

12 What Did BKG Deliver? A Plan to Improve Efficiencies and Productivity: Internal workflows of the human service offices Workflows with the external customers (e.g. consumers, families, DPW, etc.) and suppliers (e.g. providers, Lancaster County Controller s Office, etc.) of the human service offices Management structures and resource sharing within the human service offices

13 What Did BKG Deliver? A Plan To: Increase supervisory and clerical productivity and case management revenues by: Automating case management workflows, including the: Prompting of case manager services Routing and approval of case documents (e.g. consumer service plans) through the development of electronic documents, approvals, user queues and uniform workflows

14 What Did BKG Deliver? A Plan To: Increase supervisory and clerical productivity and case management revenues by: Enabling case managers to complete required case documents during consumer or family encounters through the use of prepopulated electronic case documents, electronic signatures and internet connected computer tablets Automating the distribution of case documents (e.g. consumer service plans) to consumers or families through the use of encrypted s and to providers (e.g. authorizations) through the use of a web-portal

15 What Did BKG Deliver? A Plan To: Increase fiscal staff productivity by: Automating the receipt and verification of provider claims through the use of a web-portal Developing interfaces with the County Controller Office s financial application to upload verified provider invoices and download fiscal reports in the format and time periods required by the Commonwealth

16 What Did BKG Deliver? Other Workflow, Management Structure and Resource Sharing Recommendations Implementation priorities and needs Project manager over the development of: Workflow rules and computer system functionality requirements for BH/DS and CYA case management and clerical units for use by BH/DS IT management and system programmers Aging, BH/DS and CYA fiscal reporting requirements for use by Lancaster County Controller s Office system staff and testing of their results

17 How Was The Efficiency Assessment Performed? Pre-Contracting Cost/Benefit Evaluation Development of Tailored Engagement Scope, Approach and Workplan Execution of Engagement Procedures to: Identify, quantify and confirm significant and labor intensive workflows Analyze each functions significant workflows

18 How Was The Efficiency Assessment Performed? Execution of Engagement Procedures to: Confirm documented workflows and draft recommendations to gain acceptance of change Presentation of draft recommendations to management of each human service agency, commission and office Presentation of the draft assessment report to the human services leadership group and board of commissioners

19 Closing Comments and Lessons Learned Use of the Carrot and Stick Unique County and Human Service Operations

20 Contact Information Honorable Scott F. Martin Chairman, Lancaster County Board of Commissioners Phone: (717) James A. Laughman Human Services Administrator and Behavioral Health and Developmental Services Executive Director, Lancaster County Phone: (717) Michael Wassil, CPA MBA Consulting Partner, The Binkley Kanavy Group, LLC Phone: (412) Ext.207

21 The Binkley Kanavy Group The Binkley Kanavy Group thanks you for attending We are a professional services firm that operates throughout the Commonwealth. We offer auditing and consulting services to our niche markets of County and Local Governments and Human Service Organizations. Our practice leaders and experts are: Brian Binkley, CPA, Managing Partner County and Local Government Practice Leader Binkley@BinkleyKanavy.com Thomas Kanavy, CPA MBA, Partner Human Services Practice Leader Kanavy@BinkleyKanavy.com (412) X204 (412) X203 Michael Wassil, CPA MBA, Consulting Partner County, Local Government and Human Services Consulting Practice Leader Wassil@BinkleyKanavy.com (412) X207 We invite you to visit and connect with us on LinkedIn.