South Dakota Medicaid Selects FourThought Group

FourThought Group will perform planning required to replace the South Dakota's Department of Social Services' 24-year-old Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS). An important part of this project is estimating the cost and benefits of the replacement options.

Pierre, SD (PRWEB) January 16, 2006

South Dakota awarded FourThought Group (4TG) a contract to do the essential planning required to replace the Department of Social Services (DSS) 24-year-old Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) with an MMIS that is versatile enough to support the evolving business needs of the South Dakota’s Medicaid program.

“To meet South Dakota’s needs, we unveiled VisionStep, our latest innovation for planning, designing and managing healthcare system implementations,” said 4TG Executive Consultant Robin Mathias.

VisionStep is the result of 16 years of experience as the leading authority of joint application design in the Medicaid market, two years of working with our think tank of Medicaid leaders, intense involvement with the development of Medicaid Information Technology Architecture (MITA), and the combined expertise of our consulting and project management staff. VisionStep includes specialized tools to support every step of an MMIS replacement project. From initial visioning to final testing, VisionStep combines sound methodology with unique tools and practical information. Because the tools and methodology are integrated every step of the way, the result is a smooth, well-managed project.

Rod Kranzler, MMIS Project Manager for DSS, said that VisionStep is what made 4TG so attractive. "VisionStep demonstrates insight into MITA and responds to South Dakota's unique needs," he said.

FourThought Group has been selected to assist the State of South Dakota with the MMIS replacement planning process. As the technical assistance contractor, 4TG will:

• Establish strategic direction necessary to prepare for MMIS replacement.
• Identify and assess MMIS replacement options.
• Develop cost/benefit and risk analysis for replacement options.
• Gather and define State’s current and future MMIS business and technology needs.
• Develop an implementation advance planning document and request for proposals for the design, development and implementation phase.
• Assist with RFP evaluation, vendor selection and contract negotiation.

"Only FourThought Group offered an integrated set of tools and methods to support the entire procurement process," said Jessica Malone, Assistant Director of DSS Medical Services.

About FourThought Group

FourThought Group is a respected thought leader in the government healthcare marketplace. They shape the future of Medicaid technology through their leadership as part of the MITA team. 4TG combines insight, innovation and integrity to improve their clients’ business outcomes. 4TG’s consultants are recognized leaders in fraud control, MITA, decision support, MMIS planning, HIPAA, and independent validation and verification.

# # #