ConneXion

Connexion logo

 

The Division of Developmental Disabilities has long identified the need for an integrated electronic case management system to standardize, centralize, and automate the service planning process for individuals with an intellectual or developmental disability receiving Medicaid Waiver and other State plan services.

The Division applied for funding from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for a new electronic case management system and was approved to procure and implement a web-based, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) enterprise case management solution to support the lifecycle of consumer care including: information and referral; intake; assessment and reassessment; care planning and service authorization; service delivery and payment; case closure; and reporting. Additionally, the enterprise case management solution will support fraud, waste and abuse detection.

In July of 2020, CMS approved the State’s vendor selection (FEI Systems) as the case management COTS solution. The new case management system, ConneXion, project kick-off took place in August of 2020 and the anticipated go-live of the ConneXion system is October 26, 2023.

*Update: ConneXion End-User Training Delay

  • ConneXion end-user training will be delayed due to additional time needed to ensure the production environment and end-user training are aligned.  All current training registrations, as of 7/25/2023, have been cancelled. A notification will be sent to all identified end-users, provider organizations, and via email blast when the new end-user training window is available. This notification will include new registration information for end-user training. The Division appreciates your understanding and is dedicated to the successful implementation of ConneXion for the individuals we serve. Please send questions to ConneXion Training Team at ConneXiontraining@dmh.mo.gov.
ConneXion Gantt Chart

Background

The Division has reviewed and researched electronic case management solutions for several years to improve services to clients, enhance accountability, streamline processes for staff and provider network. This research included reviewing demos of vendors’ case management systems, contacting other states who have recently implemented new case management system, and discussing federal funding opportunities with Department of Social Services (DSS) - MO HealthNet Division and CMS. The Division received approval from CMS for federal funding (effective October 1, 2017) for the planning and procurement phase activities for the Case Management project. This included hiring a consultant to help write the Request for Proposal (RFP). An RFP was issued by the Office of Administration/Division of Purchasing in June 2019 to solicit a vendor to provide a Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS), web-based case management system solution in support of the 1915(c) Home and Community-Based Service (HCBS) Waiver programs for the Department of Mental Health. After a competitive bidding process that included detailed evaluations of vendors’ proposals and system demonstrations by the top ranked vendors, FEI Systems was awarded the contract. CMS approved the vendor contract selection and contract award on July 10, 2020.

The initial start-up/planning phase of Implementation began in July 2020. The expected system go-live date is October 26, 2023, with pilot testing to be completed prior to go-live. The Division's project team and FEI updated and re-baselined the detailed project schedule which includes additional scope requirements identified in contract amendments.

The official project Kick-off meeting was held on August 3, 2020 at the Department of Mental Health. Please find the presentation and the meeting minutes for reference and review.

Project Objectives and Anticipated Benefits

  • The high-level objectives for the new case management solution are listed in the table below.
    Project Objectives and Anticipated Benefits of Case Management Solution
    a. Improve efficiency and effectiveness of HCBS waiver programs that will lead to increased productivity and better customer service.
    b. Improve health outcomes for individuals with development disabilities through appropriate supports and services to enhance quality of life.
    c. Improve capability to prevent and reduce fraud, waste and abuse.
    d. Increase staff, client and provider satisfaction by providing on-line capabilities and automated processes.
    e. Improve access and services to clients through more consistent and efficient processes and automated workflows.
    f. Increased program transparency, accountability and reporting capabilities through more robust data collection/analytics and automated management tools.
    g. Facilitate compliance with CMS waiver requirements including specific quality improvement performance measures.
    h. Facilitate efficient data interchange and effective communication among waiver stakeholders and partners.
  • The Division has summarized the key benefits from an enterprise case management solution:
    • Decrease processing time for ISP development and authorization,
    • Decrease the percentage of Individual Support Plans (ISP) finalized after the implementation date,
    • Improve ability to enforce rate methodology in ISPs finalized and service authorizations based on required assessments,
    • Provide online, real-time information for staff, providers and individuals/families on ISPs and services delivered,
    • Eliminate the need to route paper documentation to support case management processes,
    • Provide online, real-time dashboards and/or reports for supervisors, managers and Quality Assurance staff,
    • Reduce time needed to track and report quality improvement measures and increase accuracy of quality performance measures,
    • Provide online, real-time status of applications for DD services to individuals and their family/guardians and provide online, real-time status of contract enrollment applications to providers.

Project Team

  • Meet the Division’s ConneXion Project Team:
  • For questions or concerns related to the project, please reach out to Toi Wilde, Project Director.
Project Owner Interest or role
Val Huhn DMH Executive Sponsor
Cynthia Hassler ITSD Executive Sponsor
Stakeholder Interest or role
Jessica Bax DMH Project Sponsor
Wendy Witcig DMH Business Sponsor
Angie Brenner DMH Business Sponsor
Molly Boeckmann DMH Director of Administration
Toi Wilde DMH Project Director
Travis West  DMH Project Management Support
Jan Heckemeyer DMH Project Management Support
Gary Schanzmeyer DMH Migration/Integration Lead
Rick Shuey DMH Configuration Architect 
Adil Khan DMH Solution Architect
Micheale Kroeger ITSD PM Oversight
Randy Lock ITSD Project Manager
Dean Hubbell FEI Systems Project Manager
Tolulope Ayegbusi FEI Systems Deputy Project Manager
Susan Shirley FEI Systems Missouri Account Manager

Scope

The ConneXion - DD Case Management system will support comprehensive case management from the initial inquiry for services to case closure, including information and referral, intake, assessment and reassessment, care planning and service authorization, provider enrollment and management, service delivery and payment, case closure, quality assurance, and reporting.

End-users of the ConneXion system will include DMH and Division of DD staff, Service providers, and Targeted Case Management (TCM) providers. Individuals will have limited access to the system via the person portal.

  • In-Scope
    • The case management solution will be utilized for the Division’s HCBS Waiver and other State plan programs. In Fiscal Year 2020, 14,996 individuals with developmental disabilities received services through HCBS Waiver programs. Services are provided by over 600 contracted community service providers.
  • Out-of-Scope
    • The scope of the project does not include:
      • The Division’s state operated programs at habilitation centers, Northwest Community Services and Southwest Community Services are not included in this project.

Information on detailed contract requirements and FEI’s proposal:

The Division completed its review of numerous change requests and completed negotiations with FEI on requirements and pricing for these change requests. The change requests were converted into formal contract amendments that have been approved by the Office of Administration/Division of Purchasing and signed by FEI. The contract amendments have been approved by CMS and added to the project scope of work and timeline.

Schedule

The table below indicates the timeframes for the main phases of implementation:

The project includes the following 6 phases:

  1. Start-Up/Planning
  2. Design and Build/Configuration
  3. Testing
  4. Deployment/Implementation
  5. Stabilization/Certification
  6. Close-Out
  • The project is currently in Phase 3 - Testing. User Acceptance Testing (UAT) & Pilot Testing will begin in May 2023 and conclude by August 2023. 
ConneXion Timeline

Status

All health indicators are green with the schedule, budget and scope changes and all contract amendments approved by State executive leadership and CMS.  

An active risk management team meets bi-weekly to mitigate project risks and issues.  

The project is currently 90% complete at this time.  

ConneXion Complete

Project Resources, Education/Training, and Communications

For an overview of the project, click here to review overview PowerPoint.

Billing and Claims Resources

ConneXion Training and Registration Updates

    ConneXion Training Facilities

    ConneXion Training Webinars

    Individual Support Plan (ISP)

    ConneXion Walkthrough Demonstrations: 

    • In an effort to keep the ConneXion system configurations transparent the Division and FEI have invited stakeholders to participate in ConneXion Walkthrough Demonstrations to showcase the requirements gathered and configured in the ConneXion system. These were created as a way to transparently showcase system configurations to stakeholders but are not training for the ConneXion system. Separate ConneXion End-User training will take place in-person starting in August 2023. These demonstrations recorded and available in the MODD Content Self-Registration portal. Modules currently available in the MODD Content Self-Registration Portal include:
    • ConneXion Walkthrough Demonstration February 2023— This ConneXion Walkthrough Demonstration showcases the requirements gathered and configured in ConneXion around ISP Planning and Service Authorizations. Focus areas for this demonstration highlight the ISP planning process in the system and all modules that interact with the ISP and Service Authorizations. Topic Areas: ISP including workflow, Assessment, Person Profile, ISP Budget, Service Packet, Service Authorization, Person Portal, HRST Interface with ConneXion ISP, and TCM Case Note Billing.
    • ConneXion Walkthrough Demonstration October 2022— This ConneXion Walkthrough Demonstration showcases Billing and Claims requirements gathered and configured, with focus on these areas: Billing for Authorized Services, Medicaid and CIMOR, Managing Claim Transactions and Corrections.
    • ConneXion Walkthrough Demonstration April 2022— This module includes FEI’s walkthrough of recent enhancements made to the ConneXion system related to the following areas: Global Search, Dashboards, Person Profile, Health Information, Contact Form, Message Center, Attachments, Appointments, Case Note, Tasks, Level of Care, Notification, Waitlist, Slot Management, Organization, Location and Staff modules.
    • ConneXion Walkthrough Demonstration January 2022— This module includes FEI’s walkthrough of recent enhancements made to the ConneXion system related to Quality Assurance, Death and Mortality, Findings Tracker, Consumer Referral, and CMS summaries. This functionality represents the business process developed in the system specific to quality assurance for Providers and individuals enrolled in DD programs. The process includes configuration to the core system functionality along with automation of Missouri specific forms for quality assurance and issue/finding tracking and resolution.
    • ConneXion Walkthrough Demonstration October 2021— This module includes FEI’s walkthrough of recent enhancements made to the ConneXion system, including Provider Application, Provider Application Review, and Letters. This functionality represents the business process developed in the system specific to Provider enrollment and certification. The process includes configuration to the core system functionality along with automation of Missouri specific forms for Provider enrollment.

    A recorded webinar is available, Using the Missouri Developmental Disabilities—MODD Content Self-Registration Portal, that provides step-by-step instructions for using the MODD Content Self-Registration Portal. Information includes direction for registration, navigation, and obtaining certificates and transcripts. Additional resources can be found on the Division’s education page under Relias Self-Registration Portals.