Modernizing Medicaid and Benefits Systems
One vision for a better system
We believe buying public interest technology and services more effectively is possible when we follow key principles: start from outcomes, own and direct your systems, and commit to continuous improvement.
Three principles for every decision
Guiding principles matter because they allow individuals and agencies with different responsibilities and expertise to align their activities around standards they all understand. This is what makes progress stick and scale within a state.
1) Start from outcomes, not requirements
2) Own and direct your systems
3) Commit to continuous improvement
Six strategies to put them to work
The guidance turns these principles into practical steps states can take now, drawn from what states like Colorado, Washington, and Minnesota are already doing.
For example, states can build modular systems, and the in-house capacity to actually use them. They can use time and materials contracts that hold vendors accountable for outcomes, not hours. And they can treat CMS as a partner in their strategy, not just the reviewer of a finished plan.
Aligning decisions across three domains
Our guidance explains how states can make those decisions differently by aligning the three domains – technology, procurement, and financing – from the start.
Technology
What the state is building, including system architecture, integration, and data infrastructure
Procurement
How the state is buying it, including contract structure, sequencing, and governance
Financing
How the state is paying for it, including the APD process and federal match rates
