New Contractor Integration

In order to successfully integrate a new contractor into the DSHS system, an agency is assessed to determine the level of training and technical assistance (TA) that is needed to successfully deliver services. In CHS, we are striving to promote a team approach that includes regional and central office staff who can either directly provide the training and TA or who can link the agency to other staff/entities who can provide it.  Core team members consist of Regional Contract Coordinators (RCCs), Contract Managers, Quality Management/Quality Improvement Staff, and Program staff. An example of ad hoc team members would be Contract Oversight and Support (COS) Section staff, who are experts in fiscal and accounting systems.

If the agency has never contracted with DSHS, the TA plan would include items such as:

An overview of available contractor resources found through the DSHS website
Contract accounting issues, such as cost allocation plans
Overview of Quality Assurance
Overview of billing systems and processes
Program income requirements

To focus on provision of training and/or TA for the specific funding sources/programs, some examples of training and TA are:

Overview of CHS contractor website resources
Review of program policy manuals
Applicable eligibility processes
Cost-sharing options and sliding fee scales
Data entry and reporting processes
Program-specific  billing processes
Program-specific Quality Assurance tools and instructions

Teams were recently formed to assist the nine new contractors for Breast & Cervical Cancer Services, although none of the agencies are new to DSHS contracting. The RCC is the routine point of contact for the agency and will assist in identifying any additional training and TA needs. TA provided to individual agencies is documented on TA report forms and retained in contractor files. Quality Assurance reviews are conducted once every two to three years.

Throughout the contract year, the DSHS team will continue to review contractor data to assure that the agency is adhering to the contract and that services are delivered as intended. On a quarterly basis, Contract Managers assess the status of each agency and determine if there are significant risks and if so, how to resolve them. Some examples of these significant risks may include an agency that is behind on billing vouchers or claims, or is not expending funds as expected, or is experiencing software problems that prevent the accurate reporting of client encounter data. All or part of the team can be reassembled at any time to provide additional training and/or TA. Contractors can also request TA at any time. 

The system described above is intended to ensure that all CHS contractors understand their contract requirements and, more importantly, provide the best possible services to their clients.  We welcome suggestions for improvement and want to work in partnership with agencies to promote the best possible contract practices.

For More Information Regarding This Article Contact:
Shirley Broussard , Manager, Contract Management Branch
ph. 512.458.7111, ext. 3798