Human Assistance Medi-Cal/CalFresh Service Center

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance (DHA) implemented a service center for the Medi-Cal and CalFresh operations which substantially reduced costs and improved services. The applications for the new Medi-Cal/CalFresh Service Center have been virtualized so that multiple facilities operate as a single service center to the public. The Center has allowed Sacramento County to save over $9.8 million so far. It has allowed the County to improve services to customers by extending hours of service, provide on-line and automated services for clients, provide services remotely, improve timeliness of responses to clients, improve and monitor quality of service, reduce processing times, and balance workloads among staff. The project brought together over a dozen technology projects to integrate and coordinate information and communications. Business processes throughout the Department had to be re-engineered, restructured, and modified. Leases and tenant improvements for facilities were coordinated, over 450 staff moves for consolidation were coordinated, labor negotiations undertaken, and extensive training conducted. The Service Center represented coordination efforts of staff in the Department and the County, as well as the implementation of vendor based products. The Service Center allowed the Department to close 11 facilities and absorb the workload of 55.4 staffing reductions imposed by substantial budget reductions.