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Raimondo places blame for UHIP fiasco; Roberts resigns, contractor targeted

By February 15, 2017December 21st, 2017Uncategorized

Rhode Island’s failed Medicaid (UHIP) computer system at center of issue

PROVIDENCE – The resignation of Health and Human Services Secretary Elizabeth Roberts Tuesday was just the beginning of Governor Gina Raimondo’s newest attempt to fix the state’s problem-ridden public benefits computer system.

The governor announced Wednesday morning that she will continue to withhold payment from the primary vendor and builder of the Unified Healthcare Infrastructure Project: Deloitte Consulting.

 She also plans to redo Deloitte’s contract so future payments are tied to completing specific tasks, and demand it pay for any extra money the state has to dish out to fix UHIP. It launched last September, and caused immediate headaches – such as three- to four hour waits at field offices, delayed food assistance, providers not being paid and many residents incorrectly denied benefits.

Of the $364 million project, which is paid to multiple vendors, Deloitte has already received about $200 million. In a recent media briefing, Eric Beane, acting director of the state Department of Human Services, said about $68 million is left to give Deloitte.

Beane replaced former Director Melba Depena Affigne, who with Chief Digital Officer Thom Guertin, gave their forced resignations last month. Raimondo gave Beane 30 days to review UHIP and come back with recommendations.

Roberts departure, changing Deloitte’s contract, more training for staff, hiring additional technicians and asking some staff who were laid off prematurely last fall – which Beane described as valuable because of their institutional knowledge – are a result of his findings, which was also released Wednesday.

His assessment concludes it was a mistake to go live in September, a collective decision made by Raimondo and state leaders after receiving what he described as “incomplete and sometimes inaccurate information” and “too rosy” of a picture.

A draft of his Powerpoint presentation for the House Oversight committee hearing scheduled for late Wednesday afternoon included a graphic Deloitte gave a couple of weeks before UHIP was turned on with all green lights.

“Nothing would surprise me,” Serpa said. “It seems we’ve had a huge management problem since before this thing launched in September.”

With reports from staff writers Patrick Anderson and Jennifer Bogdan of the Providence Journal

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Matthew J. Leonard, Esq. has devoted his practice to handling the legal needs of individuals and their business interests through all stages of life. As an attorney with the law firm of Salter McGowan Sylvia & Leonard, Inc., he has been engaged to handle matters from basic to sophisticated involving Estate Planning, Elder Law, Medicaid Planning, Probate, Trust and Estate Administration, Real Estate, Business Transactions, Business Creation and related litigation.