The certification is important to West Virginia because it ensures funding for the federal portion of the BMS system. The federally funded portion represents savings of millions of dollars for West Virginia taxpayers.
When West Virginia wrote the specifications for its new system five years ago, the state required a state-of-the-art technical solution that would meet the principles of the new federal Medicaid Information Technology Architecture standards. The standards are intended to increase the flexibility and ease of making program changes, help the system operate more efficiently and be able to interface with other state systems more readily.
Nancy Atkins, Medicaid commissioner said, "We are very excited to be the first state in the country to have this state of the art system certified. It has the flexibility we need to help us achieve our Medicaid reform goals."
This is the first time that the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services has certified a new-generation commercial off-the-shelf system that conforms to MITA principles and has the flexibility necessary to make quick modifications in the ever-changing healthcare environment. West Virginia is a leader in Medicaid modernization initiatives and was one of the first states to obtain Bush Administration approval for its Medicaid modernization plan in May.
