What’s more important than hearing from the agencies members of CompTIA’s Human Services Information Technology Advisory Group (HSITAG) support?
Part of HSITAG’s mission is to listen to what Health and Human Services agencies have to say about their strategies for leveraging technology.
HSITAG was founded in 1993 by a small group of private companies serving the Human Services Information Technology market. HSITAG serves as a collaborative source of knowledge, educational outreach and guidance to improve the delivery of human services programs.
Since 2016, HSITAG has spearheaded an annual survey, The State of State Health & Human Services (HHS) Technology Programs, designed to gain and share insights from state and local HHS thought leaders relative to agency IT issues, challenges, trends, and perspectives. We publish the survey results in a report as well as through a presentation at the annual ISM conference.
What is the State of the State survey?
Last year, our 2018 survey focused on four key topic areas:
- Service Delivery Modernization. 92% of the respondents reported that they plan to continue their service delivery modernization work to gain efficiencies. The trend data shows that states are moving toward mobile solutions aimed at serving their customers, as well as continuing to build on existing customer portals to drive more self-service.
- Emerging Trends and Technologies. 55 % of the respondents reported that newer technologies like Chatbots and other digital assistants are seen as emerging IT that will be impactful to agencies. (See more in chart below.)
- Modularity. 70% of respondents reported either “No Adoption” or “Early Stage Adoption” of modularity. Most agencies weren’t as concerned around the IT aspects of implementing a modular solution, rather they were more worried about issues like management of multiple vendors, modular definitions, and governance.
- Policy Initiatives. As we know, changes in Federal and State policies often mean systemic changes to HHS programs. We added a new section to the survey last year to track policy priorities.51% of respondents were focused on SNAP Employment & Training, while 49% were focused on fighting the opioid crisis, and 39% were working on fraud initiatives across programs
We are developing the 2019 survey now, and we will continue to address some of these areas as well as include new topics.
Who Do We Want to Participate?
We send the survey to HHS agency CIO and Program Directors across all 50 states. Last year, we had 56 respondents from 31 states. This year we have set a goal to have at least 2 respondents per state!
Why Should You Participate?
The survey gives agency leaders a forum to weigh in on topics that are important to the HHS community at large. The results provide insights into what states are doing around the country and offers perspectives on how to leverage technology to improve outcomes. In addition, the survey is shared with the vendor community, so that they might better understand how agencies hope to move forward.
When Will the Next Survey be Released?
The survey will be released for response in June, so be on the look out for it. We value your input! We look forward to hearing from you!
Follow us on Twitter at @CompTIA_HSITAG.
