Human Services considers new case-management system; vendor demo shows $56,000 implementation cost

Human Services staff reported a vendor demonstration for a potential new case-management system that could replace an aging client information and fiscal system.

Jill said the county ran a second vendor demonstration and included public health and IT staff to evaluate whether a single system could meet client-management, billing and fiscal needs. ‘‘If we were to select them as a vendor and move forward…they could really build the system around our needs,’’ she said.

Financial figures discussed in the meeting included an estimated implementation cost of $56,000 and an annual maintenance or subscription cost around $30,000. Amy (county staff) has roughly $10,000 from an ARPA fund available to apply to the purchase, staff said; the county currently pays roughly $1,500 monthly for maintenance on the legacy ‘‘Visual Assist’’ system and would reallocate some of those funds if the new system is contracted.

Staff discussed cost-sharing with the public health department and potential use of CCS reimbursements to offset a portion of ongoing costs. No procurement decision was made at the meeting; staff said they will continue discovery and ask follow-up questions of the vendor to confirm capabilities and third-party billing workflows.

County officials noted budget planning to cover implementation and first-year subscription costs and discussed splitting ongoing costs between departments based on user counts.