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Long-range IT projects in House Bill 10: CCWIS awarded, EHR and EBT contracts advancing, EVV and MES updates
Summary
DPHHS outlined status updates for major IT projects in the House Bill 10 package: CCWIS (Accenture awarded; federal approval pending), EHR replacement (Netsmart via NASPO; contract under review), EBT replacement (Conduent selected; contract negotiations underway), pharmacy (FlexibleRx / NASPO multistate procurement) and completed MES/EVV work.
DPHHS staff told the subcommittee that several major long-range IT projects funded in recent House Bill 10 cycles are moving through procurement and implementation.
Child welfare: the Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS) project followed a request for proposals process and the award went to Accenture. DPHHS submitted the contract and supporting materials to the federal Children’s Bureau for approval; the department said the bureau has a 60-day review window for the approval required to proceed. DPHHS told legislators it plans a project initiation in April 2025 with a two-year deployment once federal approvals and contracting are finalized.
Electronic health records (EHR) replacement: DPHHS said it is negotiating a contract with Netsmart under a NASPO cooperative procurement. The agency described a staggered deployment that will start with Montana State Hospital and the Montana Chemical Dependency Center; if contract discussions complete as planned, group 1 would kick off in March with a nine‑month implementation and a three‑month stabilization period. DPHHS estimated the multi‑group rollout could complete by 2028.
Electronic benefits transfer (EBT): DPHHS posted a notice of intent to award Conduent on Oct. 9 and said contract negotiations are underway. The department expects to submit the contract to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) for approval and noted an industry-typical federal review period; implementation is expected in 6–12 months after approvals.
Pharmacy (FlexibleRx): DPHHS said the pharmacy benefit management replacement is part of a multistate NASPO ValuePoint procurement (Georgia, Missouri, Alaska participating). The state expects Georgia to finalize awards first and then Montana will continue vendor-down selection; DPHHS estimated a two-to-three year implementation timeline.
Completed and other items: DPHHS reported two completed projects — transition to a high-availability Medicaid enterprise platform (MES integration) and the Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) implementation, both delivered on schedule. The MES transition improved uptime and performance, the department said.
Why it matters: Several projects are tied to federal certifications or funding rules (for example, CCWIS and certain child-support and Medicaid modules). Committee members pressed for clarity on total costs, match rates and what remains in federal approvals before spending is fully obligated.
Ending
DPHHS committed to share final contract details and timing as negotiations and federal approvals finish. For CCWIS, the department said it will not begin the full implementation until the Children’s Bureau returns its review.
