Questions for Department of Health

The Department of Health and Human Resources of the state is now dealing with an interrogation on the way in which it has handled a contract, which happens to be worth millions of dollars. There have been several lawmakers, as well as auditors, who believe that the Department of Health and Human Resources has simply not done enough to make sure that the state is going to see the better side of this deal. The contract, which is expected to last for 10 years and will be worth $20 million per year, has much to do with a computer system that is considered complex. The computer system is designed to help with the processing of Medicaid claims for those who need it, helping West Virginia citizens to receive the healthcare they need. The Department of Health and Human Resources is considering awarding the contract to one of the different bidders at some point in the near future.

If the Department of Health and Human Resources end ups awarding the contract to one of the four separate bidders, there will be trouble ahead. As of recently, the contract had already been in the position where it was rebid on two separate occasions and what makes it worse is that the agency has not provided a statement on why the failure occurred in the first place. With the second failure, information was disclosed, stating that a conflict of interest came up. Many are wondering if this time, the third time, things will actually work out. As they say, the third time is often the charm.

An audit that consisted of nearly 20 pages was recently released, recommending that the Department of Health and Human Resources be removed from having the authority to award bidders with contracts before having to go through the Division of Purchasing for the state. The audit for Medicaid has also been a major concern. The audit made it clear that there is a major lack of expertise when it comes to the process of Medicaid, which has basically weakened the agency as a whole. The Secretary for the Department, Rocco Fucillo, has argued back, stating that staff members for the Medicaid section have nearly two decades of experience with purchasing. Even so, the Department said that they did agree with what the auditors had to say about losing the particular purchasing exemption that was put in place. At this point in time, many are wondering whether or not the bid will go through or if it will be scrapped yet again, which could happen.