South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

Success Story

Novell exteNd and Security and Identity solutions create a secure, Web services-based portal to provide remote users with anytime, anywhere access to information

Overview

The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SC DHHS) contracts with more than 30,000 public and non-profit organizations, credentialed medical professionals, and private businesses to provide Medicaid, child care, and aging services. The department employs nearly 1,800 employees in 150 offices throughout the state.

Challenge

The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services nearly doubled its employee count in the past few years, and knew it could soon outgrow office space in its various locations. The agency wanted to reduce real estate costs by giving every employee the ability to be a mobile worker, particularly Medicaid eligibility employees that work across 150 hospitals and offices throughout the state. Without budget for a private network infrastructure, the agency sought a Web-based solution that would give employees secure anytime, anywhere access to all of the applications and resources needed to do their jobs, as well as the security required to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

As the foundation for its solution, SC DHHS needed a new application development platform to Web service-enable its proprietary, back-office applications and build an interactive portal for its employees and affiliated Medicaid eligibility workers.

Novell solution

"We initially looked at using Microsoft's .NET to move our applications to the Web, but a standards-based environment was very important to us. We didn't want to be tied to a customized, proprietary solution without the flexibility of open standards. We evaluated various systems, but only Novell exteNd could support our list of requirements."

Paul Gowder
Department Webmaster,
South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

The agency selected the Java-based Novell exteNd product suite as its new Web application development platform because it best matched the needs and requirements of its project challenges. For secure, manageable access to its Web service applications, the agency selected Novell Security and Identity solutions, including eDirectory, iChain, and DirXML.

"We initially looked at using Microsoft's .NET to move our applications to the Web, but a standards-based environment was very important to us," said Paul Gowder, Department Webmaster at the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. "We didn't want to be tied to a customized, proprietary solution without the flexibility of open standards. We evaluated various systems, but only Novell exteNd could support our list of requirements."

The agency is using Novell exteNd to make its Web-service enabled applications, many of them mainframe-based and proprietary, available via a portal. The development team can also create new Web service applications that leverage Java, LDAP, XML and other open standards.

All of the applications are tied to Novell eDirectory for centralized, secure management of user profiles. "Integration with eDirectory is a big key to our success because it gives us room to expand without increasing our application management costs," said Gowder.

Working with BravePoint, a Novell platinum partner, the agency's small project team with no previous Java skills used Novell exteNd to build a new Web service application for its weekly Medicaid remittance reporting that goes to several thousand hospitals and physicians. This new electronic delivery will eliminate the need to mail large reports – sometimes 300-400 pages each – which will save an estimated $1 million in printing and postage costs alone.

In partnership with Novell and Bravepoint, SC DHHS created a portal with back-end integration to its Web applications, and a secure, accessible interface for both employees and affiliated Medicaid eligibility workers. Novell eDirectory authenticates each user through a single user ID and password, eliminating multiple passwords to applications and making it easy for users to log in from any location. Based on user identity, eDirectory ensures that users only access the applications they need for their particular jobs. DirXML synchronizes identities across applications, reducing the time and cost of manual updates. Novell iChain provides front-end security for all the Web applications.

Many of the agency's Medicaid eligibility employees work across 150 different hospitals and offices throughout the state and will have a flexible, remote solution in order to comply with HIPAA requirements. The new portal relies on Novell Security and Identity to authenticate users and maintain the highest level of security.

SC DHHS will also leverage its new, Web services-based portal to make it easier for external users to communicate with the agency. Eventually, nearly 75,000 doctors and health professionals will be able to access a personalized portal to update provider status and check real-time Medicaid remittance information, among other services.

Results

By implementing Novell exteNd and Security and Identity solutions, SC DHHS has created a dynamic portal that provides remote access for every employee – without additional budget or IT headcount. With Novell exteNd as its new application development platform, the agency can easily expand its portal to include new applications and continue to provide timely, secure information to both employees and external users.

"With a portal-based solution, we've eliminated the need to build a private network across the state, which has saved enormous infrastructure costs," said Gowder. "Working with Novell consultants on this project has been fabulous. They quickly ascertained our needs, delivered on time and went well beyond our expectations."