CareLogic Implementation Process Overview – Consortium

Purpose

This document provides an overview of the CareLogic implementation process for a consortiumincluding team structure and responsibilities, client roles and responsibilities, and implementation tasks and timelines.

Team Structure

Each CareLogic implementation is staffed by one project manager and at least one implementation specialist.

The project managers are responsible for:

  • Project plan creation and maintenance
  • Proactively disseminating project information to all stakeholders
  • Manage staff to task completion per timeliness
  • Proactively managing scope to ensure that what was agreed to is delivered unless changes are approved through scope management
  • Liaison between customer project team and QSI project team – handling logistics and communication
  • Issues resolution
  • Oversees issue management for the project
  • Support entire project team in making their jobs easier, better, and faster to complete
  • Collecting metrics to give a sense for how the project is progressing

The implementation specialists are responsible for:

  • Working with client to gather data needed to configure CareLogic
  • Uploading configuration data via upload tools
  • Provide training to clients during the implementation
  • Identifying proper configuration to meet client
  • Establish relationship with client
  • Resolve client inquiries, maintaining ownership through resolution
  • Uploading standard data conversion data via data conversion tools

A training resource is also assigned to the implementation to deliver “train the trainer” training. One or multiple business analysts are assigned to implementations that include enhancements. The business analyst is responsible for designing the enhancement and ensuring it meets the client’s requirements as well as integrates with existing CareLogic functionality.

Client Roles

During implementation both QSI and the Client have responsibilities associated with the project. Client roles include: Project Sponsor, Project Manager, Subject Matter Experts, System Administrators, and Trainers. Typically the Subject Matter Experts are broken down by Billing, Clinical, and Scheduling/Registration/Front Desk. In many instances the Subject Matter Experts also fill or assist with the Training role. Following are the responsibilities for each role.

Project Manager (Consortium)

The collaborative project manager should have the following skill set

  • Extremely detailed (for handling logistics and issues tracking/completion).
  • Well respected (works well for/with others, but extends authority when necessary)
  • Knows the agency (its business, its people, its programs, its challenges, its strengths, etc) and/or has the ability to ask the right questions of the right people to learn all of those things
  • Takes ownership, but delegates where appropriate
  • Strong communications skills – via phone and email and across groups/individuals
  • Acts as “objective” team member - addressing equally the needs of the functionally areas/departments while also staying focused/committed to and advocating/meeting the goals/objectives of the project

Responsibilities of the collaborative project manager include:

  • Project meeting facilitation across the collaborative
  • Project plan maintenanceacross the collaborative
  • Liaison between the individual agency project managers and QSI project team – handling logistics and communication
  • Issues resolution at the collaborative level

Project Sponsor (each agency)

The project sponsor is typically the CEO, CIO, CFO or COO. Responsibilities of the project sponsor include:

  • Oversee all project activities providing assistance where needed to ensure all team members have the human and technical resources to successfully perform their job duties as they relate to the release
  • Provide general oversight to ensure project delivery excellence
  • Second level of escalation for vendor issues
  • Communicate regulatory changes or updates that impact the project
  • Facilitate culture change (if applicable) within the project team and agency staff
  • Foster project success through accountability and timeline adherence
  • Approve Go/No Go decisions throughout project phases

Project Manager (each agency)

The agency project manager should have the following skill set

  • Extremely detailed (for handling logistics and issues tracking/completion).
  • Well respected (works well for/with others, but extends authority when necessary)
  • Knows the agency (its business, its people, its programs, its challenges, its strengths, etc) and/or has the ability to ask the right questions of the right people to learn all of those things
  • Takes ownership, but delegates where appropriate
  • Strong communications skills – via phone and email and across groups/individuals
  • Acts as “objective” team member - addressing equally the needs of the functionally areas/departments while also staying focused/committed to and advocating/meeting the goals/objectives of the project

Responsibilities of the agency project manager include:

  • Project meeting facilitation
  • Project plan maintenance
  • Manage staff to task completion per timeliness in client project plan
  • Status meeting agendas/minutes and other project controls
  • Liaison between customer project team and QSI project team – handling logistics and communication
  • Issues resolution
  • Identifies and manages trainers for the project
  • Oversees issue management for the project
  • Drive the User Acceptance Testing to completion
  • Communicate regulatory changes or updates that impact the project
  • Signs off on project acceptance documents
  • Oversees technical setup for implementation project
  • Support entire project team in making their jobs easier, better, and faster to complete
  • Own Go/No Go decisions through project phases

Subject Matter Experts (each agency)

Overall, the project Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are typically by functional area (billing, clinical, front desk/scheduling/registration). The SMEs should exhibit similar skill sets as the project manager in that they know the business, can research issues (and/or gather the right experts to), generally work well with others/personalities, and can make decisions on behalf of their functional department. It is recommended to have a primary and secondary SME for each functional area. Responsibilities of the SMEs include:

  • Facilitate gathering, defining, and documenting business requirements and functional specifications in their area of expertise
  • Act as primary liaison for QSI Business Analyst during analysis phase for identification of possible gaps and/or need for business process/workflow changes
  • Write test cases and facilitate with User Acceptance Testing
  • Transition CareLogic into the operational departments
  • Participates in User Acceptance Testing
  • Creates customer-specific user guides
  • Act as SME throughout project
  • First level of end user support post implementation

System Administrator (Consortium)

The system administrator is typically a technical resource. With some clients, the system administrator is also a SME. The recommended approach is to have a separate system administrator who works together with the SMEs to ensure from a technical perspective and functional perspective that project/system needs are covered during and post implementation. Setup/maintenance of the system can be handled by one or both, depending on expertise and level of accountability. It is recommended to have a primary and secondary system administrator. Responsibilities of the system administrator include:

  • Manages configuration, setup, and maintenance of the system
  • Participates in gathering and documenting functionality business requirements
  • Reviews and validates business requirements with other applicable team members
  • Manage applicable tickets in JIRA (issue tool)
  • Acts as primary functional contact for customer during and post implementation
  • Act as first line of support at customer site(s)
  • Communicate and/or training newly released features to end users
  • Ensures compliance with agency and other regulatory requirements
  • Manages data conversion efforts for the project
  • Leads User Acceptance Testing of system
  • Manage Secure File Transfer Site(s) for project
  • Manage technical third party hardware/software setup/requirements for system
  • Act as liaison between QSI and other third party vendors and/or entities involved in project
  • Ensure system compliance and consistency through customer-specific data entry procedures
  • Acts as SME throughout project

Implementation Tasks and Timeline (Out of the Box)

An “out of the box” implementation is standard implementation with no enhancements to CareLogic needed. The “out of the box” implementation takes approximately six months from kickoff to go-live. Following are the tasks associated with an “out of the box” implementation. The grid also includes the timeline for the task, who is responsible for the task and an estimate of how much time the client will need to spend on each task.

Agencies who implement CareLogic as part of a collaborative benefit from reduced implementation cost since they agree to attend QSI facilitated sessions together. The sessions that all agencies must attend as part of the consortium are:

  • Kick off week (on-site)
  • Weekly configuration/training sessions (via Go To Meeting) – typically weeks 4 through 11
  • Train-the-Trainer (on-site) – typically week 12

Implementation Timeline / Item / Description / Responsible / Estimated Client Effort
Prior to Project Kickoff / Pre-Kick off Meeting / The pre-kickoff meeting has the project managers on each side of the project meeting and beginning the documents outlined in the project documentation section.
Dates for the official kick off should be established during this time.
The kick off should happen 45 days post pre-kick off.
The implementation kit is provided to the customer at this meeting. / Customer, Project Manager (PM) / PM – 20 hrs
Subject Matter Expert (SME) – 2 hrs (each)
Identify Service Documents / The customer should identify/consolidate/redesign the clinical service documents that will be needed in CareLogic. / Customer / SME – varies based on the number of service documents. Estimate 1 hour per form
Configuration Management Plan / System configuration and capacity planning by Qualifacts. / Network Operations
Setup Certification System / Network operations will establish the client’s Certification environment. / Network Operations
Week 1 / Kick Off/ Intro Training / CareLogic Setup Guide / Release Training Environment / This is the 4 day meeting on the customer’s or Qualifacts site. It establishes the baseline of the project and finalizes the documentation that will be furnished in the implementation kit.
The first half of the first day will consist going through the following documents:
Communications Plan, Team Charter, Roles and Responsibilities, Scope Document, Certification Agreement and Project Plan.
The remaining part of the day will be going through their business processes on the training environment.
The remaining 3 days will consist of going through the System Setup Guide (that the Customer has completed), filling a brief portion of each ‘page’ from the Guide and demonstrating to the customer how these elements will fit into the system. / Project Sponsors, Implementation Specialist (IS), PM, Customer / PM –36 hours
SME – 36 hours (each)
Sys Admin – 36 hours
Sponsor – 3 hours
Week 1 / Client’s Certification Environment / The client will be able to log into the Certification environment. Client will have an understanding (from their workflow documentation and Kickoff training) on options for configuring CareLogic to match their requirements. / Customer / No additional effort
Weeks 2 - 3 / Complete CareLogic Setup Guide / After kick off has been accomplished, the customer will be responsible for finishing the CareLogic Setup Guide.
The IS will review and approve the CareLogic Setup Guide before the client begins to enter any information into the system. / Customer, IS (as needed) / PM – 40 hours
SME – 24 hours (each)
Sys Admin – 24 hours
Weeks 4 - 11 / Input CareLogic Configuration / System Setup Guides / Upon Approval of the setup guide and the completion of the configuration guide, the customer and the IS will work together to input the data into the CareLogic system. / Customer, IS / PM – 40 hours
SME – 24 hours (each)
Sys Admin – 24 hours
Weeks 4 - 11 / Complete Service Documents via Configurable Forms / The service documents, which were identified during the pre-kickoff activities, are built in CareLogic via the Configurable Forms tool. / Customer / PM – 20 hours
SME – varies based on the number of service documents. Estimate 2 hour per form
Weeks 5 - 10 / Data Conversion / The client should provide data conversion (staff and client) in a format that is able to be converted into a comma separated file. The IS will run the first few mock conversion files to check for accuracy of the data conversion before turning it over to the client. / Customer, IS / PM – 16 hours
Sys Admin – 40 hours
Weeks 9 - 12 / Develop End User Training Program / Creation of the training agenda and documentation for end user training. / Customer / SME – 20 hours (each)
Weeks 9 - 12 / Collect Test Cases for Certification / The Customer will gather at least 30 days of client services from Point of Entry to General Ledger that will cover the spectrum of services that they provide. These will be used as validation for the user acceptance testing. / Customer / PM – 4 hours
SME – 4 hours (each)
Week 11 / Audit System / The IS will audit the system to make sure the data entered meets the business needs of the client. / IS
Week 11 / Support Team Introduction / Introduction call with Client Services Manager and support team member to introduce support processes and Jira training. Support will start assisting the PM/IS/Customer with trouble tickets at this time. / PM, Support, Customer / PM – 1 hour
Sys Admin – 1 hour
Week 12 / Train the Trainer / This is a week long course that goes through the system for the trainers that are responsible for the training of the customer end-users. / Trainer, IS, Customer / PM – 40 hours
SME (clinical) – 24 hours, (front desk) – 6 hours, (billing) – 10 hours
Sys Admin – 40 hours
Weeks 13 - 16 / Enter Functional Cases / Qualifacts and Customer will officially “run” Customer’s functional cases within Customer’s Certification environment. The IS and the client should be together on this to ensure the accuracy of the cases. / Customer, IS / PM – 40 hours
SME – 80 hours (each)
Sys Admin – 80 hours
Week 16 / Certification Sign Off / Client signs off on all aspects of Certification (to validate that there are no system errors which would prevent Customer from delivering service, creating claims, receiving payment, etc). / Customer, PM / No additional effort
Week 16 / Certification Lockdown / The Certification Environment is locked down in preparation for the promotion of it to the production environment. / Network Operations
Week 17 / Finalize Go-Live / The customer and the PM will work together to establish or reestablish the Go-Live date for the initial location(s). / PM, Customer / PM – 2 hours
Weeks 17 - 20 / End User Training / The client should commence the internal training for the CareLogic users. / Customer / Front Desk/Scheduling – 4 hours
Clinical – 12 hours
Billing – 8 hours
Weeks 17 - 20 / Migrate Conversion Data / Execute the conversion scripts that will move the client’s data from Certification to Production. / DBA
Weeks 17 - 20 / Manual Data Entry / This entails any type of data entry required by the customer on the production environment before go-live can take place / Customer / PM – 30 hours
SME – 30 hours (each)
Week 21 / GO LIVE / This is the official day that the client uses the new system to perform their daily activities. Qualifacts will be at Customer’s location for Go Live at initial sites. / Customer, Qualifacts
Week 23 / Transition to Support / Final transition from Implementation Team to Support Team. Support will be the primary point of contact and responsible for all trouble tickets from this point forward. / Customer, Support / PM – 1 hour
Sys Admin – 1 hour

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