AT-A-GLANCE
A proficient restructuring of a multipart workflow
The Medicare Electronic Application Request Information System (MEARiS) is a data management tool built for two business groups, the Technology Coding and Pricing Group (TCPG) and Hospital Ambulatory Policy Group (HAPG), to submit, adjudicate, and manage annual applications within each application module and provide flexibility to expand operational activities and reduce user burden. It was designed to modernize paper-based manual workflows and automate very complex manual application processes.
WHAT ARE WE DOING?
Offering new experiences for outdated processes
The shift from a paper-based collection system to a user-focused digital platform that supports application submission, communication, revision, and inter-team collaboration has been hugely successful and met with incredible gratification by all users. The serverless architecture has led to further:
Cost-Savings
Enhanced Security
Simpler Packaging
Deployment
The Challenge
The legacy systems in place supported a limited number of users at a given time.
They also required a manual process to carry out very complex application submission/update and operational activities, including hardcopy and email data submissions. Reducing user burden on the technology vendors and teaching hospitals, industry partners, and CMS program staff to manage the annual application processes for the rapidly growing user base was a high priority, as well as integrating an application’s modules to allow them to work in tangent with one another to serve a larger number of applicants submitting documents for new and more complex programs.
The Payoff
“Really impressed with the design, flow, and functionality.
– MEARiS User
MEARiS modernized very complex processes through automation.
MEARiS is a web-based, workflow-driven system. Its serverless, cloud-based architecture introduces top-tier flexibility through modern, open-source technologies. Using an AWS Lambda-connected Amazon API gateway, the scalable system can support periodic workload peaks. The MEARiS tool suite also includes Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3), Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS), Amazon DynamoDB, and Amazon CloudWatch for its data management; AWS Secrets Manager for added security; AWS Simple Notification Service (SNS) and Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS) for notifications and other messaging; and AWS CodeBuild for continuous integration and delivery, with AWS CodeDeploy recently added to this roster.Electronic Data CollectionCompletely on line self guided submission with intermittent save capability
A mobile-first user experience that allows data submission and access from a secure online web front
Electronic Data Collection
Completely on line self guided submission with intermittent save capability
Collaborative Data Gathering
Multiple users can provide data for the same application
Granular Acces Controls
Speciflcy role-based access control for sensitive data
Centralized Information Access
Secured online record access, maintenance, sharing, and communication
Easy Access Dashboard
Single view for upcoming tasks, recent applications, and processing metrics
Cloud Based Hosting
Serverless architecture lends itself to cost savings in infrastructure deployment and maintenance.
What we did
"We appreciate the work that the team has put into the design of this module so far, and we also appreciate working with the team."
– MEARiS Administrator
A dependable structure for multifaceted operations
With MEARiS, we took heavily siloed and manual processes and created an integrated system with enhanced self-service features and flexible operational activities, including customizable dashboards. We unified functionality across the 14 system modules using a multi-tenancy design, allowing for rapid, real-time data processing and exchange for its growing userbase. By implementing the container-based microservices architecture, we reduce infrastructure cost and avoid upfront licensing costs.
MEARiS Reviewer Workflow Dashboard
The Results/Metrics (numbers)
8
PIPELINE
Applications that will go live
6
APPLICATIONS
Available for public use
708
USERS
USERS Currently using MEARIS ™
54
MILLION
Medicare beneficiaries served
