Using Technology To Improve Organizational Performance: The LifeWays Case Study

Created in 1966, LifeWays is a community mental health authority, serving children with severe emotional disturbances, adults with severe mental illness, and persons with developmental disabilities. Lifeways is the eleventh largest community mental health board in Michigan, serving both Jackson and Hillsdale Counties. The organization manages behavioral health care for approximately 30,000 covered lives, largely Medicaid and uninsured residents of these counties, providing a full continuum of services through a network of behavioral health providers. LifeWays has an active caseload of approximately 6,800 consumers. Its budget was $32.5 million in 2002.

With the recent changes in Michigan's mental health system, LifeWays' role in the mental health system expanded to include the assumption of care management responsibilities.  Early in the planning process, the Lifeways management team realized that there were a number of technological impediments to their continuing success.  The client management information systems platform they were working on was adequate when they were only a fee-for-service provider.  But once LifeWays assumed managed care responsibilities, the existing information system did not have the necessary functionality and was unable to generate essential management reports. This case study outlines the LifeWays search process for a new information system and the implementation of software from their chosen vendor, InfoMC.