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Configurability, Complexity, and Impact: Designing solutions around programs needs
The Arc Southern Maryland is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to live meaningful, self-directed lives. The organization operates a wide range of programs, including residential services across 28 homes, day habilitation, supported employment, and behavioral supports—their largest and most complex program.
The Arc currently serves just under 1,000 individuals with IDD across nine programs throughout nine counties in Southern Maryland. The Residential program supports 84 full-time residents, including eight individuals who have been with the organization for 19 years. The Behavioral Supports program is their largest, currently serving 710 individuals. The Arc employs 400 staff members, including 35 clients who participate in supported employment programs.
We met with Alexandra Himler, the Learning & Case Management Systems Manager at the Arc who serves as their System Administrator.
Background and Context
Navigating State System Change and Internal Challenges
The Arc Southern Maryland first implemented CaseWorthy in 2015. At the time, the organization faced operational and documentation challenges, compounded by Maryland’s transition to a new Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) system for service authorization, funding approval, and person-centered planning.
To align with the new state system and manage increasing complexity, The Arc created Allie Himler’s role to oversee CaseWorthy, system integrations, and ongoing optimization.
Many staff had limited computer skills and were accustomed to manual processes, spreadsheets, and historical workflows. This made consistent documentation, centralized data tracking, and compliance especially difficult.
The Solution
A Customized, Integrated CaseWorthy Environment
Under Allie’s leadership, The Arc has transformed CaseWorthy into a centralized operational hub, integrating with internal tools and external state systems. Key elements of their CaseWorthy environment include:
State LTSS Integration
A robust API transmits service records to Maryland’s LTSS system and generates weekly billing files.
Budget and Attendance Controls
Attendance cannot be recorded unless sufficient funding is available, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
eMAR Integration
CaseWorthy is tightly integrated with CaraSolva for electronic medication administration (eMAR). Staff can launch directly into the eMAR from a widget on the CaseWorthy dashboard using single sign-on (SSO), eliminating duplicate logins and reducing workflow friction. The integration includes a bidirectional API that synchronizes key demographic and participant data between systems, ensuring medication records remain accurate and up to date. This integration improves medication safety, reduces documentation errors, and supports compliance by maintaining a clear, auditable connection between service records, care plans, and medication administration.
Power BI Reporting
With CaseWorthy, The Arc collects significantly more structured data in a single system. Nightly exports feed Power BI dashboards, providing near real-time insights that support operational decision-making, funder accountability, quality improvement, and long-term planning.
Impact on Operations and Staff
Automated Billing and Workflow Optimization
Historically, billing relied on manual review, spreadsheet tracking, and staff cross-checking multiple systems to determine billing eligibility and compliance with payer requirements. This process was time-consuming, error-prone, and resource-intensive.
Using CaseWorthy’s API and configurable business logic, all service records are automatically validated against billing rules before entering the billing queue. These rules check eligibility, authorizations, service types, provider credentials, units, and required documentation. Noncompliant records are clearly flagged for review, while compliant records move forward without manual intervention.
As a result, The Arc reduced billing staffing needs by the equivalent of one full-time position while improving accuracy, consistency, and turnaround time. Staff are now able to focus on higher-value exception handling and analysis rather than routine validation.
Streamlined Admissions and Intake Redesign Through the Portal
Prior to CaseWorthy, prospective clients and families completed paper or emailed forms, documentation arrived through multiple channels, and staff manually tracked status across spreadsheets and inboxes. This resulted in delays, duplicated effort, and limited visibility into where an application stood.
Using CaseWorthy, The Arc built an online admissions portal that allows individuals and families to submit applications and required documentation directly into the system. Upon submission, records are automatically created and routed to admissions staff, with document checklists and status indicators guiding next steps. “CaseWorthy’s centralized record structure gives our team a single, real-time view of each applicant’s progress, communication history, and eligibility activities.”
This redesign significantly reduced intake turnaround time, minimized lost or incomplete documentation, and improved communication with families. For staff, the workflow is now standardized, auditable, and scalable. Clients experience a smoother, more transparent path to services, which directly supports The Arc’s mission of timely access to care and support.
Admissions Portal Usage and Turnaround
Since launching the admissions portal a year ago, about 120 user accounts have been created. Roughly one-third of those users have submitted program applications electronically and logged back into their accounts after initial creation.
Internal data shows a clear improvement in admissions turnaround times over the past several years, measured as the total days from application submission to the internal decision on whether The Arc can support an individual—a drop from 78 days to 44. This demonstrates that the portal—and the processes built around it—has significantly improved efficiency and visibility for staff, while providing prospective clients and families with a faster, more transparent application experience.
Person-Centered Plan (PCP) Tracking
The Arc streamlined its annual Person-Centered Plan (PCP) process by tracking the entire lifecycle in CaseWorthy—from staff alerts and documentation collection through submission and Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) approval. Key dates and timelines are monitored to prevent missed deadlines or funding gaps, and all required PCP documents are generated directly in the system, allowing LTSS coordinators to quickly export complete packets.
Compliance, Collaboration & Accountability
CaseWorthy supports compliance by:
- Generating all documentation required for funding requests
- Tracking approval status and funding levels
- Validating service delivery against approved authorizations
- Automating billing aligned with services provided
This enhances coordination with the state and external partners while ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements.
