Saturday, October 18 -- Legislative Information Technology Committee Minutes

NORTH DAKOTA LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
Minutes of the
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE
Monday, October 6, 2008
Harvest Room, State Capitol
Bismarck, North Dakota
Senator Larry J. Robinson, Chairman, called the
meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
Members present: Senators Larry J. Robinson,
Randel Christmann, Tom Seymour, Rich Wardner;
Representatives Craig Headland, Keith Kempenich,
David Monson, Kenton Onstad, Mark S. Owens,
Robin Weisz; Chief Information Officer Lisa Feldner
Member absent: Senator Richard Marcellais
Others present: Jim W. Smith, Legislative
Council, Bismarck
See attached appendix for additional persons
present.
It was moved by Senator Wardner, seconded
by Representative Headland, and carried on a
voice vote that the minutes of the June 5, 2008,
and August 27, 2008, meetings be approved as
distributed.
REPORT FROM THE CHIEF
INFORMATION OFFICER
Ms. Lisa Feldner, Chief Information Officer,
Information Technology Department, and
representatives of the Information Technology
Department provided information regarding:
• Various information technology initiatives.
• The department's strategic plan for the 2009-11
biennium.
• The department's annual report regarding
projects, services, plans, and benefits pursuant
to North Dakota Century Code (NDCC) Section
54-59-19.
• The status of the department's mainframe
migration project.
• The department's budget request for the
2009-11 biennium.
• The statewide information technology plan for
the 2009-11 biennium, including the acceptance
of state agency information technology plans.
A copy of the information presented is on file in the
Legislative Council office.
Various Information Technology Initiatives
Ms. Feldner said the state of North Dakota was
recently ranked 17th in the 2008 Digital States Survey
of top 25 states using technology effectively. She said
the state improved six places from the 2006 Digital
States Survey. She said the department is in the
process of negotiating with Dakota Carrier Network
the upgrade of statewide information technology
network circuits to Ethernet circuits.
Information Technology Department -
2009-11 Strategic Plan
Mr. Mike Ressler, Deputy Chief Information Officer,
Information Technology Department, said the
department's 2009-11 biennium strategic plan
includes 23 objectives relating to the department's
mission to provide leadership and knowledge to assist
its customers in achieving their missions through the
innovative use of information technology. The
following is a summary of the objectives included in
the plan:
Perspectives Objectives
Customer Meet customer service delivery expectations
Provide an "easy to do business with"
environment
Provide a positive customer experience
Build and maintain strong relationships
Provide information technology services as
needed
Provide technology direction
Financial Make cost-effective investments
Manage revenue
Align rates with customer business needs
Manage statewide technology spending
Internal
processes
Standardize processes and approaches
Deliver reliable and available services
Deliver solutions on schedule
Deliver projects on time and within budget
Capture and followup on customer feedback
Continuous sharing and understanding of
business needs
Plan for technology change
Provide guidance on effective information
technology practices
Deploy enterprise solutions
Learning and
growth
Attract and hire quality people
Maintain high employee satisfaction
Support employee growth and development
Retain talented employees
Information Technology Department -
Annual Report
Mr. Ressler said the department's 2007-08 annual
report includes an executive summary, information on
the department's divisions, information on the
department's performance, and rate comparisons. He
said for fiscal year 2008, actual agency spending on
information technology services from the Information
Information Technology 2 October 6, 2008
Technology Department totaled approximately
$41.2 million, of which approximately 9 percent was
for telephone services, 16 percent for network
services, 24 percent for software development
services, and 39 percent for computer hosting
services.
During fiscal year 2008, Mr. Ressler said state
agencies completed 12 large information technology
projects. Of the 12 projects, he said, 10 projects were
completed under budget resulting in savings of
$624,317. He said 8 of the 10 projects were
completed within the acceptable 20 percent schedule
variance. He said 1 project was terminated after
spending $770,105.
Mr. Ressler provided the following update on the
department's performance measures:
Performance Measures
Baseline
(Previous Years)
Current Status
(June 2008) Target
Acceptable level of total net assets 2005 - 2.0
2006 - 1.4
2007 - 1.7
1.4 < or = to 2.0
Percentage of Information Technology Department rates reported in the
annual report that are competitive
2006 - 100%
2007 - 100%
100% 100%
Total number of customer projects and service requests completed: 2007
• Service requests 28,564 32,105 Monitor
• Incidents 48,792 53,738 Monitor
Customer satisfaction indexes (percentages satisfied or very satisfied)
related to: 2006 - 2007
• Value 91.7% - 87.3% 86.9% 92%
• Timeliness 92.5% - 87.4% 86.9% 97%
• Quality 93.7% - 95.5% 93.0% 97%
• Knowledge 93.1% - 94.8% 97.0% 98%
• Professionalism and courtesy 96.5% - 97.1% 99.0% 100%
Employee satisfaction index 2006 - 2.13
2007 - 2.13
2.13 2.0
Controllable employee turnover 2006 - 7.0%
2007 - 4.6%
6.8% Below 6.0%
Percentage of service levels met 100% 100% 100%
Percentage of strategic business plan objectives completed or on schedule 2006 - 85%
2007 - 46%
43% 75%
Mr. Ressler said the department monitors the cost
and revenue for each service to ensure that a service
is not subsidizing another service. He said the federal
government does not allow the department to charge
rates that generate revenues in excess of costs;
therefore, the department monitors its cash balances
and adjusts rates accordingly. He said the
department also monitors other entity's fees for similar
services in an effort to maintain quality services at a
fair price. The following is a summary of rate
comparisons for the services that generate a majority
of the department's total revenue:
Service
North Dakota
Information Technology
Department Rates
South Dakota Bureau
of Information and
Telecommunications Rates
Montana Information
Technology Services
Division Rates
Wisconsin Division of
Enterprise Technology
Rates
Central computer central
processing unit (CPU
rates)
Batch CPU -
$.93 per second
Batch CPU -
$1.36 per second
Batch CPU -
$2.36 per second
Batch CPU -
$.51 per second
CICS CPU -
$.93 per second
CICS CPU -
$1.36 per second
CICS CPU -
$.69 per second
CICS CPU -
$.67 per second
ADABAS CPU -
$.98 per second
ADABAS CPU -
$1.36 per second
ADABAS CPU -
$1.34 per second
ADABAS CPU -
$.67 per second
TSO CPU -
$.93 per second
TSO CPU -
$1.36 per second
TSO CPU -
$2.88 per second
TSO CPU -
$.67 per second
Network fees Device fee -
$30.75 per device per
month
Device fee -
$40 per device per month
Device fee -
$85.75 per device per
month
Device fee -
$55 per device per month
DSL service -
Actual cost (ranges from
$40 to $120)
DSL service - N/A DSL service -
$250 per month
DSL service -
$665 per month
ATM T-1 service -
$890 per month
ATM T-1 service -
N/A
ATM T-1 service -
$650 per month
ATM T-1 service -
$1,067 per month
Access fee -
$65 per device per month
Information Technology 3 October 6, 2008
Telephone Fees
North Dakota Information Technology Department rates Telephone line - $24 per device per month
Speaker function - $3 per month
Display function - $2 per month
Voice mail (unlimited) - $5 per month
South Dakota Bureau of Information and Telecommunications rates Telephone line - $13 per device per month
Speaker function - Actual cost
Display function - Actual cost
Voice mail (unlimited) - $6 per month
Montana Information Technology Services Division rates Telephone line - $14 per device per month
Speaker function - $7 to $11 per month
Display function - $3 to $7 per month
Voice mail (three-minute limit) - $5 per month
Voice mail (six-minute limit) - $8 per month
Voice mail (eight-minute limit) - $10 per month
Wisconsin Division of Enterprise Technology rates Telephone line - Per mile/drop
Speaker function - Actual cost
Display function - Actual cost
Voice mail (unlimited) - $5.50 per month
Long Distance
North Dakota Information Technology Department rates In state - $.075 per minute
Out of state - $.075 per minute
800 service - $.07 per minute
South Dakota Bureau of Information and Telecommunications rates In state - $.08 per minute
Out of state - $.09 per minute
800 service - $.09 per minute
Montana Information Technology Services Division rates In state - $.105 per minute
Out of state - $.105 per minute
800 service - $.10 per minute
Wisconsin Division of Enterprise Technology rates In state - $.031 per minute
Out of state - $.031 per minute
800 service - $.044 per minute
Minnesota Department of Administration rates In state - $.07 per minute
Out of state - $.20 per minute
800 service - $.049 per minute
Nebraska Division of Communications rates In state - $.07 per minute
Out of state - $.07 per minute
800 service - $.08 per minute
Software Development
Location Billing Rate Per Hour of Service
Information Technology Department Bismarck, North Dakota $58 to $63
Applied Engineering, Inc. Bismarck, North Dakota $75 to $125
Eide Bailly LLP Bismarck, North Dakota $95 to $155
Enterprise Solutions, Inc. Bismarck, North Dakota $75 to $120
Nexus Innovations Bismarck, North Dakota $95 to $125
Vision Technology, Inc. Bismarck, North Dakota $70 to $75
Everest Consultants, Inc. Beaverton, Oregon $63 to $95
CIBER, Inc. Vancouver, Washington $65 to $100
Compuware Plymouth, Minnesota $80 to $120
Maximus Rancho Cordova, California $145 to $185
In response to a question from Senator Robinson,
Mr. Ressler said the department hires contract
software developers to supplement the department's
software development staff.
Mainframe Migration Project
Mr. Ressler said the department is in the process
of completing a mainframe migration project. He said
the department's objectives for the project were
revised in November 2007. The following is a
summary of the original and revised objectives and
the current status of the objectives:
Original Objectives
(December 2005)
Revised Objectives
(November 2007) Current Status
Remove the need for the mainframe
skill set
Remove the need for the mainframe
skill set
This objective will be met when the mainframe is removed. The
department has hired consultants to supplement the existing
staff, which has been reduced because of retirements.
Save $1.9 million per year beginning
in July 2009
Save $2.4 million per year beginning
in July 2011
The department estimates these savings will begin in July 2013.
Realize financial break-even point in
2012
Realize financial break-even point in
2016
If the existing applications are rewritten by July 2013, the breakeven
date will be 2017.
Position the department for the
future
Position the department for the
future
The project has succeeded in migrating 46 applications off the
mainframe.
Information Technology 4 October 6, 2008
Mr. Ressler said the department had originally
planned to migrate 84 applications from the
mainframe to other information technology platforms.
Due to project difficulties and delays, he said, the
department migrated only 46 applications from the
mainframe with the final application being migrated on
August 9, 2008. He said several applications at the
Department of Human Services, Bank of North
Dakota, Department of Transportation, and Legislative
Assembly will remain on the mainframe. He said the
department anticipates finalizing system
documentation relating to the mainframe migration
project by November 28, 2008.
Information Technology Department -
2009-11 Budget Request
Mr. Ressler said the department's budget request
for the 2009-11 biennium includes several optional
package adjustments, including adjustments relating
to additional bandwidth for elementary and secondary
schools, statewide deployment of the PowerSchool
application for elementary and secondary schools,
deployment of a statewide longitudinal data system,
Criminal Justice Information Sharing Initiative projects,
and ongoing costs relating to the Statewide
Automated Victim Notification System.
Mr. Ressler said Section 6 of 2007 House Bill
No. 1021 provides legislative intent that 28 new fulltime
equivalent positions for the 2007-09 biennium are
identified as project-specific and may be filled while
the projects are being developed and funding is
available. He said the department will ask for the
continuation of many of these positions for the
2009-11 biennium.
In response to a question from Senator Robinson,
Ms. Feldner said the department may request funding
from the general fund for the department's large
project oversight activities for the 2009-11 biennium.
She said the department may have to allocate more
resources to project management for the 2009-11
biennium depending on the information technology
projects funded by the 2009 Legislative Assembly.
Statewide Information Technology Plan -
2009-11 Biennium
Mr. Jeff Swank, Information Technology
Department, said NDCC Section 54-59-11 requires
each executive branch state agency or institution,
excluding institutions under the control of the State
Board of Higher Education, to prepare an information
technology plan and submit the plan for acceptance to
the Information Technology Department by July 15 of
each even-numbered year. Based on the information
included in the plans, he said, the Information
Technology Department is to prepare a statewide
information technology plan with emphasis on longterm
strategic goals and objectives. He said the
statewide information technology plan is to be
distributed to members of the Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Swank said 46 of 53 state agencies submitted
their information technology plans on or before
July 15. He said 4 additional state agencies
submitted their information technology plans by
October 1. He said 2 of the remaining 3 state
agencies plan to submit their information technology
plans by the end of October. He said the remaining
state agency, State Fair Association, does not intend
to file a plan.
Mr. Swank said the department will present to the
2009 Legislative Assembly a statewide information
technology plan that will communicate a shared vision
between state government, higher education, and
elementary and secondary education; outline strategic
initiatives; and establish goals and strategies that will
serve as a basis for more detailed planning efforts.
HIGHER EDUCATION INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVES
Ms. Bonnie Neas, Vice President for Information
Technology, North Dakota State University, provided
information regarding the status of the Northern Tier
Network project. She said the Northern Tier Network
is an ultra high-speed regional network with multiple
optical waves capable of transferring about
10 gigabytes of information per second per wave.
She said NDCC Section 15-10-45 provides that the
North Dakota University System may use the Northern
Tier Network infrastructure only for the purpose of
supporting the research and education missions of the
University System. She said the University System
may not use the Northern Tier Network infrastructure
for traditional Internet, voice, video, or other
telecommunications services beyond those required
for research networks. She said the provisions of
NDCC Section 15-10-45 also prohibit the University
System from utilizing commercial peering services
offered through Internet2.
Ms. Neas said the North Dakota University System
is seeking support to clarify and reduce the legislative
requirements placed on the Northern Tier Network
and the University System by the 2007 Legislative
Assembly. She said the University System has identified
the following options and related implications:
Options Implications
Option 1 - Repeal
NDCC Section
15-10-45
Restrictions of use are in place through the
agreements with carrier partners. The North
Dakota University System cannot use the
Northern Tier Network fiber for commercial
traffic. These agreements were not in place
during the 2007 Legislative Assembly.
Option 2 - Amend
NDCC Section
15-10-45 to allow
educational entities
to use the Northern
Tier Network for
Internet, voice,
video, and
telecommunications
services.
Utilizes the Northern Tier Network capacity to
meet changing educational needs and reduce
additional future state spending commitments.
Reduces current bandwidth limitations on
nonSTAGEnet Internet traffic, which are a
result of cost and budget constraints, and
allows higher education and elementary and
secondary education to expand the use of
technology in the classroom and for the
distance delivery of education and services.
Does not reduce the current level of services
purchased from private carriers through the
Information Technology Department. Delays
additional increased payments to private
carriers for purchase of bandwidth for Internet
traffic.
Information Technology 5 October 6, 2008
Reduces the North Dakota University System
2009-11 budget request for increased
bandwidth needs by $250,000, from $800,000
to $550,000.
Option 3 - No
statutory changes.
Provide $800,000
of additional
funding as
requested by the
North Dakota
University System
for increased
bandwidth needs.
Does not address the issue that elementary
and secondary education cannot use the
Internet2 research network under the current
legislative restrictions.
Option 4 - No
statutory changes
and no additional
funding.
Requires campuses to reduce current levels
of bandwidth usage or reallocate funds from
other programs to cover additional bandwidth
costs.
A copy of the information presented is on file in the
Legislative Council office.
In response to a question from Representative
Kempenich, Ms. Neas said the North Dakota
University System is requesting $800,000 of additional
funding from the general fund for estimated bandwidth
growth for the 2009-11 biennium. She said the
$800,000 request could be reduced by $250,000 to
$550,000 if the legislative requirements placed on the
University System and the Northern Tier Network are
reduced.
In response to a question from Senator
Christmann, Ms. Neas said the statewide information
technology network meets elementary and secondary
education's in-state Internet traffic needs.
In response to a question from Senator Seymour,
Ms. Neas said private business and industry cannot
use the Northern Tier Network unless they are a
research partner.
Mr. Kent Blickensderfer, Director of Public Affairs,
Qwest Communications, provided comments
regarding the use of the Northern Tier Network by
nonuniversity entities. He said it is important that
facilities like the Northern Tier Network not be allowed
to evolve into taxpayer-funded backbone networks
competing directly with private carriers. He said
Qwest Communications does not support the
reduction of the current restrictions on the North
Dakota University System and the Northern Tier
Network provided in NDCC 15-10-45. A copy of his
comments are on file in the Legislative Council office.
Mr. David Crothers, Executive Vice President,
North Dakota Association of Telephone Cooperatives,
provided comments regarding the use of the Northern
Tier Network by nonuniversity entities. He said the
North Dakota Association of Telephone Cooperatives
is in opposition to the reduction of the legislative
restrictions placed upon the North Dakota University
System and the Northern Tier Network.
ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY
EDUCATION INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVES
Ms. Jody French, Director, EduTech, provided
information regarding elementary and secondary
education information technology initiatives for the
2007-09 biennium and anticipated budget needs for
the 2009-11 biennium. She said the Educational
Technology Council was established to develop
technology systems and coordinate their use to
enhance and support the educational opportunities for
elementary and secondary education. She said the
council's initiatives for the 2007-09 biennium include:
• Classroom transformation grants - The council
awarded 22 classroom transformation grants to
schools in February 2008. The grants require a
50 percent local school match.
• Video classroom grants - The council awarded
4 video classroom grants to kindergarten
through grade 12 video network consortiums for
new or upgraded video classrooms and 1 video
grant award for statewide IP video recording
capability.
Ms. French said the Educational Technology
Council will submit a 100 percent budget request for
the 2009-11 biennium with no optional requests.
Ms. French said EduTech offers a variety of
services to help North Dakota schools and educators
improve student achievement. She said EduTech
provides support to schools for the PowerSchool
application, a student information system. She said
EduTech will submit a 100 percent budget request for
the 2009-11 biennium with one optional request
relating to expansion of the PowerSchool application
to all elementary and secondary schools. A copy of
the information presented is on file in the Legislative
Council office.
Mr. Jon Skaare, State Director, Center for Distance
Education, provided information regarding the center's
information technology initiatives for the 2007-09
biennium and anticipated budget needs for the
2009-11 biennium. He said the center has created
and published a high school textbook entitled North
Dakota History, has developed a North Dakota studies
website, and has begun the process of enhancing
online courses. He said the Center for Distance
Education will submit a 100 percent budget request
for the 2009-11 biennium with four optional requests
relating to employee compensation, additional online
course enhancement and development, North Dakota
studies, and civics education.
OTHER BUSINESS
Coordination of Services
Mr. Mark A. Johnson, Executive Director, North
Dakota Association of Counties, provided information
regarding the coordination of services between the
Information Technology Department and political
subdivisions. He said the coordination of information
technology services between the Information
Technology Department and political subdivisions is
essential to the efficient delivery of services. He said
the Information Technology Department through the
statewide information technology network provides the
network connectivity, Internet access, firewall security,
video conferencing, and secure wireless access that
supports the delivery of services. He said Information
Information Technology 6 October 6, 2008
Technology Department personnel meet regularly with
the technology resources group of the North Dakota
Association of Counties to discuss issues and
strategize about future improvements and
enhancements. He said counties are very pleased
with the services received from the Information
Technology Department. A copy of the information
presented is on file in the Legislative Council office.
Mr. Jerry Hjelmstad, Assistant Director, North
Dakota League of Cities, provided information
regarding the coordination of services between the
Information Technology Department and political
subdivisions. He said the North Dakota League of
Cities and the Information Technology Department
have developed records retention schedules for all
departments of city government. He said the
Information Technology Department has provided
wide area network services to some cities, including
firewall protection, e-mail, and Internet access. He
said the department has also provided antivirus
protection, help desk support, and network
administration support to some cities. A copy of the
information presented is on file in the Legislative
Council office.
North Dakota Health Information
Technology Steering Committee
Ms. Lynette Dickson, Program Director, Center for
Rural Health, University of North Dakota School of
Medicine and Health Sciences, provided information
regarding activities of the North Dakota Health
Information Technology Steering Committee. She
said the North Dakota Health Information Technology
Steering Committee was established in 2006 and was
formalized in NDCC Section 23-01-31 by the 2007
Legislative Assembly. She said the mission of the
committee is to facilitate the adoption and use of
health information technology and exchange to
improve health care quality, patient safety, and overall
efficiency of health care and public health services in
North Dakota.
Ms. Dickson said the Center for Rural Health on
behalf of and with input from the North Dakota Health
Information Technology Steering Committee
completed a survey of hospitals and long-term care
facilities to obtain current information on health
information technology staff support, barriers to
electronic medical records adoption, usage of
telemedicine, and health information technology
planning and implementation. She said the center
also surveyed students and recent graduates of health
professional programs regarding health information
technology and North Dakota Health Care Review,
Inc., conducted phone surveys of private physician
practices regarding health information technology.
Ms. Dickson said 43 of the state's 45 rural and
urban hospitals completed the health information
technology survey. The following is a summary of the
survey results:
Electronic
medical record
implementation
All six urban hospitals have implemented an
electronic medical record.
Fourteen of the 37 rural hospitals, or 37 percent,
have implemented an electronic medical record.
Top three
barriers that
have a
substantial
impact on
planning and
implementing
an electronic
medical record
Urban hospitals
• Current reimbursement system
• Poor availability of well-trained information
technology staff
• Obsolescence issues relating to hardware and
software
Rural hospitals
• Lack of financial resources for the initial
investment
• Lack of financial resource for the ongoing cost
• Current reimbursement system
Top three
drivers that are
most
significant for
planning and
implementing
an electronic
medical record
Urban hospitals
• Improving quality of health care
• Improving patient safety
• Inefficiencies experienced by providers
Rural hospitals
• Improving quality of health care
• Availability of grant funding
• Improving patient safety
Readiness and
planning
Urban hospitals indicated little or no need for
technical assistance.
Rural hospitals
• 61 percent indicated interest in technical
assistance for assessing workflow analysis
• 51 percent indicated interest in technical
assistance for assessing computer skills of
staff
• 57 percent indicated they did not have a
health information technology steering committee
or work group
Information
technology
staff support
Urban hospitals indicated all information
technology managers had a minimum of a fouryear
degree.
Approximately 22 percent of rural hospitals
indicated they had no designated information
technology support staff.
Ms. Dickson said 44 of the state's 83 long-term
care facilities completed the survey. The following is
a summary of the survey results:
Electronic medical record
implementation
Approximately 20 percent of
facilities have implemented an
electronic medical record.
Top two barriers that have a
substantial impact on planning
and implementing an electronic
medical record
Current reimbursement system
Justifying the expense
Top two drivers that are most
significant for planning and
implementing an electronic
medical record
Improving quality of health care
services
Improve resident/tenant patient
safety
Information technology staff
support
Approximately 48 percent of
facilities indicated they have a
designated information technology
staff person.
Ms. Dickson said the Center for Rural Health
contracted with John Snow, Inc., a public health
research firm, to review the survey results, develop a
report, and make recommendations for moving the
state forward with regard to adopting health
information technology. She said the consultant's
report stated that North Dakota's rural facilities have
severe shortages of technical staff to support and
Information Technology 7 October 6, 2008
implement health information technology, face
significant financial challenges obtaining the capital to
acquire electronic medical records and other health
information technology tools, and have limited access
to technical assistance resources to guide their
efforts. She said the consultant provided the following
recommendations for moving the state forward with
regard to adopting health information technology:
• Create a formal organization within the state
charged with coordinating health information
technology efforts and potentially governing a
health information exchange initiative.
• Develop a North Dakota strategic plan for
implementing and sustaining a statewide
electronic health information exchange.
• Create a state-funded grants or loan program to
support rural and public health entities in the
implementation of health information
technology-driven quality improvement
programs.
• Develop health information technology training
programs for current staff at health care
facilities as well as for the future.
• Implement a peer-to-peer health information
technology support program for rural health
care provider organizations.
• Sponsor rotating rural health information
technology technical support teams to assist
organizations that do not have the necessary
staff for the implementation of these types of
projects.
Ms. Dickson said the North Dakota Health
Information Technology Steering Committee and
stakeholder work groups will utilize the survey findings
and consultant recommendations to further develop a
plan for facilitating the adoption of technology in rural
and urban entities. A copy of the information
presented is on file in the Legislative Council office.
In response to a question from Senator Seymour,
Ms. Dickson said the University of North Dakota
School of Medicine and Health Sciences is not
currently utilizing electronic health records, but the
university is planning to implement the technology in
the future.
Mr. Howard C. Anderson, Executive Director, State
Board of Pharmacy, provided information regarding
health information technology. He said North Dakota
State University has received a federal grant relating
to telepharmacy, and the university has awarded a
contract to Catholic Health Initiatives to implement a
telepharmacy program. He said the telepharmacy
program consists of a central site where pharmacists
and technicians receive information regarding orders
for drugs from the prescribing physicians in rural
health care facilities. He said the orders are reviewed
by the pharmacist using the specific patient's
information. He said the project would function more
effectively if the pharmacist could access the patient's
medical record at the facility and enter the
recommendations or approval directly into the record.
A copy of the information presented is on file in the
Legislative Council office.
Ms. Kimber Wraalstad, President and CEO,
Presentation Medical Center, Rolla, provided
information regarding health information technology.
She said health information technology is important to
increasing the quality of patient care. She said health
information technology applications are expensive to
implement and maintain. She said several North
Dakota critical access hospitals in the state are
experiencing operating losses and are not able to
purchase health information technology applications.
She said hospitals in Bottineau, Rolla, and Stanley are
working together on health information technology
projects and 10 health care facilities in the northwest
part of the state have formed the Northwest Alliance
for Information Technology Projects to research and
implement health information technology applications.
A copy of the information presented is on file in the
Legislative Council office.
In response to a question from Senator
Christmann, Ms. Wraalstad said hospitals rely more
on each other for assistance with health information
technology because the North Dakota Healthcare
Association and the North Dakota Long Term Care
Association do not have expertise in health
information technology.
The committee recessed for lunch at 12:18 p.m.
and reconvened at 1:14 p.m.
PROPOSED CRIMINAL JUSTICE
INFORMATION SHARING BOARD
BILL DRAFT
The Legislative Council staff presented a bill draft
[90313.0100] relating to the membership of the
Criminal Justice Information Sharing Board. The
Legislative Council staff said the bill draft amends
NDCC Section 54-59-21 to expand the membership of
the Criminal Justice Information Sharing Board to
include the director of the Department of Emergency
Services Division of State Radio, the director of the
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the
superintendent of the Highway Patrol, the chief of the
Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the director of the
Department of Transportation, a representative of a
city police department, a representative of a county
sheriff's office, a state's attorney, and one at-large
member appointed by the Governor. The Legislative
Council staff said the bill draft also provides that board
members who are not state employees are entitled to
compensation of $75 per day and mileage and
expenses as provided by law for state employees to
be paid by the Information Technology Department.
Ms. Feldner provided comments regarding the
proposed bill draft. She said the objectives of the
proposed bill draft are to:
• Simplify the decisionmaking process and avoid
redundant or overlapping efforts by the Criminal
Justice Information Sharing Board and its
executive advisory committee.
Information Technology 8 October 6, 2008
• Give a greater voice in decisionmaking to key
stakeholders.
• Increase the size of the board to avoid
inadvertent open meeting law violations.
In response to a question from Senator
Christmann, Ms. Pam Schafer, Criminal Justice
Information Sharing Project Director, Information
Technology Department, said the Department of
Transportation is a significant provider of data for the
Criminal Justice Information Sharing hub portal,
including driver's license photos and driving records.
In response to a question from Senator
Christmann, Ms. Feldner said the 2009 Legislative
Assembly could consider adding members of the
Legislative Assembly to the board.
Representative Kempenich suggested removing
the chief of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation from
the proposed board since the Attorney General is also
a member.
Representative Monson said he believes the chief
of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation would be an
important member of the Criminal Justice Information
Sharing Board. He said perhaps the at-large member
appointed by the Governor should be removed.
Senator Christmann said he supports the bill draft
as presented.
It was moved by Representative Kempenich,
seconded by Representative Owens, that the bill
draft be amended to remove the chief of the
Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The motion
failed on a roll call vote. Representatives
Kempenich and Owens voted "aye." Senators
Robinson, Christmann, Seymour, and Wardner and
Representatives Headland, Monson, and Onstad vote
"nay."
It was moved by Senator Christmann,
seconded by Senator Wardner, and carried on a
roll call vote that the bill draft relating to the
membership of the Criminal Justice Information
Sharing Board be approved and recommended to
the Legislative Council. Senators Robinson,
Christmann, Seymour, and Wardner and
Representatives Headland, Kempenich, Monson,
Onstad, and Owens voted "aye." No negative votes
were cast.
LARGE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
PROJECT REPORTING
Department of Human Services -
Medicaid Management Information
System Replacement Project
Ms. Jennifer Witham, Director, Information
Technology Services, Department of Human Services,
provided information regarding the status of the
Medicaid management information system
replacement project. She said the department is
negotiating with ACS State Healthcare, LLC (ACS),
the project vendor, regarding revisions to the project
schedule. She said scheduled negotiations with ACS
are focused on the postdesign phases of the project,
including the estimation of the implementation work
effort to finalize system configuration, data
conversion, training, and system and user acceptance
testing.
Ms. Witham said the department has continued to
move forward on system design specifications. She
said the department recently completed the second of
three major milestones in this phase. She said the
department anticipates completing system design in
January 2009. She said the department will begin the
implementation phase of the project after the system
design is complete.
Ms Witham said the following is a summary of
project expenditures through August 2008:
Project
Budget Expenditures
Budget
Remaining
General fund $3,643,133 $1,055,855 $2,587,278
Federal funds 55,218,418 15,897,673 39,320,745
Other funds 3,667,820 1,007,597 2,660,223
Total $62,529,371 $17,961,125 $44,568,246
A copy of the information presented is on file in the
Legislative Council office.
In response to a question from Senator Robinson,
Ms. Witham said the department is in the process of
identifying a revised project completion date for the
project.
In response to a question from Senator Robinson,
Ms. Witham said the department will be using a
website for keeping stakeholders informed on the
status of the project.
Department of Emergency Services - Public
Safety Mobile Communications Project
Mr. Greg Wilz, Interim Director, Division of State
Radio, Department of Emergency Services, provided
a project closeout report for the department's public
safety mobile communications project. He said the
purpose of the project was to implement a new radio
system with the capability of operating in either an
analog or digital mode. He said the new system is
currently running in an analog mode until local
jurisdictions upgrade their equipment to digitalcapable
equipment at which time the system can be
switched to run in the digital mode. He said the
project was completed in August 2008, approximately
22 months later than the scheduled completion date of
October 2006. He said the project was a fixed bid and
is being paid for through a lease purchase agreement.
He said the first lease payment was made in
December 2004 and the last payment is scheduled for
December 2012. He said the total cost for the lease
agreement is $8,101,386. A copy of the report is on
file in the Legislative Council office.
In response to a question from Representative
Kempenich, Mr. Wilz said the new system is complete;
however, there are some issues with radio coverage.
He said the Adjutant General will be requesting
funding of $7.2 million from the general fund for the
2009-11 biennium for purchasing or leasing
infrastructure and equipment to expand coverage of
the state radio system.
Information Technology 9 October 6, 2008
Job Service North Dakota -
Case Management System
Ms. Jessica Rossow, Job Service North Dakota,
provided a project closeout report for the agency's
case management system. She said the purpose of
the project was to replace the existing customized
case management application with a commercial
off-the-shelf application from Geographic Solutions,
Inc. She said the project experienced four major
scope changes and was completed in September
2008, 16 months later than the scheduled completion
date of May 2007. She said the project was
completed under budget with actual expenditures of
$820,731 compared to a project budget of $854,919.
A copy of the report is on file in the Legislative Council
office.
In response to a question from Representative
Onstad, Mr. Mark Molesworth, Enterprise Project
Manager, Information Technology Department, said
state agencies may include a liquidated damages
clause in information technology contracts. He said a
liquidated damages clause allows a party to be
compensated for losses caused by the other party's
breach of contract.
Senator Christmann asked the Information
Technology Department for information on North
Dakota Century Code provisions relating to liquidated
damages and penalties.
In response to a question from Representative
Kempenich, Ms. Rossow said the project vendor will
incorporate future federal reporting requirement
changes into new releases of the software application.
OTHER
It was moved by Senator Wardner, seconded
by Representative Kempenich, and carried on a
voice vote that the chairman and the staff of the
Legislative Council be requested to prepare a
report and the bill draft recommended by the
committee and to present the report and
recommended bill draft to the Legislative Council.
Chairman Robinson thanked the committee
members, representatives of the Information
Technology Department, and the Legislative Council
staff for their work during the interim.
No further business appearing, Chairman
Robinson adjourned the meeting at 2:00 p.m.
___________________________________________
Roxanne Woeste
Assistant Legislative Budget Analyst and Auditor
___________________________________________
Allen H. Knudson
Legislative Budget Analyst and Auditor
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