Leveraging One Platform for Strategic Growth

Discovering the full value of technology partnership

The Monroe County Department of Human Services based in Wisconsin serves individuals and families across a wide range of programs, including crisis services, Children's Long-Term Support (CLTS), Comprehensive Community Services (CCS), adult protective services and other community-based programs. For years, the county has relied on Netsmart myEvolv™ to support service delivery and documentation across its programs.

As the organization expanded its use of the platform, leaders recognized an opportunity to improve operational efficiency, strengthen billing processes and help staff better leverage the technology already in place. To accomplish those goals, Monroe County turned to Netsmart Application Management Services (AMS).

Confronting knowledge gaps and operational inefficiencies

Over time, Monroe County's use of myEvolv grew across multiple departments and service lines. As the system expanded, maintaining institutional knowledge and optimizing workflows became increasingly difficult.

Staff turnover resulted in the loss of valuable system expertise, including many of the team members who participated in earlier implementations. At the same time,the county had limited internal IT resources dedicated to application management, leaving operational and administrative staff responsible for supporting the platform. As a result, billing workflows became increasingly difficult to manage. Staff encountered reimbursement challenges, relied on manual processes and workarounds and often struggled to identify whether issues were caused by configuration, workflow or training gaps. Teams were also uncertain about available reporting capabilities and functionality already built into the system. "We have this system. We know how it's supposed to be able to do these things. We just don't know how to make it do those things," said Kelly Gronau, Office Manager at Monroe County Department of Human Services.

Staff were spending valuable time trying to navigate challenges that could be addressed through optimization, configuration improvements and targeted education.

Achieving dedicated expertise through AMS

When Monroe County learned about Netsmart AMS, leaders immediately recognized an opportunity to strengthen their use of myEvolv without replacing the system.

The county engaged AMS to provide ongoing application expertise, optimization support and strategic guidance. Rather than relying solely on traditional support channels, Monroe County gained access to a dedicated resource who understood both the technical aspects of the platform and the operational realities of county-based human services. "The idea of having a single go-to person was the most exciting piece," said Gronau. Working collaboratively with Monroe County, the AMS team reviewed billing workflows and configurations, identified opportunities to improve revenue capture and simplified complex setup processes that had evolved over time. The engagement also included workflow enhancements, reporting improvements and targeted training designed to help staff better understand and utilize existing myEvolv functionality.

By pairing optimization efforts with education, Monroe County was able to address immediate operational concerns while building internal knowledge and confidence. Teams gained a clearer understanding of available features, reports and administrative tools that had gone largely unused despite being available within the platform.

"It's probably our best investment since implementation. It's saved us so much time and headaches. It was well worth the investment."

- Kelly Gronau, Office Manager at Monroe County Department of Human Services

Greater efficiency, confidence and visibility

Since engaging AMS, Monroe County has streamlined several administrative processes and uncovered capabilities within myEvolv that were previously underutilized.

The county simplified billing configurations, creating a more manageable framework designed to improve revenue capture and reduce the likelihood of missed reimbursement opportunities. Staff also gained greater visibility into billing workflows and reporting tools, helping them identify and address issues more proactively.

Additionally, the organization reduced reliance on manual processes by leveraging functionality already available within myEvolv. Administrative tasks that once required significant time and effort became more efficient, while staff developed a better understanding of how to configure and use the system to support their daily work.

Perhaps most importantly, the partnership shifted the organization's approach from reacting to challenges to continuously improving workflows, configurations and user experiences. Staff now feel empowered to identify opportunities for enhancement and work with AMS to implement meaningful changes.

As Monroe County experienced the value of the engagement, leaders chose to expand their AMS investment to support ongoing optimization efforts and future initiatives.

"It's probably our best investment since implementation. It's saved us so much time and headaches. It was well worth the investment," said Gronau.

Continuing the journey

Today, Monroe County continues to work closely with Netsmart AMS to refine processes, support staff and maximize the value of its myEvolv investment.

By combining powerful technology with dedicated application expertise and ongoing optimization support, the county has transformed its approach to managing and evolving its EHR environment. The experience highlights an important lesson for organizations seeking long-term success with technology investments: software delivers its greatest value when paired with the expertise needed to fully leverage its capabilities.