In the highly competitive and vital industry of health care quality, MetaStar provides clients with a unique advantage: tailored software development solutions.
Their exceptional software development team is equipped to provide custom software solutions that meet a diverse range of customer needs. This commitment enriches customer experiences and solidifies MetaStar position as an industry-leading innovator.
The MetaStar Department of Information Technology (IT)—a talented group currently comprised of four developers, an enterprise network administrator, and Director Karl Stebbins– has successfully crafted over 50 custom software programs. All are designed to help MetaStar’s customers, employees, and partners record, track, evaluate, and report on the gigabytes of data housed within MetaStar’s servers. New programs are launched while others are phased out, but all are meticulously designed and tested to ensure efficient task workflows and accurate reporting.
Stebbins recalls that he inherited the software development team and their existing mainframe computer system when he started at MetaStar almost 30 years ago. MetaStar had only two clients at that time. Now, MetaStar has hundreds of clients in all 50 states who can access MetaStar’s software through web portals. All programs are created under the guidance of Stebbins by skilled developers, align with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standards where applicable, and in accordance with SOC 2® certification.
MetaStar has existing software for the four types of data validation organizations it works with: URAC, Health Effectiveness and Data Information Set (HEDIS), and Medicare Parts C & D. Additionally, MetaStar gathers Initial Validation Audit (IVA) data. The IVA software is one of the biggest created by MetaStar and is regularly accessed by customers, coding vendors, developers, and MetaStar employees.
When collaborating with certifying and accrediting organizations, additional factors come into play. Many of these organizations update their specifications and requirements annually. In response, MetaStar’s team of developers diligently update, or “rev”, many of the software programs each year with the help of the programs’ auditors. “Developers are often pressed for time when it comes to understanding The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) and National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) rules, so we rely on the MetaStar auditors, who are already the experts, to guide us on the necessary changes,” Stebbins shared.
Ensuring the proper formatting of data or reports submitted for accreditation is another special concern. Data reporting is one of the largest uses of the MetaStar software, requiring the dedicated efforts of one full-time developer. “We have hundreds of reports that we produce,” Stebbins explained. “One application can generate a dozen of reports—management, summary, aggregate, statistical, tabular—all kinds of reports that go into varying levels of details.”
While some of these reports are for internal purposes, others are submitted to accrediting agencies, like URAC and HEDIS. Once all required data has been entered, the customer can then effortlessly export it in the appropriate file format. “Certain organizations prefer specific data file formats, while others require complete folders of documents. Each set of requirements is unique,” Stebbins said. Sometimes these requirements can be especially specific. Stebbins recalled a story of a customer being overwhelmingly particular about page numbering. “Page numbers are a decades-old issue,” he shared with a laugh. “That’s mostly for printing, and information isn’t consumed like that much anymore.”
A lot of software program concepts come from clients approaching MetaStar with a specific need, and, as Stebbins stated, “we’ll tell them we can automate that with an application.” He emphasized: “Many customers are unaware they can request an application rather than relying on a manual process.” He credits MetaStar’s extensive and growing customer base for MetaStar’s ability to automate workflows that can be “highly tailored to the needs to the customer, the workflow, or the federal requirements.” Some examples include software for performing security risk assessments at behavioral health sites; an application that tracks obstetric data to help improve fetal mortality rates; and an application called No Wrong Door which measures return on investment for Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) in Wisconsin.
“Customers find MetaStar’s experience building and adapting databases as well as their experience with reporting valuable,” explained Jenny Klink, MetaStar’s Vice President of External Quality Review. Klink cites feedback from the Medicaid Family Care, Partnership, and PACE Compliance and Quality Directors both praising the File Drop Zone program which allows them to upload quality compliance review documents. “Both were very pleased to move away from lengthy spreadsheets and file labeling processes,” Klink said.
Lastly, innovative sparks for software ideas and features are created by the MetaStar employees who use them. Alicia Stensberg, a project manager on the Long-Term Care team at MetaStar, identified an opportunity for enhancement in the Family Care Care Management Review (CMR) software. She requested a feature to automate the cumbersome process of manual notifications between reviewers and managers, streamlining communication. “Her idea turned into a standard workflow,” Stebbins said. “It allows them to do their job, do it efficiently, and do it with improved accuracy.” This feature has also been added to other programs in the last year.
While MetaStar doesn’t seek out customers for custom software development, they are glad to talk about possibilities that await prospective and customers “We can develop any software application, for any contract, and we can do it rapidly,” Stebbins said, proudly. He recounts a story of when the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WI DHS) quickly needed a new partner for one of their software programs. MetaStar stepped in, saved the day, and still supports them.
“We can streamline projects because we’re narrowly focused. We perform one type of software development, and we use one set of technologies,” Stebbins explained. “It’s portable, it’s flexible, and we can deploy changes quickly.” Despite that narrow focus, the applications they create and the different workflows they can support are as varied and ingenious as the customers they serve.
Klink points to two recent noteworthy approaches in MetaStar’s custom software. First, external facing applications allows, “entities submitting documentation to upload it directly into the software used by the review team,” explained Klink. These documents are linked to the appropriate requirement, simplifying the process for reviewers to access submissions and record findings within the system.
Second, an internal application, the Medical Records Tracking System, allows team members to find a record and check its status at any time during the review process. The system is integrated, allowing team members quick access to the record through a unique record identifier for any of five separate review applications. The system can also be used for assigning records, identifying records for review, reporting, and billing. Klink echoes Stebbins’s sentiment that “MetaStar’s experience with building and adapting databases and reporting is why customers find our approach valuable.”
In a landscape where health care improvement companies often promise personalized attention and tools, MetaStar distinguishes itself by developing and delivering original and user-friendly software solutions suited to the needs of its customers. Their specialized, narrow focus, and dedicated team of developers can create monumental improvements in efficiency and accuracy. “[MetaStar’s IT team] is not trying to do everything. We’re focusing on what we do best,” Stebbins said. That has clearly guided them towards exceptional software and remarkable success.