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Among them are information technology and data projects the HHSC uses and administers. The audits “review the effectiveness and efficiency of … systems, information technology and otherwise.” These include health and human services delivered in Texas inclusive of the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS).
Audit review topics for the coming year come from OIG risk assessments, the state Legislature, executive management and the public.
Specifically listed as an IT audit is managed care organization (MCO) IT systems.
“Information technology audits assess the effectiveness of digital systems that support HHS programs, contractors or business partners who process and store information on behalf of the state. These audits also review whether these applications comply with contracted information security controls,” the release says.
Other potential reviews touching technology in 2024 may be:
- The Clinical Management for Behavioral Health Services data system
- Texas Integrated Eligibility Redesign System data processing and integrity
- Select contracts for the Department of Family and Protective Services and HHSC, which also oversees the Department of State Health Services
The inspector general earlier this year reported that the office has a return on investment of $6.21 to every $1 invested into the office. The office recovers several million dollars each biennium and recovered half a billion in 2022 from various sources.
According to its Audit and Inspections Plan, Health and Human Services (HHS) has more than 39,000 employees who manage about $52.6 billion each year, and DFPS has about 12,000 employees who manage about $2.5 billion each year.
The plan states that “the programs, and the administrative and technical support that enables them to function, are subject to funding constraints, policy changes and shifting priorities. As a result, risks associated with HHS System and DFPS functions are constantly evolving.”
