Addressing the need by healthcare agencies for a platform to deliver more efficient benefit-eligibility application services while helping them control technology and management costs, Accenture just released a new version of its Human Services Suite.

The update carries new features such as automatic renewal of benefits, real-time identity verification and insights on application status. Also included are the Accenture Public Service Platform, Citizen Self-Service Portal and Benefits Management System.

The suite is designed to increase overall efficiency in program management, according to David McCurley, global managing director of Accenture’s public sector software business.

“Our upgraded software brings greater efficiency to agencies and case workers, reduces citizen wait times and paper work, strengthens data accuracy, and helps states meet Federal compliance goals and guidelines,” McCurley said in a prepared statement. “By tracking what states need and the difficulties they are facing with legacy systems, we are providing a pathway to help governments address cost and operational pressures while improving citizen services.”

Accenture said agencies can use the suite to modernize legacy eligibility systems in a full replacement or in a phased manner. Health and human service agencies and organizations in Kansas, Idaho and Ohio, for instance, are using Accenture Software to modernize benefit programs, according to the company.

The suite features real-time data verification during online applications for Medicaid, including identity-proofing, making it more likely that errors will be caught upfront during data entry, thanks to additional interfaces to the Federal Data Services Hub. The upgraded version also reduces application processing times, benefitting citizens and case workers alike.

States using the updated version can also meet an Affordable Care Act requirement for passive renewal of Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) Medicaid benefits.

“Citizens increasingly expect better levels of service from governments,” said Adelaide O’Brien, research director for government IT transformation at IDC in the statement. “Ease of use is a requirement for beneficiaries as well as case workers. Enabling applicants to apply online, with passive renewal of MAGI Medicaid benefits allows citizens to receive near real-time eligibility determination. This automation frees caseworkers from working on processing applications and allows them to spend more time on helping beneficiaries.”