The state Auditor has found that the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services did not fully test a new computer system.
The DHHS system was installed to start processing Medicaid claims beginning in July. Beth Wood's audit found that the nearly $500 million computer system was not put through all of its paces. The report raises questions about the software and its ability to handle Medicaid claims paid by the state that exceed $12 billion.
Wood's report identified other problems such as privacy and security measures not being set and no system in place to ensure it's ready to go. New DHHS secretary Aldona Wos did not dispute the audit's conclusion. She said in an eight-page response included with the audit that her department couldn't assess whether the software meets the needs of its users. Wos says the agency is working to resolve the issue.
