The Strike Force, deployed and created by Gov. Greg Abbott, to conduct a review of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission released their findings.
The strike force conducted more than 50 interviews with staff members of HHSC and the other HHS agencies as they assembled their report. They talked to service providers; vendors that do business or have done business with the system; former employees, including three former commissioners; and other individuals who have worked on HHS issues since the H.B. 2292 consolidation and before.
The strike force concluded that "the OIG’s procurement of fraud detection services from 21CT at the very least skirted the limits of permissibility under state law, and represented a case in which OIG executive personnel exercised judgment so poor that it put HHSC’s credibility at risk. It also produced skepticism concerning state contracting and procurement policies in general that could affect the state for years to come."
The report states that, “HHSC also needs to make improvements in its procurement and contracting processes, and indeed significant changes are already under way. These changes, however, should not simply focus on preventing another 21CT contract. It is essential that they extend to other HHS contracts, particularly those involving the information technology infrastructure that ties agency programs together — or fails to do so — and the large contracts the agency uses to hire the vendors that provide outsourced services for the agencies.”
Click here to read the HHSC strike force’s report.
Governor Greg Abbott issued the following statement regarding the report released today by the strike force he deployed to conduct a review of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission:
"When I deployed the strike force, I had confidence they would conduct the type of comprehensive review the people of Texas deserve. With today's report, the strike force has met – and exceeded – my expectations.
"The report’s findings are deeply troubling. It is now more clear than ever that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission has been riddled with operational, managerial, structural and procedural problems that go far beyond any individual or contract. That is unacceptable.
"As Governor, I am committed to addressing these issues head-on. Upon assuming office, I took the immediate step of directing all state agencies – including HHSC – to implement key transparency and accountability reforms to their contracting and procurement processes. I will take the findings of the strike force’s report into account as I determine what additional actions must be taken to ensure Texans can have the trust they deserve to be able to place in their government."
