State Rep. John Kuempel, chairman of the House General Investigating and Ethics Committee, launched an official inquiry Monday into contracting practices at 11 state agencies.Kuempel requested information on contracts at the Health and Human Services Commission, where questions surrounding a $20 million, … Read More
Yesterday both the Austin American Statesman and Texas Tribune published new scathing exposes on contract handling at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Close personal relations with lobbyist of successful contractor This time however the stories did not involve … Read More
Three years ago, a company called Geo Care Inc. failed to win a contract from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to privatize the Kerrville State Hospital, one of the state’s 10 psychiatric facilities. So the company’s lobbyist, Frank … Read More
In August 2013, a lobbyist for a national company that privatizes state prisons emailed a bold proposal to Kyle Janek, the top official over a Texas health agency that at the time was facing scrutiny for a spate of gruesome … Read More
If there is a silver lining to the no-bid contracting scandal at the state’s health commission, it is the response to prevent future similar debacles. In light of Gov. Greg Abbott’s independent “strike force” review of the Texas Health and … Read More
Criminal investigators looking into Texas’ no-bid contract with Austin tech firm 21CT are now delving into allegations that the former state official in charge of billions of dollars in technology contracts abused her position when she urged companies vying for … Read More
by Edgar Walters, The Texas Tribune It’s been a tough year so far for Kyle Janek, the head of the state’s embattled Health and Human Services Commission — and it’s only April. Two separate government-issued reports have criticized Janek’s leadership. … Read More
Contract High is an occasional series looking at how Texas outsourced crucial state services for two decades — and got smoked. Amid a gusher of news in recent months over a handful of troubled state contracts, lawmakers have vowed to … Read More
As criminal investigators and legislators continue to scrutinize millions of dollars in no-bid technology deals, the state’s top health agency is now dealing with collateral damage from the fiasco: the collapse of a database project that has been in the … Read More
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has put together a 56-page Fact Book on its operation. It has all sorts of statistics and information on the HHSC budget, the population it serves and the programs it provides. It can … Read More
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A state contracting scandal that has cost top Texas health officials their jobs and dealt new Republican Gov. Greg Abbott an early test was enabled by a lack of ethics and accountability, a state audit concluded … Read More
AUSTIN – The official responsible for ensuring that the Texas health commission follows outsourcing laws instead helped the agency to break its own rules on a $110 million no-bid contract, according to a long-awaited audit released Thursday. The official, Arnold … Read More
Editor’s note: This story has been updated throughout. A scathing state investigative report of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s much-maligned $20 million contract for fraud tracking software has revealed “operational defects” within the agency’s procurement process. According to the report, … Read More
The former state official who brokered lucrative, no-bid deals with Austin tech company 21CT broke purchasing rules, ignored other possible vendors and worked to promote the company to agencies in Texas and other states, a state audit confirmed Thursday. The … Read More
John Keel, the Texas State Auditor, just issued his report on the Health and Human Services Commission, its Office of Inspector General and their controversial and scandal-laden, no-bid acquisition of Medicaid fraud detection software from Austin firm 21CT. Workplace not … Read More
Two El Paso dental clinics are involved in a multimillion dollar lawsuit settlement.Smile Magic Dental Clinic was accused of defrauding Texas Medicaid. In March, they were ordered to pay $4.5 million to thestate as a settlement.Four offices were named in … Read More
The author of a controversial bill to consolidate five Texas’ health and human services agencies into one will scale back that plan for the second time following a scathing report this week that warned against it. The bill filed by … Read More
Gov. Abbott’s Health and Human Services Commission Strike Force, besides reviewing the Medicaid fraud software contract with 21CT and Jack Stick, looked at the Health and Human Services Commission dealings with Xerox and its contract dealing with the company’s handling of Medicaid … Read More
By Editorial Board The critical report released Monday by a “strike force” deployed by Gov. Greg Abbott to investigate the health agency’s $110 million no-bid contract with 21CT, an Austin technology company, makes our conclusion unavoidable. While the report did … Read More
A state contracting scandal that dealt Republican Gov. Greg Abbott the first crisis of his administration escalated Monday with a scathing state report about Texas’ health commissioner, who responded by giving no indication he would resign. An outside investigation ordered … Read More
A comprehensive state contracting reform bill unanimously passed the Texas Senate Tuesday and heads the House, where it is likely to sail through and ultimately give Gov. Greg Abbott the chance to approve fixes to a massive state purchasing system … Read More
AUSTIN — The Texas Health and Human Services Commission needs “significant changes” in its leadership or management structure, according to a committee appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott. The panel’s much-anticipated report, released Monday, is the latest blow for a troubled … Read More
A multimillion-dollar software contract for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission was blasted in a report from a “strike force” committee appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, reports the Texas Tribune. “The report’s findings are deeply troubling,” said Abbott in … Read More
As the Health and Human Services Commission continues to face fierce criticism for contracting problems, one pressing question remains unanswered: Will Executive Commissioner Kyle Janek keep his job? A few legislators have called for his ouster, but most state leaders … Read More
12:11 p.m. update: The multimillion-dollar, no-bid state deals with Austin tech firm 21CT “skirted the limits” of the law and was a “policy fiasco” that illustrates the need for changes in the leadership structure at the Health and Human Services … Read More
Gov. Abbott’s strike force has published its report into contracting problems at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission that exploded into public view from the mess with former HHSC chief counsel and deputy inspector general OIG Jack Stick and Austin … Read More
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 … Read More
Leadership problems at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission in the wake of a contracting scandal that resulted in forced resignations leave the agency too vulnerable to consolidate at this time, according to a report released Monday by Gov. Greg … Read More
The 92-page report of the Health and Human Services Strike Force has some very interesting information and observations on the operations of the Health and Human Services Commission that led it into difficulty of which the 21CT contract was essentially only … Read More
by Terri Langford and Aman Batheja, The Texas Tribune FBI agents have interviewed employees at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission about its problematic contract with Austin firm 21CT, Executive Commissioner Kyle Janek told The Texas Tribune, marking the first … Read More
These two organizations can’t seem but foul up in Texas. Both are again under the gun for their contract performance – Xerox with the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) and the Health and Human Services Commission for contract irregularities with … Read More
The news that Smile Magic Dental clinics recently settled with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Office of Inspector General over allegations of Medicaid fraud confirms what TDMR has been saying for a long time – that the purpose … Read More
A package of bills to overhaul the state’s clunky health and human services system drew more than three hours of testimony before a Senate panel on Monday, the latest airing of concern across varied interest groups who fear losing access … Read More
by Edgar Walters, As the state’s largest health agency reels from a scandal over how it awarded contracts to private vendors, lawmakers on Wednesday said they are slowing down on their ambitious — and controversial — plan to restructure it. A … Read More
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission just released a report last week authored by the Institute for Child Health Policy at the University of Florida. The report evaluates the health care experiences and satisfaction of the caregivers of children … Read More
AUSTIN – The Texas Senate’s top budget writer on Monday proposed sharply limiting the use of the popular and controversial Cooperative Contracts purchasing program, signaling that a promised tightening of restrictions for outsourcing by state agencies may be even more … Read More
(Tribune News Service) — The popular state purchasing program that played a role in a $110 million no-bid contract now engulfed in scandal is likely to be revamped during this year’s legislative session, officials predicted this week. “We’re going to … Read More
AUSTIN – Former Texas Ethics Commission Director David Reisman has joined the Texas Health and Human Services Commission as chief ethics officer. "I created this position to help increase our emphasis on ethical behavior," said HHSC Executive Commissioner Kyle Janek. … Read More
Sen. Joan Huffman added her voice to those Texas politicians calling for the resignation of Health and Human Services Commission Executive Commissioner Kyle Janek yesterday per the Houston Chronicle. Huffman wasn’t satisfied with Janek’s answers nor his demeanor while answering … Read More
AUSTIN – Fighting for his job after weeks of revelations about contracting irregularities and questionable tuition payments, Texas health commissioner Kyle Janek publicly apologized during a Wednesday legislative hearing in which state senators took turns angrily asking why they should … Read More
