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Medicaid Enterprise Certification Toolkit


CMS is dedicated to keeping current with federal regulations and Medicaid priorities and will continue to publish updated versions of the Medicaid Enterprise Certification Toolkit (MECT) to reflect key changes. It is recommended that states and vendors review and understand the latest guidance in the MECT to ensure alignment.

CMS developed the Medicaid Enterprise Certification Toolkit (MECT) in 2007 to assist states as they plan, develop, test, and implement their Medicaid Management Information Systems (MMIS). Since the initial release of MECT, CMS has updated the toolkit to accommodate modular and agile development, refined certification criteria, developed a new approach to CMS-state partnership, updated criteria to reflect the latest regulations and guidance, and provided templates and tools to assist states and their contractors in the certification process.

A cornerstone of the toolkit is the Medicaid Enterprise Certification Life Cycle (MECL). MECL includes milestone reviews throughout the MMIS life cycle so the state receives early feedback about issues that may impede certification. MECL is flexible to fit various state approaches such as agile, waterfall, or outsourcing of Medicaid services. The MECL and certification checklists ensure alignment with Medicaid Information Technology and Architecture (MITA), and the standards and conditions for Medicaid IT.

CMS offers a list of MMIS-related questions and answers on its Frequently Asked Questions page.

Medicaid Enterprise Certification Toolkit Version 2.3

CMS has released the newest version of the toolkit (v2.3). The only exception for using this toolkit is for Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) certification. States should use the streamlined and outcomes-based certification process for EVV found at Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) Certification.

  • Medicaid Enterprise Certification Toolkit 2.3 (ZIP 5.81 MB)
    • 00 MECT 2.3 Welcome Release Notes
    • 01 MECT 2.3 Medicaid Enterprise Certification Life Cycle
    • 02 MECT 2.3 Appendix A_MECL and At a Glance Sheets
    • 03 MECT 2.3 Appendix B_Required Artifacts List
    • 04 MECT 2.3 Appendix C_Std IVV Language
    • 05 MECT 2.3 Appendix D_MMIS IVV Progress Report Template
    • 06 MECT 2.3 Appendix E_MMIS ConOps Template
    • 07 MECT 2.3 Appendix F_ MITA eSelf Assessment Scorecard
    • 08 MECT 2.3 Appendix G_2007 Criteria to MECT 2.3 Criteria Map
    • 09 MECT 2.3 Appendix H_PPU Template
    • 10 MECT 2.3 Appendix I_Uniform RFP Guide
    • 11 MECT 2.3 Appendix J_MMIS Certification Request Letter Template
    • 12 MECT 2.3 Appendix K_Map of MITA Business Areas to Criteria
    • 13 MECT 2.3 Appendix L_Milestone Review Preparation Guide
  • MECT 2.3 MMIS Module Checklist Set (ZIP 1.7 MB)

Updates in MECT 2.3 include, but are not limited to:

  • The MITA Business Area Module Checklist Set has been removed.
  • A mapping from MITA business areas to each MMIS Module Checklist Set criterion has been added as Appendix K.
  • A guide that explains what to expect from a milestone review and how a state can prepare for them (Appendix L) has been added.
  • Guidance tabs have been added to the Pharmacy and Provider Management checklists.
  • Guidance for the five core checklists has been enhanced. The core checklist are Information Architecture, Standards and Conditions (S&C) for Medicaid IT, Technical Architecture (TA) Access & Delivery (A&D), TA Intermediary & Interface (I&I), and TA Integration & Utility (I&U).
  • Electronic Visit Verification criteria have been added to the Program Integrity checklist.
  • The CMS email address has changed to MES@cms.hhs.gov.

The toolkit was last updated August 1, 2018.