DALLAS — InRule Technology is demonstrating InRule, The Premier .NET Business Rule Solution for the Microsoft Platform, at this week’s National WIC Association NWA 2013 Technology & Program Integrity Conference as the most effective way for states to update their Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (or WIC) systems. Business rule technology has become crucial for states as they update their WIC systems. Regular review and update of WIC rules, along with changing regulations, mean state agencies and their partners need their systems to be more configurable, dynamic, and flexible. By enabling subject matter experts to manage complex and changing rules outside of code, InRule powers configurable systems and delivers and delivers proven and measurable business results.
WIC has rules for eligibility, nutritional risk, food packages, allowable foods, vendor management and cost containment. WIC rules have traditionally been deeply imbedded in software code within each individual system, making them difficult and expensive to update. Even newer State Agency Model (SAM) systems have rules that are embedded in software code where changes can be difficult. Earlier this year, Suntiva and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) declared business rule technology key for flexible WIC Systems:1
“State agencies are required to review and update WIC rules regularly and must also deliver Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) by 2020; adoption of business rule technology will help state agencies more effectively serve their constituents,” said Rik Chomko, InRule Technology Chief Operating Officer. “With InRule, rules, calculations and decision logic are managed by the business people who best understand it, without programmer intervention. This means changes can be made to systems more quickly and with greater accuracy, improving time to market and often reducing costs. In fact, InRule User Community Members report an average savings of $488,059 versus hard coding.2 In short, InRule empowers a state’s key people to make more of an impact when it comes to managing its WIC system.”
InRule is ideally suited for WIC applications because it separates rules from code, making rules easily quantifiable, identifiable and manageable. With InRule, rules, calculations and decision logic can be updated without changing software code. Systems can be configured rather than customized, and states can easily update rules without expert developers. InRule also helps ensure accurate and consistent application of policy to support program integrity. Key WIC application areas include Waiting Lists, EBT and Vendor Management.
In addition to participating in the National WIC Association NWA 2013 Technology & Program Integrity Conference, from Sept.17 to 21 (Booth 46), InRule Technology is also offering a free educational Webinar, “Rules for Configurable WIC Systems,” featuring WIC management information systems (MIS) consultant Donna Seward, on Tuesday, Oct. 15.