Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners

Challenges

A unique aspect to regulation in Arizona is the way in which boards are required to manage their licensing processes. Under the “Applicant Bill of Rights”, each board must adhere to mandatory application processing times and must report on performance at the end of its fiscal year. Additionally, there are expectations that investigations must be completed within 180 days and boards can be questioned by the Auditor General if delayed beyond that. Executive Director, Heidi Paakkonen, is responsible for all reporting by the board and overseeing operational processes and systems.

Moving away from a failed system

When Paakkonen accepted her role in 2019, she recognized that processes within the team were siloed which meant that they were carrying unnecessary risks. Despite having strong team relationships, there was no system of redundancy. Because of how files were maintained and a heavy reliance on email, each function performed by the board was utterly reliant on a single individual performing that job. And while a project to implement a more modernized system had commenced in 2018, it fell short of expectations in numerous ways. Paakkonen notes that she documented over ten pages of requirements that were not being met by the new system. As she states it, “The system set us up for failure.” Some of the difficulties included: 

• System configured for lowest common denominator
• Inability to output an application file for review
• Inability to customize instructions for applicants
• Configuration requests disregarded or dismissed by vendor
• Erroneous system calculations 

In addition to the system failures they had experienced, the team had some significant operational challenges that were highly burdensome and time consuming for staff, including a high volume of applicant email requests (up to 100 a month) requiring individual follow-ups, difficulty restricting staffing agencies or employers attempting to manage an applicant’s file, and the inability to view data in real time. 

Moreover, reporting was incredibly time consuming when considering the volume of manual data reports that were required on a per-month basis. Paakkonen explains, “We have all kinds of reports to send to the governor’s office, to the legislature, to the governor’s Regulatory Review Council – just about every week of every month I’m reporting something to someone.” 

Solution

The resounding shortcomings of APBE’s previous system were quickly recognized by APBE staff, who were desperate for a better future for the board. Without a functioning software system, the team was forced to return to their original, manual system of processing applications until they could identify a long-term replacement solution. To prepare for a possible new system, Paakkonen made an application for out-of-cycle funding. 

A solution that fit the bill and reduced software licensing fees

In 2021, Thentia initiated a demonstration of Thentia Cloud for several Arizona regulatory boards, including ABPE. Paakkonen, who attended the demonstration, immediately noticed a notable improvement in the various configuration options compared to the previous system. 

Additionally, the licensing fees for Thentia Cloud alone were 30% less than the previous system, and importantly, the platform didn’t require additional expensive support hours to configure. 

Deciding to move ahead with Thentia Cloud, ABPE and Thentia initiated the migration plan quickly, beginning with license application renewals.  And there was a bonus: the platform costs were able to be absorbed within the board’s operating budget, giving them more runway to make further technological advancements down the road. 

Addressing the workload of renewal applications 

Over the next several months, APBE worked with Thentia in an agile fashion, adapting to changing legal statutes and workforce changes as they configured the new system. With 140 renewal applications coming in every month, it was a heavy workload where the team could immediately benefit from automation. 

With their migration to Thentia Cloud, APBE immediately benefitted from the license registration module of the platform, giving them a back end for their staff administrators as well as the licensee portal, enabling applicants the ability to manage their personal and professional registration profile information in a cloud-based, mobile-friendly environment. The result: applicants were finally able to easily upload or download documents, track and manage their continuing education requirements, apply for and renew licenses, make payments, submit change requests, and access their payment history.