ARETGroup

80% of the information collected in enterprise case management systems can’t be retrieved in a useful way. In addition, platforms lack capacity to manage some of the most useful information associated with case processes and outcomes. This leaves critical gaps in team learning, feedback, and real-time problem solving capability. Here are just a few of the most serious issues human services agencies encounter with leading case management platforms.

Many public and nonprofit agencies still rely on paper-based records, sticky notes, and siloed Excel documents for the management of essential human services records. Commonly, the reason why is because existing systems don’t have the capacity for emerging and evolving frontline service delivery. 

 Collaboration: Breaking through Information-Sharing Barriers

For example, legacy systems, particularly those 10-20 years old, were not built for the complexity of today’s multidisciplinary programs. These platforms were designed for single-department workflows, not modern cross-agency collaboration. As a result, essential program information ends up being captured outside the system in ad-hoc tools that staff can control quickly: Word docs, spreadsheets, shared drives, notebooks, and email threads.

• The National League of Cities (NLC) reports that cities still struggle with fragmented data systems, forcing staff to assemble information manually for grant reporting, performance metrics, and weekly partner meetings.
  
  

• Behavioral health and crisis response evaluations funded by SAMHSA and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) consistently note that frontline staff resort to Excel and paper when agency systems lack fields for clinical notes, warm handoffs, diversion decisions, or community-based outcomes.
  
  

• A 2023 NASCIO survey of state agencies found that over 60% cite “data silos” and “inflexible legacy systems” as the biggest barriers to program measurement and compliance reporting.

Because of these gaps, agencies often need to explore a new or second case management adoption—one that supports emerging needs like: 

• Sharing information securely with among public agencies, covered entities and NGOs

• Clear and easy access control to different portions or shared data

• Tracking referrals and decision-making across partner agencies

• Logging encounters or field contacts for multidisciplinary teams

• Managing grant-required metrics without manual compilation

Configurability: How quickly can changes be made and for what cost?

Public safety agencies often expect their records management systems (RMS) or case management tools to be “configurable,” but in practice, legacy platforms were not built for rapid adaptation. Even small configuration requests are queued for a future release cycle or costly upgrades. Agencies are stuck waiting weeks or months because the system cannot support no-code admin configuration.

Example: Field-Based Homelessness Initiative
During a homelessness outreach initiative, the city needs to track long-term housing placements with a new set of items. The vendor informs them changes cannot be applied until the next scheduled patch. The agency is unable to monitor additional indicators.

Example: Grant Reporting Emergency

A grant auditor requests a specific breakdown of activity types the RMS doesn’t currently categorize. The agency asks for a field or dropdown change. The vendor quotes 180 days. Rather, the agency manually reconstructs the data from narratives and logs—taking multiple staff members multiple weeks of work.

Example: Mental Health Crisis Clinician

A city is seeking to add new crisis response clinicians to its staff. When seeking information, the vendor quotes a cost of over $50,000 annually for a Records Management System (RMS) upgrade to include a mental health module with pre-existing items. 

The ARETGroup Difference

ARETGroup closes these gaps when using leading case management platforms that fall short in delivering on core value propositions. ARETGroup is a compliance-first and evidence-driven technology that captures human services data ethically. Our solutions are built to:

• Align with HIPAA, CJIS, FERPA and other major data governance standards

• Replace fragmented data collection with seamless configurable workflows

• Provide secure, easy to manage role-based collaboration across agencies

With ARETGroup, agencies gain technology that aligns with their evolving workflow and reporting needs, ensures compliance and data security, and strengthens trust across justice and human services partners. To learn more about ARETGroup solutions for your agency, contact us.