• to assure problem-free state-wide data collection
• to assure an uncorrupted data base
• to make required reporting changes
• to train reporting agencies in all they need to know to avoid errors on input documents

It’s daunting to create a data-system that merits the assessment: “Information is power”. The power you want and need in order to fund the awesome mission of safeguarding our most vulnerable citizens’ health. Why is it daunting? There are two answers. The first is that it’s not your first mission. But you do need to satisfy funding sources. Wouldn’t it be nice if the data you need just magically shows up? The second reason it’s daunting to create and maintain an inhouse data system that saves program dollars is that you have to try and do the job as well as the people who do it every day, like Ahlers does. You have to try to do the job as well as those people to make the problems associated with a clean data system invisible. That means first of all using considerable resources to design a system that will work (We’ve known states which have spent years and countless human resources to accomplish that goal with often disappointing results.). It probably means additional staff (More money going away from the mission.).. Now you have a system, but of course it doesn’t stand still! Now you keep up with the frequent changes and train agency personnel on them. Oh, and the technical changes were made in one place in the system but not another, causing chaos (monies lost or delayed for the agencies). The list of tasks is long and never-ending. Like housework.

It seems counter-intuitive to think you can maintain control when deciding to contract out a data system. There are dozens of concerns. How well will the contractor understand our concerns? How capable a system designer are they? How accessible are they in the day to day to address problems? How flexible are they in meeting special requests? How quick of a turnaround is there for the reports? How well can and will they train? Etc. For Ahlers, customizing a data system capable of easy error-detection, managing clean data collection, generating reports that have saved programs hundreds of thousands of dollars, keeping up with the changes, and training agency personnel are all challenges that make our hearts beat faster. You could say that our first mission is to support your first mission. There is no need for you to be burdened. You can make life easier and stay in control.

• Ahlers 40 years of experience designing turnkey solutions for public health programs translates into money and time saved (lots of both). It translates into seamless reporting changes, seamless training. It translates into clarity rather than confusion. How possible is that for a first-time data-system developer despite intimate familiarity with public health issues?
• Ahlers full-time, completely US-based staff is ready to put in the foreground the work you wish were in the background. You save time and staff resources which translates into dollars saved and applied to your first mission.
• Ahlers, as part of the data contract, assures that your agencies’ staff have clear answers on software and reporting questions. This enables them to make more competent decisions in their clinics, making life easier for you as well.
• When you want quick responsiveness on special report needs, Ahlers has the flexibility and the customer service to respond with timeliness and accuracy. You’re in control because access to Ahlers is as easy as access to the office next door.
• How sweet is it to shorten a tedious process and save your time and money at the same time? Ahlers would like to oblige and make it possible.
• Information is power, and you need those data files to support studies you’re involved in. Ahlers loves to accommodate your research staff.

Yes, information is power, and no, it is not. Information is only power when the information is reliable, verifiable, and serves to move a goal or a project forward. A data system that you design in partnership with Ahlers& Associates will make it unnecessary to divert your energy from your first mission. Ask Oregon, who has been with us for almost 40 years, or New York who has been with us for 35 years, or Texas, or Illinois, or Maryland. We are happy to provide references, and our references are happy to talk with other state administrators about the service and support they get from Ahlers to make their primary mission much easier!