Policy & Practice | Fall 2025

HHS2020 agencies, the Children, Youth & Families Department. The Paloozas are not just about aligning tasks; they’re about cultivating professional harmony that can withstand the test of chal lenges and change. The road hasn’t been without bumps. Coordinating across programs and vendors is inherently complex and establishing clear accountability while maintaining flexibility remains a delicate balance. But through intentional structures, open com munication, and a commitment to transparency, New Mexico is building the kind of enduring governance model that can, not only support daily operations, but also help the system evolve into the future. Unlocking the Power of Enterprise Data The MES transformation is unlocking one of the most valuable assets in New Mexico’s human services arsenal: data. New Mexico sees enterprise data not as an outcome, but as a catalyst—one that powers continuous improvement and keeps the system attuned to the people it serves. Through HHS2020, the state has implemented a cross-agency data sharing protocol that goes beyond Medicaid, requiring collaboration and integration across human services programs. While many states focus on program-specific integration over time, New Mexico’s unified data gover nance model (see Figure 2) and shared infrastructure mandate system-wide

interoperability from the ground up— embedding holistic data sharing into both policy and platform design from the outset. The Unified Portal (YESNM), which went live in 2022, serves as the digital front door for human services programs, enabling residents to interact with multiple services through a single, user-friendly interface. More than 500,000 applications have been submitted since YESNM went live—more than 3,000,000 visits and 350,000 accounts created. YESNM serves seven different personas, including customers and providers. The new one-stop portal has helped more people complete applications, creating a decrease in abandoned applications by 20 percent. Behind the scenes, the Data Services module, which initially went live in 2024 and continues to be released iteratively, acts as the connective tissue—cen tralizing, securing, and integrating data across systems, programs, and partners. New Mexico human services agencies can now access a single, authoritative source of data to inform eligibility trends across five Health Care Authority programs, shape service delivery strategies, and support program integrity. Having a 360 degree customer view that consolidates information from various systems allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the individuals being served, and more personalized and effective service.

Paula Morgan is the Chief Information Officer at the New Mexico Health Care Authority.

Kate Morandi Dickens is a Principal at KPMG LLP.

Amiran Gelashvili is the Managing Director, US Health and Human Services Lead at KPMG LLP.

Figure 2: Data Governance Council Scope of Activities

Anil Sharma is a Managing Director at KPMG LLP.

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