Idaho WITS is a secure HIPAA and CRF42 compliant web‐based clinical and administrative system used by the Department of Health and Welfare, Department of Correction, Department of Juvenile Correction, Idaho Supreme Court, substance use disorder provider agencies, and by some contracted behavioral health community crisis centers. The Division of Behavioral Health's Automation Help Desk provides or arranges for technical assistance in resolving difficulties in assessing and using Idaho WITS.
Select the production site in the time zone where your agency/facility is located. This may be different from the time zone in which the client lives.
Accessing WITS
Access to WITS is granted to provider agencies in accordance with the provider agency agreement with Department of Health and Welfare's Division of Behavioral Health.
Forms and documents
A substance use disorder services provider agency is a treatment or recovery support services provider who has been approved by the department under IDAPA 16.07.20 “Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders Treatment and Recovery Support Services Facilities and Programs.”
A network provider is a treatment or recovery support services provider who has been approved by the department and is contracted with the department’s management services contractor (MSC).
Agency WITS Access Process 1. Contact the MSC regarding facility approval and network contracting as described above. 2. Submit a completed WITS provider agency set-up packet to the WITS Help Desk.
Email the completed packet to the WITS Help Desk for the type of services you provide (treatment services or stand-alone recovery support services).
- Completed WITS provider agency set-up packets will not be processed by the WITS Help Desk until verification of approval (see above) is received from the MSC.
- Idaho WITS Recovery Support Services Provider Agency Set-Up Packet.
- Idaho WITS Treatment Provider Agency Set-Up Packet.
04/01/2023
Chestnut has fixed GRRS in GAIN ABS. Everyone that has GAIN ABS access should now see the GRRS in GAIN ABS.
03/31/2023
The GRRS function in GAIN ABS is not appearing/working correctly for WITS SUD Providers. This means the GAIN Assessments cannot be edited and the GRRS cannot be created and uploaded into WITS. Chestnut has been contacted and we are working with them to resolve the issue.
10/07/2022
WITS email system is now working. Reset credential and enabling emails can now be sent to users. AWAs are once again able to update email addresses and create new staff accounts in WITS.
10/07/2022
We have identified the following issues with WITS:
- Emails from WITS is down. This also includes the enable and reset credentials emails.
- Unable to update email addresses in WITS.
We are working with our vendor to resolve the issue. We currently do not have the ETA when this issue will be resolved. We will update as we receive additional information.
12/02/2021
- GAIN ABS now working for WITS Pacific.
- The Claim Item List and Claim Batch List now working for WITS Mountain.
12/01/2021
We have identified the following issues with WITS:
- GAIN ABS is not working for WITS Pacific. This impacts trying to sync the client profile, performing the GAIN Assessment, downloading the GAIN into WITS, and reviewing the GAIN Assessments.
- The Claim Item List and Claim Batch List is erroring out for WITS Mountain.
We are working with our vendor to resolve the issue. We currently do not have an ETA when these issues will be will be resolved. We will update as we receive additional information.
11/30/2021
WITS Mountain and WITS Pacific production sites have been restored.
11/29/2021
WITS is currently unavailable. It is down for both Mountain and Production sites. We are working with the vendor to restore access. We will post updates as we get more information.
11/10/2021
We have identified an issue in Mountain and Pacific WITS production sites running slower than usual. We are currently working with FEI to resolve this issue, which will be resolved in the next release 20.6.13, which we will begin testing this Monday,11/15/2021.
09/14/2021
The issue with logging into WITS Mountain producing the message “A warning is coming up that states it is not private” has been resolved.
09/08/2021
The issue was resolved by FEI and the Claim Item List screen is available in WITS.
09/08/2021
A critical issue was identified today on the Claim Item List screen which is located under Agency Billing. When the Claim Item List is clicked in the blue navigation pane a yellow page error displays. FEI is currently investigating the issue and additional information will be posted as it becomes available.
08/26/2021
The DBH Automation Helpdesk may be unavailable today between 12PM – 5PM MST due to internal meetings. The issue has been resolved that was preventing the DBH Automation Help Desk from receiving emails.
08/23/2021
The DBH Automation Help Desk is experiencing issues that are preventing incoming and outgoing emails. Users are encouraged to submit an online support request through the Support Portal to ensure that requests are received. Updates will be provided as they become available.
06/28/2021
Intermittent issues with WITS timing out and resulting in an error screen. Searching for clients and other functions in WITS are resulting in this time out. The technical team identified what is causing the issue and will have a fix in place tonight around 8PM MST. There is currently no workaround but please be patient while the technical team works to resolve the issue.
06/28/2021
The WITS Production sites will be updated on 06/28/2021 to the 20.6.8 release. This release contains the following changes to WITS:
- Chrome is the only fully supported browser for WITS effective Monday, June 28, 2021.
- Additional columns were added to the Client List screen
- GAIN Short Screener (SS) has been rebuilt to function in the browser Chrome and updated to version 3.0 of the GAIN SS.
Effective Monday, June 28, 2021 users should begin using only the browser Chrome when accessing WITS. Please note that if you continue to use Internet Explorer (IE) you may encounter functionality that that no longer works in IE. Only issues identified in the browser Chrome will be resolved effective immediately. Guidance for the new functionality will be available under Forms and documents and System Guidance.
05/31/2021
The Automation Help Desk will be closed on Monday, May 31, 2021, in Observance of Memorial Day.
03/29/2021
The WITS training site will be unavailable all day on Thursday (04/01/2021)/Friday (04/02/2021) while the training site is updated to the 20.6.6 release. No one will be able to access WITS Training while the update is taking place.
03/27/2021
The WITS Production sites will be unavailable from 7:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (MT) on Saturday, March 27, 2021 while system maintenance is conducted. No one will be able to access WITS while the update is taking place.
03/15/2021
Effective Monday, March 15, 2021, the password/pin criteria for the WITS Production site will be updated to the new security standard. Users do not need to immediately update their password/pin. Instead, the next time a user needs to change their password they will be required to meet the new standard.
Beginning on 03/15/2021 a password/pin for WITS must include:
- Minimum of 6 characters long
- At least three different character types out of the following:
- Uppercase
- Lowercase
- Numeric characters
- Special characters
03/13/2021
The WITS Production sites will be unavailable from 4:00 a.m. – 4:30 a.m. (MT) on Saturday, March 13, 2021 for a system update. No one will be able to access WITS while the update is taking place.
03/10/2021
The Help Desk will be closed today (Wednesday, 03/10/2021) from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. MT for an Automation Unit meeting.
12/21/2020
Regarding a recent nationwide issue related to information security: The vendor for the Division of Behavioral Health’s information systems, including WITS and ICANS, reviewed the current security advisory from SolarWinds (https://www.solarwinds.com/securityadvisory) and found that both systems are not running a vulnerable version. The vendor will continue to monitor this situation and will be alerted to anomalous behavior, and through new vendor information as it becomes available. The Vendor will re-evaluate risk should additional details be revealed impacting the current state. Please direct any questions to Seth Schreiber, Automation Program Manager.
09/28/2020
On Wednesday, September 30, 2020 all clients in the current DHW Regional Agencies WITS agencies will be moved to the new single DHW Agency called DHW Behavioral Health. Beginning September 30, 2020, you will no longer be able to send a consent/referral to any of the individual DHW Regional agencies (DHW Region 1, DHW Region 2, etc.). When creating a referral, select the agency of DHW, Behavioral Health, then select the appropriate Regional Office. Please see the guidance document on the Resources page.
06/30/2020
The Division of Behavioral Health is postponing the implementation of the consolidated agency within WITS initially scheduled for tomorrow, 7/1/2020. The DBH did not come to this decision lightly. We are committed to the project and believe it to be a key component to modernizing the organization of the Division’s electronic health record. The Division decided to postpone the implementation so that we are able to investigate recently discovered issues that could critically impact the success of the project. The consolidation project will be postponed until 7/7/2020, or until a time where the DBH has fully considered the best way to move forward. We understand that you or your staff may have received a number of recent communications, instructions, or training related to this project, but given the postponement we request that you or your staff defer any related action related to this project until further notice. The Division of Behavioral Health, especially the Automation Unit and Help Desk, sincerely appreciate your continued patience and cooperation.
06/04/2020
The Help Desk will be closed June 9, 2020 - June 10, 2020 for meetings. Please send questions or requests for assistance to DBHAutomationHD@dhw.idaho.gov and we will contact you when the Help Desk reopens. Thank you.
04/03/2020
A bug has been identified on the Admission. When navigating from the ASAM screen to the Diagnosis screen, there is no arrow button to bring you to the next page. The workaround for this is to click Save and then click Diagnosis on the blue navigation bar.
03/18/2020
Update on Telehealth Services in WITS: When creating a billable note (Encounter) in WITS, you must select the location where the service was provided. A list of SUD services may be released to billing with the location of (tbh) telehealth.
03/17/2020
Due to the current situation regarding COVID-19, Automation Help Desk calls are being routed in a different way and may have a longer response time. For the quickest response, please email the Help Desk at DBHWITSHD@dhw.idao.gov.
02/04/2020
The Help Desk will be closed February 5, 2020 - February 6, 2020 for meetings. Please send questions or requests for assistance to DBHAutomationHD@dhw.idaho.gov and we will contact you when the Help Desk reopens. Thank you.
01/23/2020
The technical issues with the Online Portal, Service Pro have been resolved. Please let us know if you have any issues submitting a request. Thank you.
01/22/2020
The Automation Help Desk is experiencing Technical issues with the online Portal - Service Pro. Please email all requests and questions to the Automation help Desk at DBHAutomationHD@dhw.idaho.gov and we will respond as soon as time allows. Please provide as much information as possible with regards to your agency name, purpose of request and contact information. We will be updating this notice as information is provided. Thank you for your understanding.
WITS Training
Required training descriptions
These documents provide a thorough explanation of each training that is offered for recovery support services and substance use disorder treatment providers. Navigate to the document that best covers your position and make sure you sign up for the proper online training or watch the proper training video.
- RSS Provider Required Training Explanation
- SUD Treatment Provider Training Explanation
- Agency WITS Administrator (AWA) Training Explanation
Agency WITS administrator training video
The AWA Training video is being offered in lieu of live trainings via Webex. Please watch the following video, then, for current WITS users, submit a Help Desk ticket in the Online Portal with a service type of training attestation. This will ensure you receive credit for watching the video, because it is mandatory. For new users who do not currently have an account in WITS, have your current agency WITS administrator submit a ticket via the online portal. For new agencies, use the contact information below.
Recovery Support Services training videos
These training videos are being offered in lieu of live trainings via Webex. Watch the training video(s) that best suits your needs, then, for current WITS users, submit a Help Desk ticket in the Online Portal with a Service Type of Training Attestation to receive credit for viewing the video. For new users that do not currently have an account in WITS, have your Agency WITS Administrator submit a ticket via the Online Portal. For new agencies, use the contact information below.
If you have any questions about this process, contact the Help Desk either via the online portal, by email at DBHAutomationHD@dhw.idaho.gov, or by phone at 208-332-7316.
Automated Services Help Desk online portal
Create an Online Portal Request to ask for assistance, report an issue, or request new/updated access to ICANS.
System updates
WITS has a monthly release that updates the system by correcting errors and adding improvements. Click the links below to read about each monthly change.
WITS Release Notes 19.8.9 - 3/30/2020
Known bugs in the WITS production sites
- 4/3/2020 – In the 19.8.9 Release a bug and a work around was identified for an issue in group notes.
- Issue: When navigating from the ASAM screen to the Diagnosis screen, there is no arrow button to bring you to the next page.
- Work around: Select save and then select diagnosis on the blue navigation bar.
| CONTACT | Phone NUMBER | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND WELFARE |
Automation Help Desk Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. MT |
DBHAutomationHD@dhw.idaho.gov | |
| ONLINE PORTAL | Help Desk Online Portal | ||
| DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION | Lorenzo Washington | lwashing@idoc.idaho.gov | 208-658-2133 |
| DEPARTMENT OF JUVENILE CORRECTION | Liza Crook | jjsuds@idjc.idaho.gov | 208-577-5449 |
|
IDAHO SUPREME COURT |
Lynn Proctor | lproctor@idcourts.net | 208-947-7455 |
| BPA HEALTH | www.bpahealth.com | ProviderRelations@bpahealth.com | 800-922-3406 |
| OPTUM IDAHO | www.optumidaho.com | 855-202-0973 |
Idaho WITS User Group
The Idaho WITS User Group is made up of staff in provider agencies and state agencies who have been trained in the use of WITS as an electronic health record. The user group meets the first Thursday of every month.
Staff at the Idaho Supreme Court, Department of Correction, Department of Juvenile Corrections, Department of Health & Welfare, and BPA Health discuss partner and policy issues. The WITS Help Desk will provide any relevant notices dedicated to WITS updates, functionality, and training.
Providers must register to attend.
WITS and GAIN (Global Appraisal of Individual Needs) interface is unique to Idaho. The interface allows identified providers to access GAIN Assessment tools through the Idaho WITS system.
More information to come!
More coming soon!
More information to come!
Contact the GAIN ABS support team if you have any questions or would like to attend GAIN ABS user training via LiveMeeting. Trainings are held every first Wednesday of each month at 8 a.m. (MT) / 7 a.m. (PT) and every third Wednesday of each month at noon (MT) / 11 a.m. (PT).
For more information, contact the GAIN ABS support team: 309-451-7777 or by emailing ABSsupport@chestnut.org
- GAIN User Form
- GAIN Site Interviewer Training/Editing Tips
- Clinician Pathway for accessing GAIN Site Interviewer Training
- GAIN Local Trainer Instructions for when the GAIN Local Trainer and the GAIN Site Interviewer Trainee are from different BPA Health contract Agencies
- GAIN Local Trainer Instructions for when the GAIN Local Trainer and the GAIN Site Interviewer Trainee are from the same BPA Health contract Agency
- Approval Request Form - GAIN Site Interviewer Training/Certification, GAIN Local Trainer (LT)/Site Interviewer Trainee (*SIT) Match Request for Approval
- Access to Online Edit and Interpretation Training
More information to come!
| GAIN ABS SUPPORT TEAM | ABSsupport@chestnut.org | 309-451-7777 |
|---|
More information to come!
All documentation and processes for WITS are located in the crisis center eManual. Each page/section of the eManual may be printed by selecting the printer icon at the top of the screen. We have a new starter guide in the eManual that should be very helpful and will walk you through most WITS processes from start to finish. We highly encourage you to review the starter guides, especially for new staff.
WITS crisis center electronic manual
- Crisis Center eManual
- Agency WITS Administrator Online Portal Guide
- Crisis Center – Changes for Client List ***New on 06/28/2021***
Documents and forms
If you have any questions about WITS, please contact the WITS Help Desk either via the online portal, by email at dbhwitshd@dhw.idaho.gov, or by phone at 208-332-7316.
11/30/2021
WITS Mountain and WITS Pacific production sites have been restored.
11/29/2021
WITS is currently unavailable. It is down for both Mountain and Production sites. We are working with the vendor to restore access. We will post updates as we get more information.
11/10/2021
We have identified an issue in Mountain and Pacific WITS production sites running slower than usual. We are currently working with FEI to resolve this issue, which will be resolved in the next release 20.6.13, which we will begin testing this Monday, 11/15/2021.
8/26/2021
The DBH Automation Helpdesk may be unavailable today between 12PM – 5PM MST due to internal meetings. The issue has been resolved that was preventing the DBH Automation Helpdesk from receiving emails.
8/23/2021
The DBH Automation Helpdesk is experiencing issues that are preventing incoming and outgoing emails. Users are encouraged to submit an online support request through the Support Portal to ensure that requests are received. Updates will be provided as they become available.
8/02/2021
Crisis Center training for 8/12/2021 has been canceled. Please contact the Automation Help Desk if you have any training needs. You can reach us via email at DBHAutomationHD@dhw.idaho.gov or via phone at 208-332-7316.
6/28/2021
Intermittent issues with WITS timing out and resulting in an error screen. Searching for clients and other functions in WITS are resulting in this time out. The technical team identified what is causing the issue and will have a fix in place tonight around 8PM MST. There is currently no workaround but please be patient while the technical team works to resolve the issue.
6/28/2021
The WITS Production sites will be updated on 06/28/2021 to the 20.6.8 release. This release contains the following changes to WITS:
- Chrome is the only fully supported browser for WITS effective Monday, June 28, 2021.
- Additional columns were added to the Client List screen
- GAIN Short Screener (SS) has been rebuilt to function in the browser Chrome and updated to version 3.0 of the GAIN SS.
Effective Monday, June 28, 2021 users should begin using only the browser Chrome when accessing WITS. Please note that if you continue to use Internet Explorer (IE) you may encounter functionality that that no longer works in IE. Only issues identified in the browser Chrome will be resolved effective immediately. Guidance for the new functionality will be available under Documents and forms.
5/31/2021
The Automation Help Desk will be closed on Monday, May 31, 2021 in observance of Memorial Day.
3/29/2021
The WITS Training site will be unavailable all day on Thursday (04/01/2021)/Friday (04/02/2021) while the Training site is updated to the 20.6.6 release. No one will be able to access WITS Training while the update is taking place.
3/27/2021
The WITS Production sites will be unavailable from 7:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (MT) on Saturday, March 27, 2021 while system maintenance is conducted. No one will be able to access WITS while the update is taking place.
3/15/2021
Effective Monday, March 15, 2021, the password/pin criteria for the WITS Production site will be updated to the new security standard. Users do not need to immediately update their password/pin. Instead, the next time a user needs to change their password they will be required to meet the new standard.
Beginning on 03/15/2021 a password/pin for WITS must include:
- Minimum of 6 characters long
- At least three different character types out of the following:
- Uppercase
- Lowercase
- Numeric characters
- Special characters
3/13/2021
The WITS production sites will be unavailable from 4:00 a.m. – 4:30 a.m. (MT) on Saturday, March 13, 2021 for a system update. No one will be able to access WITS while the update is taking place.
3/10/2021
The Help Desk will be closed today (Wednesday, 03/10/2021) from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. MT for an Automation Unit meeting.
12/21/2020
Regarding a recent nationwide issue related to information security: The vendor for the Division of Behavioral Health’s information systems, including WITS and ICANS, reviewed the current security advisory from SolarWinds (https://www.solarwinds.com/securityadvisory) and found that both systems are not running a vulnerable version. The vendor will continue to monitor this situation and will be alerted to anomalous behavior, and through new vendor information as it becomes available. The Vendor will re-evaluate risk should additional details be revealed impacting the current state. Please direct any questions to Seth Schreiber, Automation Program Manager.
| Event | Date & Time | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Outage |
May 20, 2023 4:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. MT |
WITS OFFLINE |
| HOLIDAY - Memorial Day | May 29, 2023 | HELP DESK CLOSED |
| All Staff Meeting |
June 13, 2023 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. MT |
HELP DESK CLOSED |
| Scheduled Outage |
June 17, 2023 4:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. MT |
WITS OFFLINE |
| HOLIDAY - Juneteenth | June 19, 2023 | HELP DESK CLOSED |
|
Crisis Center Training Trainer: Anna Schaffer |
Wednesday, June 7, 2023 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. MT |
1. Log in to your account To join the Conference Call, dial: 415-527-5035 |
WITS TRAINING
If you have any questions about WITS training for behavioral health community crisis centers, please contact the Help Desk either via the online portal, by email at DBHAutomationHD@dhw.idaho.gov, or by phone at 208-332-7316.
The Division of Behavioral Health Automation Help Desk provides or arranges for, technical assistance in resolving difficulties in accessing and using WITS.
Automated Services Help Desk online portal
Log into the portal for assistance with Idaho WITS.
System updates
WITS has a monthly release that updates the system by correcting errors and adding improvements. Click the links below to read about each monthly change.
WITS Release Notes 19.8.9 - 3/30/2020
Known bugs in the WITS production sites
No known bugs at this time.
| CONTACT | Phone NUMBER | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND WELFARE |
Automation Help Desk Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. MT |
DBHAutomationHD@dhw.idaho.gov | |
| Online Portal
|
Help Desk Online Portal |
IDAHO WITS USER GROUP (IWUG)
The Idaho WITS User Group is made up of staff in provider agencies and state agencies that have been trained in the use of WITS as an electronic health record. The user group meets the first Thursday of every month.
Staff at the Idaho Supreme Court, Department of Correction, Department of Juvenile Corrections, Department of Health & Welfare, and BPA Health will discuss partner and policy issues. The WITS Help Desk will provide any relevant notices dedicated to WITS updates, functionality, and training.
Providers must register for the user group.