Nonprofit in Durango to develop artificial intelligence for Medicaid case managers
Colorado-based Community Connections received funding from OpenAI to reduce the administrative workload of case managers and allow them to spend more time with clients.
Community Connections, a nonprofit operating in southwestern Colorado, has been awarded a $495,000 grant from OpenAI's People-First AI Fund. The funding aims to develop artificial intelligence tools to alleviate the heavy paperwork burden faced by Medicaid case managers.
Community Connections, which has been serving Durango, Colorado for 41 years and provides case management to Medicaid recipients in Archuleta, La Plata, Dolores, Montezuma, and San Juan counties, reaches 1,200 people in the region with its 22 managers. The institution's managers were unable to dedicate sufficient time to their clients due to the increasing paperwork load.
Based in Durango and established following the AI Institute at Fort Lewis College, the Center for Rural AI conducted grant research using its own artificial intelligence tool. Through this initiative, Community Connections applied to the OpenAI Foundation and qualified to receive the $495,000 support.
Operating as a state-authorized case management agency, the organization coordinates early intervention, family support services, and long-term care coordination for individuals with disabilities. Following federal regulatory changes, the increase in administrative workload had caused processes that previously took 15 minutes to extend to two hours.
The artificial intelligence tools to be developed thanks to the grant are planned to reduce administrative burdens, automate routine tasks, and bridge the gaps in government systems. It is stated that this will allow case managers to spend more time directly helping clients.