Onboarding

Existing Partner Re-assurance & Further Functionality

Our team will be in touch to advise when a re-assurance is required (which is every 3 years at a minimum). If you decide to assure for further functionality at any other time, you will be offered the opportunity to do a full reassurance at the same time should you wish to, this means you will be assured for a further 3 years and not need to complete re-assurance during this time. The steps involved in a re-assurance and further functionality are outlined below.

Stage 1: New Assurance Request

On the Optum Help Centre, submit an assurance request, select re-assurance or further functionality. Complete the required questions to ensure all requirements are captured. Decide if you wish to request assurance for any further functionality (for example, more calls, new settings such as EMIS Web Clinical Services and Community, or territories such as Wales). After submission, you’ll move to the next stage.

Stage 1 check list

• Submit a new assurance request - select re-assurance or further functionality
• Complete surveys
• Decide if you wish to request assurance for any further functionality.

Stage 2: Complete surveys

After successfully completing the preliminary questions, you will be prompted (on the Optum Help Centre Interoperability Portal) to fill out additional surveys before proceeding to a witness test. Once completed, you’re ready to schedule a witness test.

Stage 2 check list

• Complete surveys
• Schedule a witness test

Stage 3: Witness Test

During the witness test, you must demonstrate your release-ready solution, ensuring it is clinically safe and secure. The witness test will align with the completed product pack, so it’s crucial that the pack is accurate and up-to-date. The demonstration should cover all aspects outlined in the product pack, including how audit logs are maintained and how errors are handled. After the test, our assurance team will assess the solution and provide a witness test report within 5 working days for internal review.

Stage 3 check list

• Complete witness test
• Receive the test report
• Finalise the comparison criteria

Stage 4: Internal Stakeholder Review

Throughout the witness test, it’s crucial to verify that the developed product aligns with the provided information, capturing all required functionality. The witness test report will be submitted to our internal Optum teams for review. If the solution doesn’t meet the criteria or raises concerns about information governance or clinical safety, our assurance team will guide you through necessary adjustments. In such cases, a subsequent witness test may be required, accompanied by further updates to the surveys. This iterative process will persist until the assurance team is confident that the criteria have been successfully met.

Stage 4 check list

• Respond to any queries that come from the internal stakeholder review (if applicable)

Stage 5: Re-assurance/further functionality assurance complete

After the sign-off, the team will issue you with an Assurance Certificate, confirming that the solution has undergone all necessary checks by Optum. There may be changes to the commercial agreement (for any further functionality, version number changes etc), if so we’ll prepare a variation to your agreement for signature. Once you’re satisfied with the variation, please sign and return the agreement. Fees may also apply which will be noted in the variation, and if so you’ll receive an invoice for payment.

Stage 5 check list

• Assurance certificate issued If applicable:
• Commercial agreement signed and returned
• Payment completed

Stage 6: Go live – applicable only for further functionality

If you have assured for any new settings (e.g. EMIS Web Community) or territories (e.g. Wales) then the assurance team will arrange for deployment. Upon receipt of the signed contract and payment, our assurance team will issue a Plan to Connect document outlining the live setup process. Depending on the interface, additional information may be required from you. Upon receiving the necessary details as outlined in the ‘Plan to Connect,’ the assurance team will initiate internal processes to set up your solution in our live environment. The specific process varies based on the interface(s) you select.

Stage 6 check list

• Commercial agreement signed and returned
• Plan to connect document received
• Plan to connect returned to Optum