What is SIFT and why should we use it?

SIFT (Secure Internet File Transfer) is the Internet tool used by LA County DMH to transfer your Legal Entity Data from their Information System to your desktop. Legal Entity Data (sometimes called LE Extracts or LEEs) are data tables in MS Access format that contain nearly every field entered into the LA County DMH Information System. Through SIFT, you have access to most of the data you enter into the LA County DMH Information System.

You can use SIFT data to create reports and better manage your claims and their funding sources. With SIFT reports you can also:

• Create reports not available through the DMH IS Reports
• Reduce manual reporting and double data entry
• Identify data issues in the IS and prepare the data and your data entry staff for your EHR-S migration

LA County DMH provides data updates based on how you currently process your claims. If you are a DDE (Direct Data Entry) provider, you can receive SIFT data once-a-month based on the following schedule:

• Data entry cut-off is the Friday following the 15th of each month
• The LE Extract data is available on SIFT the following Tuesday

EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) providers receive their data every week, based on the following schedule:

• All data processed through every Friday
• The LE Extract data is available on SIFT every Tuesday

You can sign up for SIFT by completing the Legal Entity Data Extract Request Form. DMH will email you a log-in ID and password.
Schedule a 2-hour DMH IS SIFT Introduction session with Juan Fermin from LA County DMH, assign a SIFT leader with strong database and analytical skills, and begin to understand your data and efficiently manage your claims.
Or, contact us at Info@4Sahara.com and we can help you get started with SIFT.

by Keely McGeehan, Sahara Management Solutions, Inc.