Bungling the installation of new computer systems – especially for the government – has become so commonplace, we wonder how bureaucrats can muster the courage to install one.

The state’s Bureau of Medical Services joins a long list of agencies unable to handle the transition to new technology. But the problem goes beyond just affecting government workers and paperwork. Healthcare providers are being forced to account for the state’s problems.

Millions of dollars of state payments – which are owed to companies such as Richardson Hollow Mental Health Services and the Lewiston-based Common Ties – aren’t being made.

The glitch is causing serious troubles. The companies must compensate for the lack of cash flow that results from the state being slow to pay its bills.

Maine’s troubles aren’t unique. The FBI has wasted about $170 million on new computer software that doesn’t work. Meant to manage case files electronically and help field offices better share information, the system has failed. And now the FBI is spending another $2 million just to see if any parts of the program can be salvaged.

But what the state is trying to do is not nearly as complicated. The Bureau of Medical Services handles about 6.5 million claims a year, paying out more than $1.5 billion. That’s a big system, no doubt, but the government – and countless businesses – are able to develop and operate complex computer systems that manage bill payments.

The bugs in the Bureau of Medical Services system are causing a real crunch for employers and their employees. Some workers have missed their paychecks and service providers will have to borrow money to keep the doors open.

Call an exterminator to kill the bugs. Get the help-line on the phone. Use the old system until the problems can be fixed. Do something.

It’s not enough to talk about how great the new system will be when it’s working. The Bureau of Medical Services needs to pay its bills on time.