Happenings
Division 34 Applauds Q4 Top Performers
Coach of the Quarter
Gerald Eichelberger
Gerald Eichelberger, a senior business systems analyst in the eCommerce Department, has been honored as Coach of the Quarter for his outstanding leadership and coaching abilities. His expertise was pivotal in the recent updates of several client websites. Gerald consistently fosters a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration within his team. He regularly checks in with team members to discuss their personal and professional goals, ensuring they feel supported and motivated.
By empowering his team to take ownership of their goals, Gerald has led them to numerous successful project completions. He boosts morale by acknowledging and celebrating exceptional efforts, and his integrity and positive attitude inspire others. Gerald turns setbacks into learning opportunities, and his organizational skills have significantly improved efficiency and led to successful audits. In addition to being a great role model, Gerald's leadership skills truly stand out.
Associate of the Month — October
Yunus Chhipa
Division 34 has named Yunus Chhipa the October 2024 Associate of the Month for his exceptional support and expertise as an automation tester. His contributions have been crucial in delivering quality products to customers. Yunus has developed comprehensive automation scripts that identify errors early, validate applications post-deployment and reduce the workload for manual testers and developers. His innovative approach has significantly improved testing efficiency and issue resolution times. Yunus is also valued for his proactive process improvements, mentoring team members and sharing his extensive knowledge in automation testing.
Associate of the Month — November
David Russell
David Russell has been awarded Associate of the Month for his exceptional leadership, mentorship and commitment to superior customer service. He has led training sessions on website development technologies to enhance the skills of junior developers and proposed innovative tools to streamline processes. David's dedication to resolving critical issues and improving team cohesion has significantly strengthened client relationships and team effectiveness. His innovative solutions, such as developing automated testing tools, have promoted quality and efficiency throughout the organization.
Associate of the Month — December
Shana Chappell
The Associate of the Month for December is Shana Chappell for her exceptional contributions as a senior database report writer analyst in the Medicare Statistical Analysis Department (MSAD). She ensures that hundreds of reports reach the correct customers with the appropriate attachments, and she coordinates with programmers to resolve any issues with report placements. Shana also meticulously documents and communicates each analyst's workload, helping them manage their tasks efficiently.
Additionally, Shana played a key role in a process improvement initiative with the Statistical Analysis Data Warehouse. She helped automate the creation of tracking numbers for routine reports, significantly reducing the time required to create them from nearly 6 hours to just 30 minutes each month. Her efforts have greatly enhanced the efficiency and productivity of the MSAD team.
Team of the Quarter
Medicare Statistical Analysis Department Report Analysis
Team members: Alex Arnold, Shana Chappell, Sanoussy Diallo, Albert Harrison, Khosrow Heidari, John Obal, Sukgoo Pak, Michael Petzold, Dumbiri Stone, Akshayaa Viswanathan, Cathy Zhang
After identifying the need for a more efficient new-hire onboarding process, the Medicare Statistical Analysis Department (MSAD) Report Analysis team collaborated to develop a series of how-to videos. Each ranging from 3 to 5 minutes, the videos were designed to introduce new associates to the department's business practices. Each team member independently created and presented a video on a specific topic and then incorporated feedback from colleagues. The result was a comprehensive set of more than 50 training videos. Their objective was to train a new hire so that within six months, they would be at 75 percent productivity.
The first new hire using the training videos achieved 75 percent productivity within six months. This not only expedited the onboarding process but also reduced the cost of training a new hire by shortening the training period from 12 months to six. As a bonus, the videos have served as refreshers for current staff. In recognition of their dedication to professional support and commitment to training and development, the MSAD Report Analysis team has been named Team of the Quarter.
Process Improvement of the Quarter
Home Health Computer-Assisted Review of Documentation Implementation for Illinois
Team members: Josephine Coleman, Brian Corner, Aditya Deshmukh, Lisa Ingram, Hepziebah Jayaseelan, Nazim Jeelani, Raziuddin Mohammed, Amy Rhodus, Jagadish Vattikuti
The Cognitive Medical Review System launched the Home Health Computer-Assisted Review of Documentation (CARD) project for the Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) program in Illinois in November 2023. The goal of the project was to reduce the manual review workload for Medical Review nurses. Since being implemented, the reviews have been automated for the affirmed cases (those likely to be approved). This automation lets nurses focus on more complex reviews.
From November 2023 to December 2024, approximately 60 percent of cases were automated, significantly reducing the manual review workload for nurses in Illinois. This increased efficiency led to substantial cost savings. As a result of this success, the project is being expanded to other states.
