Happenings
Division 54 Recognizes Outstanding Associates
Coach of the Quarter
Jamey Dillard
During his 30-year career at Palmetto GBA, Jamey Dillard has worked in several departments and is valued for his broad experience in financial services. Now an accounting manager in Medicare Finance Administration Jamey has been named Coach of the Quarter by Division 54. Because of his deep knowledge and helpful nature, he is a popular source for guidance. By teaching others what he has learned, Jamey has enabled his team to meet a critical measure required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Jamey has made employee professional development a priority. He sets challenging goals for his direct reports and, if needed, will offer assistance to ensure their success. He also promotes open communication, and his associates are very comfortable seeking his council.
Associate of the Month—July
Bridgit Smith
Division 54’s July Associate of the Month is Bridgit Smith, an accounting technician II in the Medicare Finance Administration Department. Known for being meticulous and having an eye for quality control, Bridgit volunteered to train another team member on the electronic funds transfer quality control task. She patiently answered questions sent to her during the training and after it was complete. Bridgit is not only willing to help her colleagues and take on additional job duties when needed, she is kind and cheerful. Her willingness to help combined with her ability to readily resolve database issues has often proven invaluable to her team.
Associate of the Month—August
Holli Goodwin
Holli Goodwin, an accounting technician II in the Medicare Finance Administration Department, is Division 54’s August Associate of the Month. With 25 years of experience at Palmetto GBA, Holli has become the go-to person for research-related financial questions. She is noted for having an uncanny ability to remember system details and a knack for knowing how to resolve complex requests. Holli is also valued for her cheerful disposition and exemplary customer service. Her commitment to excellence has been instrumental in ensuring her team’s goals are met.
Associate of the Month—September
Nina Lester
The September Associate of the Quarter for Division 54 is Nina Lester, an accountant in the Medicare Part B Accounts Receivable Department. In addition to being an integral part of the team, Nina is valued as a leader and mentor. She is responsible for quality control and forms approval and takes time to explain issues that need correction to ensure they are not repeated. Nina is always willing to help her teammates by answering questions, offering guidance on finding needed resources and encouraging them with her positive attitude. Always committed to quality and process improvement, Nina has even volunteered to help with testing on weekends.
Team of the Quarter
Chief Financial Officer Reporting Team
Division 54 is honoring the Chief Financial Officer Reporting Team in the Medicare Finance Reporting Department as the Team of the Quarter. It was chosen because it provides superior customer service, promotes quality, encourages open communication and is committed to continuous process improvement on a routine basis. The team’s success is the result of each member’s commitment to excellence and a shared can-do attitude. Their teamwork resulted in a 100 percent successful performance on 111 internal and 238 external metrics over the first three quarters of 2023. During this same period, they submitted ten process improvements. Notably this team is proactive about improving the customer experience. The CFO Reporting Team’s efforts expand beyond their regular accounting responsibilities. They regularly volunteer for after-hours testing for customer-facing services, including phone, voicemail and disaster recovery.
Team members: Randy Barber, Kasha Bells, Zack Dedonis, Jessica DelCastillo, Stephen Dunwoody, Brandon Gangle, Sean Garrett, Shanika Goggans, Omar Haygood, Clayton McMillan, Shane G. McMorris, Shelley Pendergrass, Sharon Richardson, Zyricq Rufus, Hunter Stewart, Weslyn Thomas, Savannah Tolonese, Troy West, Ericka Young
Process Improvement of the Quarter
1099 Miscellaneous Signature Letter
Small changes can make a big difference. Division 54 named the 1099 Miscellaneous Signature Letter the Process Improvement of the Quarter because of its simplicity and outsized payoff. The Palmetto GBA 1099 Department was mailing letters with the signature “Palmetto GBA LLC Finance.” The recipients are required to return a response within 15 days. This year one letter was initially delivered to the wrong department, which delayed its return to the 1099 Department and resulted in a late fee for the recipient. The fee was refunded, and the matter resolved, but the team wondered what could be done to prevent it from happening again. The team suggested changing the signature line on all department letters to “Palmetto GBA 1099 Support Team.” Testing proved that this small change reduced misrouting and sped error discovery and rerouting, which significantly reduced the chance of erroneous fees.
Team members: Jennifer Covington, Pam Hall, Cindy Turner
