Happenings
Shared Services Celebrates 2024 Q3 Award Winners
Coach of the Quarter
Nikki Jacobs
Nikki Jacobs, a business analyst III in Claims Processing, is the Coach of the Quarter for her skills training new hires and her positive and patient attitude. Both are a great benefit to the entire team. Nikki also steps in to answer questions when colleagues are busy, ensuring no delays in internal customer responses. Nikki is known for her expertise in claims processes and continues to expand her knowledge, recently mastering two complex claims processes. Because of her expertise, she was nominated to represent Part A Claims at a recent conference for providers. Nikki's outstanding time-management skills and her thorough research and follow-ups ensure timely claim resolutions, making her an invaluable team member.
Associate of the Month — July
Ryan McCall
The Shared Services Division named Ryan McCall the Associate of the Month for July because of his exceptional dedication and performance as a lead appeals specialist in Part B Appeals. He consistently prioritizes customer needs, works accurately and efficiently and takes on additional responsibilities without prompting. Ryan's adaptability, reliability, and commitment to teamwork helped ensure department performance metrics were met during a staff shortage.
Associate of the Month — August
Erin Davis
Erin Davis has been recognized as the Associate of the Month for August due to her exceptional contributions as a Business Analyst II in the Part A Claims and Operations Support Department. Erin took the initiative to organize and lead the Expert Claims Processing System (ECPS) workgroup, enabling effective participation in meetings with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and other Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs). Her efforts in organizing, testing, and providing feedback on ECPS value sets have been instrumental in identifying and addressing system issues. Erin's ability to break down large tasks, facilitate team input, and maintain focus on over 32 ECPS issues has ensured that Palmetto GBA provides valuable insights to CMS. Her dedication to improvement and efficiency has significantly enhanced the usability of the ECPS system for Part A teams across all MACs.
Associate of the Month — September
Tathiane Flint
The Associate of the Month for September is Tathiane Flint, an operations analyst in Part B Claims Processing, because of her outstanding performance when covering for a colleague who had to take unexpected leave. Tathiane not only performed her regular duties but also many additional assignments that she had not been formerly trained to do. She successfully completed various reports and assisted other departments, demonstrating her ability to manage multiple responsibilities and seek help when needed to ensure accuracy. Her efforts helped the Claims Processing Department meet all goals and requirements during this period.
Team of the Quarter
Jurisdiction J Home Health & Hospice Appeals
Team members: Kathleen Barbato, Traci Beauchamp, Tamara Bryant, Kathleen Doctor, Whitney Garris, Jessie Gunter, Susan Harrelson, Sabrina Holland, Sandra Hopkins, Shaquana Linder, Reeshema Pee, Sidney Roberson, Karen Schmitt, Hillary Whittington, Toccora Wilson
The Jurisdiction J Home Health & Hospice Appeals team excels in organization, communication and teamwork. They maintain a central folder for educational documents and a central inbox for appeals questions, ensuring consistency. They consistently meet and often exceed quality standards set by CMS and Palmetto GBA. Their recent quality assurance scores are outstanding, with some recent scores as high as 100 percent. The team is dedicated to continuous improvement, assisting other areas when needed and keeping current on training to meet internal metrics. They promote quality through regular education and meetings, and their management team has an open-door policy for assistance. Their exceptional work ethic and integrity make them a deserving recipient of Team of the Quarter.
Process Improvement of the Month
Automated Process of Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Code Pairs
Team members: Paul Arounleut, Pamela Bannister, Cher Bowers, Cassandra Clark, Angela Culver, Claire Schauer, Tiffany Smith
The automation of ASC code pairs is the Process Improvement of the Quarter. Manual auditing of ASC code pairs was time consuming and labor intensive. Claims Operations and Technical Support and Pricing developed a solution to automate, hard-coded audits to streamline the process. The automation of the ASC code pairs process resulted in substantial time and cost savings for both the Operations Support Unit and Technical Support, making it a standout improvement for the third quarter.
