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4Publication ofOrganizationalNManaEgemenWt M March 1996
THE
D A "\
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JLetU>i faun, t&i
LLECTION
On Wednesday, January 31, L996,
the Division ofMedical Assistance 3 1998
completed a major reorganization.
Dear Colleagues:
The reorganization, known as chusett:
reconfiguration, was the
It isfitting that this issue
culmination ofa two-year
should concentrate on our
initiative to restructure its
new enrollment centers, the
determination
eligibility
staffwho will make them
enrollment operations.
successful, and the enrollees,
DMA our customers, who will be
stafffrom about 40
served by them. As several of
Department ofTransitional
\ssistance (DTA) offices and 4 from all ofthe offices was the articles remind us, the
JMA Long Term Care Eligibility incredible,from Directors, to creation offourMassHealth
Enrollment Centers in
Offices (LTCEOs) were Assistant Directors, to direct line
January was an achievement
consolidated into 4 MassHealth staff. This team work allowed us
ofwhich we should all be
Enrollment Centers (MECs). to successfully consolidate 35
proud, and about which we
offices into 4MassHealth
cannot say enough.
Russ Kulp, Assistant Enrollment Centers.
(Continued on page 2)
Commissioner for Member and
Provider Services, pointed out Information Services (IS)
that the project was a united provided technical support for the
effort: initiative. Sharon Wright,
Director ofInformation Services,
Inside:
'Field reconfiguration had a lot stated:
ofmovingparts, and it has Letterfrom the Commissioner ... 1-2
happened very smoothly. All of "Information Services began The NewDMA 1-4
New
the units were involved, and it is building an eligibility system, Medical Director 5
New Deputy Commissioner 5
a tribute to this agency to be able MA21, twoyears ago. They also New
Director ofExternal Affairs 5
to do this." provided infrastructure support, Cultural Competency . . 6
which entailed cabling to the CommonHealth Survey 7
DMA
Sheila Sullivan, Operations buildings and the desktop, Will Undergo Renovations . . 7
Manager, commented about rolling out new data terminals, Information Services 8
Health Watch 9
enrollment staff: and a new Centrex telephone
Training 10
system with voice mailfor More DMA News 11-12
"Theamount ofhard work, everyone. Survey 13
hours, nights, and weekends, (Continued on Page 3)
DMA
Newsletter March 1996
:W:•W.•.:.•W.-:.*.:•...•.•,•..•.v.v.v.•..*•...-.-»-.*..••.*,*X\•.vas'MvX
News
of the.-/•••••'-
JLcttet from t&e &u*wu4&ca*ie>i
iDmsum Medical
<tf
(Continuedfrompage 1)
7%e efforts ofall ofyou, and the reactions
ofkeypersonnel who were instrumental in making
MECs
the a reality are highlighted in this issue's
::•*:¥ feature story. Other articlesfocus on our "cultural
competency" (that is, our ability to address cultural
differences among our enrollees), a survey of
Executive Office of
AHumaB CommonHealth members, andourplans toprovide
Health
'%£>':•:•:•:•::•:-x-x-x-x-:;x-x-x-x-x-x::;•;;•:•;:•:•:•::•:•>x-;-:-x::::: the enrollment centers with state ofthe art
Services.
computersystems.
DMA
This issue ofthe Newsletter truly
underscores the importance ofour new enrollment
MEC
/Z/: centers, our staff, andthe agency's continuing
:
commitment to meeting the needs ofits customers.
Our new enrollment centers well help us achieve this
most importantgoal!
y^llitSidh^
Bruce Bullen
Commissioner
—
2
" "" "
VIA Newsletter March 1996
NEW
THE DMA! BertLourenco, Director ofOrganizational
Management, described reconfiguration from
(Continued from page 1)
a Human Resources perspective as:
be also added a special mention to the Technical
Team, headed byAnn Marie "the most complex and most excitingproject that I
ifrastructure
rementozzi, and to PaulDiPasquale. have ever been involved in. Thisproject required
a tremendous effort in coordinating a very wide
ynne Benoit, Director ofFacilities, has been range ofactivities.
forking on reconfiguration, with her staf£ for the
ast year. In fact Lynne spent the entire month of We negotiated twofar reaching agreements with
uiuary at the Tewksbury site, acting as "Clerk of the unions, consolidated nearly 300 staffintofour
le Works," overseeing the final phase of offices, secured accommodationsfor our most
onstruction. During that time, her stafftook on serious hardship employees, recruited andhired a
xtra responsibilities, and kept everything running new clerical teamfor Tewksbury, organized
moothry at 600 Washington Street. informational sessions throughout the state, and
provided countless hours oftrainingfor all staff.
or the Facilities Unit, reconfiguration meant
^novating an entire new site in Tewksbury to OrganizationalManagement staffspent long
ccommodate more than 90 staf£ renovating the hours ensuring that all the many human resource
.pringfield and Taunton MassHealth Enrollment components oftheproject were handled timely
'enters and reorganizing existing space inthe and with accuracy.
"harlestown MassHealth Enrollment Center to
commodate additional staff. Bert added:
a addition, reconfiguration raised several interesting "Throughout the entireproject, Iwas very
sgal issues which occupied Division Attorneys impressed with the visionfor thefuture ofthe
DMA
Barbara Wexler, Marc Thibodeau and Deborah agency. is clearly taking a leadership
>exler. Deborah Drexler described the legalunit's position in improving the quality and efficiency of
vork as follows: the services weprovide to our customers. Ibelieve
the new office structure and team approach will
'First, wegrappled with cutting-edge questions prove a success ifwe continue to all work together
ibout handicapped accessibility at the new as we have thusfar.
Tewksburyfacility.
Mandy Sweeney, Director ofExternal Eligibility
We also worked closely with other units (and Services, commented on the new outreach activities:
particularly with George Washington Jr., Director
ifAffirmativeAction) to accommodate several "Eligibility staffshould be congratulated on
•ntployees whose disabilitiesprevented themfrom implementing outreach activities in SO hospitals
elocating to one ofour new offices. and community health centers. Very soon,
outreach staffwill be visiting up to 100provider
And, with the Labor Relations Team, we sites. Theyprovide a unique and important
successfully negotiated with Local 509 to establish service toprospective members andproviders.
a labor/management workgroup that willevaluate (Continued on page 4)
our new "team system" ofworkload distribution.
" " " " "
DMA
Newsletter March 1996
THE NEW DMA! TEWKSBURY MEC OPENS
(Continuedfrom page 3)
When the Tewksbury MassHeakh Enrollment
Since the opening ofthe Enrollment Centers, the Center (MEC) opened its doors on Wednesday,
Directors ofeach office have had these comments January 31, 1996, the opening represented, in the
and observations: words ofRuss Kulp, a ''milestone" in
reconfiguration.
O Mary"Paddie" Hunt, Director, Tewksbury:
"The one thing the managers noticed on opening
day was how workers camefrom 12-15
offices
with positive attitudes andprofessionalism. Staff The Tewksbury MEC is located on the campus of
n
need to be complimentedfor that Tewksbury State Hospital Tne office has
undergone extensive renovations, resulting in
O
George Hollywood, Director, Springfield: modem office space, and state ofthe art technology.
The campus itselfhouses many other state offices.
"Theprocess ofreconfiguration hasproven to be
difficult andstressfulfor all concerned Although John Stockman, writing for the 509 News describes
the months ahead are likely to be no less the building:
demanding, Iam convinced that we are headed in
the right direction and will become a better "Recognizing the building's hundredyear history,
agency. Iam especially encouraged by the much ofthe original woodwork, banisters and
resilience, professionalism, and cooperative fireplaces have been left intact They lenda
attitude shown by my staff. soothing atmosphere to what might otherwise be a
conventional worksite.
O
Duncan McEachern, Director, Taunton:
The hospital is located in a semi rural setting.
"Reconfiguration is here and we are busier than "People walk the grounds on lunchhours" observed
ever and we are approaching this as a challenge Mary "Paddie" Hunt, Director ofthe MEC, and
and an opportunity to work together as a team to there are plans to place picnic tables near the
»
improve service delivery to our customers.: building during the summer.
O Dan Shea, Acting Director, Charlestown: An independent transportation company has been
transporting workers between the Tewksbury office
"Iam excited about reconfiguration because it and the Sullivan Square MBTA station, andPaddie
gives us the opportunity to use the wealth of Hunt states that "the shuttle is working well".
experience we all have to develop the most Paddie also notes:
effective systems to service our customers.
"The staffare to be complimented on how well
As a final note, Russ Kulp views the new Enrollment they settled in. They are willing, along with
Centers as an environment in which: management, to initiate trying a new way ofdoing
business to better serve our customers. Tewksbury
u aprofessional eligibility worker is able to utilize is DMA's newest office and along with bringing in
the latest technology and modern techniques to very seasonedstaffmembers, we have hired 15
ensure that quality health care is delivered to our new clerical staff. They are a greatgroup.
customers.
"
«
MANewsletter March 1996
DMA WELCOMES NEW NEW DEPUTY COMMISSIONER
DMA
MEDICAL DIRECTOR JOINS
Later this month, MarkReynoldsjoins the Division
ofMedical Assistance as the new Deputy
Commissioner.
He comes to this agency fromthe Executive Office
&
ofHealth Human Services where he served as
Budget Director from 1993 to present.
Annette Hanson hasjoined the Executive Staff
)r.
s the new Medical Director for DMA. The new Deputy Commissioner has an extensive
background in managing and monitoring revenues
>. Hanson was previously the Deputy
for state and health care agencies, developing
Commissioner for Clinical and Professional Services
financial details and strategies on specific policy
or the Department ofMental Health where she
issues, and in providing analysis ofhealth care policy
vorked for four years. Before that, she was the issues and legislation. He is also a Ph.D. candidate
Aedical Director at Fuller Memorial Hospital and MIT.
at
Mrector ofHospital Services for the Department of
New
>sychiatry at England Medical Center Hospital.
Vhen asked to comment about her new position
ith DMA, Dr. Hanson stated: j[*»fr>frtfy*j^»jf*^<jf»j[»«|«j[»«|«j[»jf»«|«»frj£»«|««fr !««fr«fr«{» frjf»j[»
I've been in the health care industry in this state
ror 20years, and being in Medicaidat this time, is
he most excitingplace to be in this state as well as THE NEW DIRECTOR OF
n the entire country,
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
IS...
Or. Hanson also has faculty appointments at
Harvard Medical School, University of Sharon Gillis has replaced DavidBall as the new
Massachusetts Medical School, and Northeastern Director ofExternal Affairs. DavidBall left DMA
University. She is a Senior Associate with the to accept the position ofDirector of
Levinson Institute. Communications with the Executive Office of
Health and Human Services (EOHHS).
MD
Dr. Hanson received her from the University of
Minnesota. In addition, she is also a member ofthe Sharon will be responsible for all media inquiries,
American Medical Association, The American legislative affairs, Board ofHearings, and other
Psychiatric Association, the Massachusetts Medical
public inquiries.
Society, and the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and
Institute.
w
" " "
DMA
Newsletter March 1996
HAT CULTURAL COMPETENCY?
IS
W
^r
Ifyou're an Eligibility worker, do culture are two ofthe largest barriers, and it is
* you ever wonder what happens to exciting that the Division's new cultural
those race and language codes that you enter on the competency initiative is addressing them in such a
Input Documents? comprehensive way.
MeocalAssistancePACESInput—Document j In fact, he has developed a work plan to implement
r the recommendations ofthe workgroup. One key
i
i i i i 1 1 i recommendation is that:
**
Each managed care customer who speaks a
language other than English (20% ofour customers)
The Cultural Competency Workgroup, co-chaired shall have a choice ofat least two primary care
byJeremiah Cole, ofthe Insurance Reimbursement
providers, reasonably near the customer's home,
Program, and JanetPearlman, ofthe MentalHealth who offer linguistically appropriate services to the
&
Substance Abuse Program, has completed a year
customer.
long study, using the information fromthose codes.
Some ofthe other recommendations will require:
Why DMA
did conduct the study? Pete Rogers,
&
Director ofCustomer Research, Policy
<•* Extensive provider and administrative
Communication, explains:
stafftraining in cultural awareness.
"The workgroup studied cultural competence in
health care delivery andmade recommendations ••" Assessment efforts to measure providers'
about how the Division can overcome the barriers capability to provide language and culture-
to care that resultfrom a recipient's language, appropriate care.
"
race and culture
•"
Materials translation.
What is Cultural Competency? According to the
Cultural Competency Workgroup
"•* Foreign language customer satisfaction surveys
Recommendations, (a report published by the group)
and reporting requirements.
his:
And ifyou are a MassHealth Enrollment worker,
"The knowledge and interpersonal skills that DMA
will continue to rely on you to accurately
allow individuals to understand, appreciate, and
collect the data for this initiative.
work with peoplefrom cultures (racial, ethnic and
linguisticgroups) other than their own.
Pete adds one finalnote:
"Your accuracy in collecting language and
Pete states that one ofhis key roles is to listen to
cultural data will be critical to successfully
our customers:
accomplishing ourgoals ofproviding more
culturally and linguistically competent care to our
"We know there are numerous barriers to care,
customers.
and we're learning more about our customers so
we can design interventions. Language and
MA Newsletter March 1996
RESULTS OF THE DMA WELL UNDERGO MAJOR
COMMONHEALTH SURVEY RENOVATIONS
DMA
Beginning in June 1996 will undergo major
renovations to its space at 600 Washington Street.
A
new lease will go into effect on July 1st which will
DMA
provide 77,000 square feet ofspace for
including the entire 5th floor, halfofthe 6th floor,
fyou are working with customers in the the first floor lobby office space, and some basement
"ommonHealth program, you willbe interested to storage space. Lynne Benoit, Director ofFacilities,
earn that Charles Cook, Director ofthe will be coordinating this project.
^ommonHealth Benefit Plan Unit has completed an
extensive customer satisfaction survey of All renovations which will begin in June and last
"ommonHealth enrollees. Charles describes the throughout the summer will entail demolition,
new
lurvey as: rebuilding offices, updating all cables for
telephones and computers, painting, and new
UA good example ofwhat the Division is trying to carpeting. We will be building new offices and
n
to toget in touch with customers. modular cubicles and will also reconfigure most of
the existing modular stations to better fit our needs.
-{ere are some ofthe actual excerpts from the In our new space plan there will be additional
DMA
jrvey responses: conference rooms available and a training
center which will have dedicated space for computer
training.
'The CommonHealth program gives me the
Freedom and flexibility to work despite my We will make every effort to complete the
. . .
significant disability." renovations with as little disruption to staffas
possible, although all employees will be affected
somewhat. Our plan is to have empty spaee
renovated and occupied first, thereby freeing up
DMA
"A great program for handicapped working existing space which can be used for staging
people like myself. Keep it going!" areas. We will develop a schedule for phasing in the
renovations such that each unit will need to be
displaced for only a short period oftime while their
We
current space is being renovated. will also
"I think you could let more people know this schedule as much ofthe work at night as possible to
program
exists." limit disruption.
The Facilities Unit is now in the process offinalizing
The most frequent recommendation for improving the space plan for central office working closely with
the programwas the suggestion to design a benefit Executive Staff Although the summer at 600
plan brochure. Therefore, plans to develop an Washington Street may be a little chaotic, the end
iformational brochure are underway. result should be a more spacious, pleasant, and
professional work environment for DMA.
DMA
Newsletter March 1996
IS Announces Plans for network will reduce the possibility of
New PC Network losing data and provide easier
a
restoration ofdata ifit is lost.
Ann Marie Trementozzi,
Director ofTechnical Infrastructure ••" Remote support: Support staff
can troubleshoot problems and
maintain the network from IS's central
Plans for a new PC network are
:::::x:::;:::X::::::y location.
underway for the Division of
Medical Assistance.
••* Windows based electronic mail A feature
This new network will take Central Office from our rich electronic mail system
current VAX/Pathworks environment to a more
We
sophisticated and powerful ALPHA/Wmdows NT look forward to working with you during this
environment. This new network will include project.
infrastructure hardware, operating system, and
application software. This will
DMA
provide with a network
capable ofsupporting your current
DMA Notes From
needs as well as position to
grow and take advantage ofnew Systems Support
technologies.
DMA
The Systems Support area has
We
will provide this same
been on-line since November. Our staff
technology to the MassHealth includesArmandMorin, Betsy Gahan,
Enrollment Centers which MaxDuchard, Stephanie Hammonds,
currently have no PC networking
TedPortis andFrankDiCostanzo.
capabilities.
When we have installed the new We
are a mix offolks with computer
DMA
network, you will have the systems and software background who
ability to electronically communicate among the four provide phone support to all ofDMA on computer
Enrollment Centers and Central Office.
hardware, software, communications and security-
related issues.
Some ofthe improvements you will see are:
••* Faster processing time: Any request you A major focus for us will be our support ofthe new
make will be completed faster, such as MA21 Project. Our new 800 number (800-379-
opening an application or a file. 9323) consolidates previous numbers and allows all
in-house and field staffa single reference point.
•* A
Faster printing: print request will be
completed faster.
By establishing this single 800 line, we are able to
•* assist you in the most efficient manner as well as
Better data security: More sophisticated
track and identify systematic patterns and problems.
password system to protect unauthorized
access to confidential data. Also, the new
8
