The President’s Award for Excellence acknowledges four exemplary employees from our network of companies. We asked managers company-wide to nominate one employee for their work in 2017. From this impressive field of candidates the Executive Team must select just a few. We are pleased to announce that out of 500 administrative employees who provide services to 27,000 caregivers and 20,000 clients, the following employees have been chosen for this award:
Evelyn Ortiz: CDCN-AZ Regional Coordinator
Evelyn is respected by her peers and superiors alike because is passionate and knowledgeable about the services we provide. She consistently inspires her team. She is the type of leader who motivates each person on her team individually, and promotes honest and sincere communication amongst the staff. Evelyn works diligently behind the scenes to ensure that our members are getting the care they deserve. Case Managers at health plans across Arizona specifically ask to work with her on new referrals because she is dependable and communicative. CDCN-Arizona’s achievements would not be possible without her.
April Cobb: CDCN-TX Lead Program Coordinator / AR Coordinator
For a few years April was the “Lone Ranger” up in Lubbock, in the Texas Panhandle. She was responsible for community outreach, client enrollments, and completing background checks. Her outreach efforts have resulted in over 35 enrollments in her area in the past two years. In the last year, April has also taken on recouping/resolving outstanding AR. April has shown exceptional determination in resolving issues, which has led to the successful rebilling of $636,616.70. It isn’t all about the money; April receives positive feedback from both external sources and coworkers, as she is kind, compassionate, and customer focused. April truly epitomizes our Mission, Vision, and Values, and she makes a difference in the lives of people every day!
Janessa Hendon: CDCN-MT Clinical Supervisor
Janessa is willing to get in the trenches with her team and stay there until her team is successful. She has worked to improve relationships with our field nurses by advocating for higher wages and better benefits. With the recent Medicaid cuts, she is working closely with members who she herself has cared for, and has been instrumental in ensuring a smooth transition of these members to other providers when necessary. She does not hesitate to have hard face to face meetings with members when they choose to discharge services, when others may opt to send letters. One of Janessa’s largest successes in 2017 was her impactful public advocacy at the 2017 Legislative Session, the 2017 Special Session, and at all of the Children, Families, Health, and Human Services Committee meetings.
Gary Jahrig: CDMS Sr. Billing Team Lead
Gary is the Team Lead for the CDCN-TX Billing Team. He has lead efforts on the Claims side to coordinate with the Program Office, manage payer relationships and help create effective processes across everything related to Billing. Following a rocky STAR kids transition in November 2016, our denial rate in some areas of TX was as high as 20% starting 2017. Overall denial rates for Q1 of 2017 were 10%+ across the board, and during 2017, Gary worked collaboratively across Consumer Direct to clean up the process and reduce that number dramatically. We finished 2017 under 2%! At the end of 2017 Gary helped initiate a series of appeals on money owed to Consumer Direct from the STAR kids transition, which was nearly $200K.
The picture features award winners with the Consumer Direct Care Network Executive Team (left to right): Gary Jahrig, Evelyn Ortiz, Daryl Holzer, April Cobb, Mickey Ogg, Katie Trotter, Jeff Harriot, Janessa Hendon, Ben Bledsoe, and Beth Peterson