July, 2022 |  Vol. 8   No. 1

Deputy Director's Corner

Happy July everyone!

In addition to the new training opportunities I mentioned in my last email update, we have some other pretty fun ideas coming up.  We are going to add some additional presentations to the list on the intranet, to include our new PACE program and our new Show Me Healthy Kids specialty health plan.  As well, we’re going to begin inviting “MHD all” to provider education webinars – there’s so much to learn!  Ashley is also working with the various areas at MHD to get desk manuals and other resources into PDFs and on the all-employee drive so we all have access to these, as well.  Again, so much good information is there!

In addition to that, Josh and I have been talking with one of our vendors, CMT-Relias.  They have a great resource library and they are going to make training videos for our providers!  This is very exciting and of course you’ll be able to access them as well.  Ashley will be heading up that project.

Did you know we already have a lot of good information on our website?  If you go to the provider resource page and click on either FFS or MC, you can see a whole lot of resources, there, with a link to training information.  If you click on that, you’ll see that you can learn about our new Show Me Healthy Kids plan, and several other PPT presentations with great information.

Also, don’t forget that if you go to the MHD website, MMAC website, DMH website, and DSDS (senior and disability services) website, you can sign up for emails and alerts at each one.  You can also do the same at CMS.

Thank you all for what you do every day, as we enter into a brand new fiscal year of serving our participants and our providers, and please take care of one another, and yourselves.

“Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others.”  Proverbs 3:27

“Nothing ever happens in the world that does not happen first inside human hearts.”  Fulton Sheen

You make the world a better place by what you do every day!

Jessie

Data Governance Corner

Last month when we met the IBM Data Analysts and Analytic trainer, and it was mentioned how they are assisting in making meaningful, actionable information from the large amounts of data in the BIS-EDW. One way the Data Management Office (official name of the team) is doing this is through the creation of dashboards.

Dashboards are not reports with visuals, but rather tools that provide a centralized, interactive way to monitor, measure, and analyze data and key performance indicators. Dashboards allow for managing programs and policy in a holistic way that looks at the forest instead of the trees. From the dashboards already created, we are able to quickly pull information that is routinely requested, a case of fraud has been identified, provider enrollment numbers are easily monitored, and a 7-figure+ recoupment will be taking place due to incorrect billing that was identified through the dashboard.

Below is a list of active dashboards that are available for use (as long as you have been given access to the BIS-EDW). If you are interested in creating a dashboard for your unit or program, please reach out to your Data Steward or Zana Stephenson to get the process started.

Administration Dashboard

Adult Expansion Group (AEG) Dashboard

Finance Dashboard

Operations Dashboard

Pharmacy Dashboard

PACE Program

This picture is from the PACE KC groundbreaking June 9, 2022, at Swope Health’s new PACE KC site.  Swope Health as launched a capital campaign for the development of their new PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly).  The program provides comprehensive healthcare services, a team of professionals to provide guidance, door through door transportation, pharmacy services, and homecare services.

MO HealthNet is proud to partner with Swope Health as our second PACE provider (New Horizons in St. Louis is now up and running!). 

Asthma Affinity

MO HealthNet was selected along with 8 other states to participate in the asthma affinity group that specifically aims to drive measurable improvement on asthma control for Medicaid and CHIP members, as demonstrated through improved performance on the Asthma Medication Ratio (AMR) measures in the Core Sets, reduced asthma-related hospitalizations, or reduced asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits. This pilot started in 2020 and concluded in April 2022.

To establish foundational work, MO HealthNet partnered with Healthy Blue, two Primary Care Health Homes (PCHH); Central Ozarks Medical Center and Ferguson Medical Group, as well as the Department of Health and Senior Services, and the Asthma Affinity group to shift our focus to our asthma members and bringing attention to those who were high utilizers.

During this 2 year pilot within the Central Region of the State, our focus was primarily around Medicaid and CHIP members in managed care ages < 21. The goal of this pilot was to reduce asthma-related ED visits and inpatient stays by 15%,  increase Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICS) fills by 10%, and reduce Short Acting Beta Agonists (SABA) and oral steroid fills 10% by improving the coordination between the MCO’s and the PCHH’s in order to leverage better resources for our members. There were changes noted in the data, toward our goals, but this was also during the COVID pandemic and we are waiting to see if the data returns to the pre-COVID state or continue on the current path of improvement. MHD has been working with CMS, Mathematica as well as subject matter experts through the entire pilot series and was able to promote the referral program for home/environmental assessments as part of asthma education and in-home assessment benefit and leveraged our program to use claims data to identify patients with high utilization for partners.

This pilot has created a lot of success and positive changes in the collaboration between Healthy Blue and the two PCHH’s, as it has been reported to Jennifer Hunter, our Health Home Director. Missouri Team’s Next Steps focus around the members with history of asthma but whose primary health home diagnosis was not asthma had higher rates of exacerbation and more ED visits. We also plan to shift our focus to members with high ED utilization and asthma diagnosis regardless of primary health home diagnosis. Missouri’s asthma pilot was selected to be presented at the CDC 6|18 federal partners meeting to highlight the importance of asthma in Medicaid and CHIP members.  

July Diversity and Inclusion Calendar of Events

July 1:  Canada Day, or Fête du Canada, a Canadian federal holiday that celebrates the 1867 enactment of the Constitution Act, which established the three former British colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick as a united nation called Canada 

July 4:  Independence Day (also known as the Fourth of July), a US federal holiday that celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The original thirteen American colonies declared independence from Britain and established themselves as a new nation known as the United States of America. 

July 11:  St. Benedict Day, the feast day of St. Benedict celebrated by some Christian denominations 

July 11:  World Population Day, an observance established in 1989 by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Program. The annual event is designed to raise awareness of global population issues. 

July 13:  Asalha Puja, or Dharma Day, a celebration of Buddha’s first teachings  

July 14:  International Nonbinary People’s Day, aimed at raising awareness and organizing around the issues faced by nonbinary people around the world while celebrating their contributions 

July 14:  Bastille Day, a French federal holiday that commemorates the Storming of the Bastille, a fortress-prison in Paris that held political prisoners who had displeased the French nobility. The Storming of the Bastille, which took place on July 14, 1789, was regarded as a turning point of the French Revolution. Celebrations are held throughout France. 

July 18:  Nelson Mandela International Day, launched on July 18, 2009, in recognition of Nelson Mandela’s birthday via unanimous decision of the UN General Assembly. It was inspired by a call Mandela made a year earlier for the next generation to take on the burden of leadership in addressing the world’s social injustices in which he stated, “It is in your hands now.” It is more than a celebration of Mandela’s life and legacy; it is a global movement to honor his life’s work and to change the world for the better. 

July 24:  Pioneer Day, observed by Mormons to commemorate the arrival in 1847 of the first Latter-day Saints pioneer in Salt Lake Valley 

July 25:  St. James the Greater Day, feast day for St. James the Greater celebrated by some Christian denominations 

July 26:  Disability Independence Day, celebrating the anniversary of the 1990 signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act 

July 29–30:  Hijri New Year, the day that marks the beginning of the new Islamic calendar year   

July 30:  International Day of Friendship, proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures, and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities  

Staff News

Moving on up...

Congratulations go out to the following MHD members:

• Fatimah Jennings was promoted to a Program Coordinator in the Clinical Program Policy unit.  Fatimah will oversee the hospital, transplant, lab, radiology, and telemedicine programs as well as the Telemonitoring and Pageminder contracts. 
• Brittany Goetz was promoted to a Information Systems Funding Coordinator in MMIS.

Wecome To The Team...

Angela Nokes joined the Program Operations team as a Benefit Program Senior Specialist.   She comes to us from the Family Support Division where she worked in Child Support and the CRU.   She also has her Associates Degree in Human Services. Angela and her husband live in Jefferson City with two of their daughters, and dogs Daisy and Bailey. Angela loves watching her daughter play volley ball.  A little known fact about her is that she has 2 daughters ages 26 and 12 and 6 step children.    She and her family are looking forward to a summer vacation to Destin, Florida,

Kim Standiford joined MHD as a Benefit Program Specialist in the TPL Unit.   She formerly worked at Wipro Infocrossng.   She also has her Associates Applied Science Degree. Kim's hometown is Temecula, CA,  and currently resides in California, Mo with her two children and two dogs. Kim enjoys helping family and friends with stuff and hanging out.   She is also a quick learner and a multitasker.

Megan Jackson joined MHD as a Benefit Program Specialist in the TPL Unit.   Megan comes to us from MMAC. Megan's hometown in Fulton but she currently lives in Jefferson City with her husband, two kids Daven (14) and Braylynn (10).  Let's not forget the two dogs Smokey and Bandit. Megan enjoys gardening and video games.  She also has a wedding anniversary coming up on July 14.

We have had so many changes and new faces at MHD the past couple years that we decided to bring back our "Employee Spotlight - Who's Who at MHD" section.     We will feature one or two employees each month as a way to get to know them and what they do.    If you haven't completed the questionnaire yet, just complete it and return it to Gail Luecke.

Meet Garret Bialczyk, who is the Information Services Funding Manager with our Information Services Unit. Whenever anyone asks, he like to say "I professionally beg for money for a living… In all reality, we are responsible for maximizing our state dollars to our best ability and I play a part in doing this by requesting enhanced federal funding for our big system implementations. With this, we are able to implement these new systems with as little as 10% state dollars and operate them with as little as 25% state dollars. We also help along the way with the procurement, certification, performance reporting and contract monitoring that comes along with these systems."  Garret says "I am generally pretty introverted and like to keep to myself; my inner circle is relatively small. I like to observe, listen, read the room, and digest the information before I throw anything out there for discussion. Outside of MHD, I am member of the Maries County R-2 School Board (going on 6 years) and serve as a Deacon at our church (going on 5 years). I enjoy watching Kansas City and Mizzou football and reading books when I can find the time." Garret started with the State as an eligibility specialist in FSD in June 2013 and made it to MHD in August 2013, starting in the Institutional Reimbursement Unit working with hospitals. He spent a short stint with DFAS in 2018-2019, but have been with MHD the majority of his professional career. He says his favorite thing about working for MHD is that he gets the opportunity to impact a million lives of those most vulnerable in Missouri and help them be able to sustain themselves in the long term. This is a chance for him to make an impact on a life that he will likely never see, but knowing that we play a small part in helping someone through some of their most difficult times is very rewarding. “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me.” – Matthew 25:40 Garret shared the following additional information with us. What has your experience been with MHD’s culture? MHD feels like a family where everyone genuinely cares about you (both at work and at home). Not all environments foster these kinds of relationships, but MHD does this particularly well. What is your team like? I am a small part of the bigger Information Systems Unit that has grown to about 30 strong. It takes many people to keep our systems up, implement new programs, and make the things happen that we often take for granted (until they are broken). We learn to celebrate all of our V’s (victories), no matter how small or large. What are some things you’ve noticed about our leadership team? Our current leadership team feels more connected to what is going on and the needs of the Division and its employees than others in my experience with the State so far. What parts of our mission do you connect with? I particularly connect with the most vulnerable and financially sustainable parts of our mission. There are a lot of hurting people that need our help and this is a great way to be able to help them out in their time of struggle. As a number-oriented person, I can really appreciate that we can do so much with every dollar we get. What has been your biggest accomplishment on our team? My biggest accomplishment would be the continual career progression within the State. There always seems to be an opportunity to do or learn more. Who are some of your biggest inspirations within MHD? Without a doubt, Todd has been a big inspiration in my time at MHD… and I don’t even interact with him on a regular basis. He came in as somewhat of an “outsider” to Medicaid and has taken the time to build a team around him that shares his vision and is able to leverage relationships built over his career to get the things done that need to be done. What kinds of resources have you taken advantage of while on our team? I have been able to move into roles that I had little experience in, but was able to gain role understanding and grow professionally through use of the LinkedIn training that has been made available through the State. Which benefits are your favorite and why? One benefit that has had the most impact on me is the Shareleave Program that the Department offers. There was a time when our son was very ill and we ended up spending about two weeks in the hospital trying to figure out what was going on and establishing a treatment plan. For a young family that is only three years into their careers and expecting a second child, this program was a lifesaver. We were able to spend all of the time necessary at the hospital and not having to worry about making ends meet, because if we were to exhaust all of our accrued leave there was a pool of leave that had been donated by other DSS employees that we could tap into so we could continue to receive a paycheck. What a relief! How have you grown professionally while at MHD? During my time at MHD, I have been afforded opportunities to take lead on things and have discussions with individuals at several levels of government and outside vendors/organizations. These skills have made it possible to pursue other passions that I otherwise would not have thought twice about pursuing, particularly running for the school board and contributing there. I have been afforded a chance to be doing something I thoroughly enjoy and never even thought would be on my radar.

Don't forget to check out the new training tab has been added to our intranet page.  Additional training has been added.   Check it out at the below training link:

• BIS-EDW Cognos Training Schedule & Enrollment  (Webex)
• MHD 101 Sessions

MHD  Connection News

Welcome to July and Happy Independence Day!!   

Following are some upcoming events for July:

July 12 - Bagel & Donut Day

MHD Connection team members include:  Lori Parrish (chairman), Christina Jenks (treasurer), Christie Masterson (secretary), Jeff Terry, Brittany Goetz, Melissa Massman, William Morgan, Heather Voegeli, Lauren Slover,  Pam Burris, Stephanie Hunt and Stacie Gibson.   Please share your ideas/suggestions on things you might have regarding events, staff forum topics, etc.

The summer picnic last month was a great success.  We hope everyone had a great time.   I know it was fun dunking the  "top brass" at MHD.   Here a are a few pictures for you to enjoy.

What's Cooking at MHD?

Do you have a family recipe you'd like to share that we can post on the Recipe Corner on the intranet page or in the newsletter, etc.?  If would like to submit an item just send an email to Gail.  Keep those recipes coming and enjoy these delicious treats!!  Here are a couple of those recipes featured on The Recipe Corner.  

MHD Calendar & Area Events

Visit our Calendar of Events page for WEBEX Meeting Info

• July 4  Happy Independence Day - Stat Holiday Observed
• July 12 Bagel & Donut Day

Hey! Stay outta my can, will ya?!!! The Howerton Building offers multiple recycling options: Paper — Large green Dumpster bins throughout the building for non-confidential paper; gray bins with slotted lids for confidential paper. Cans and Bottles — Containers in all galleys, including Center Court, for plastic bottles and aluminum and “tin” (soup) cans. Cardboard — Rolling bins just inside the dock area on the first floor for cardboard. Plastic Bags — A box in Center Court for clean plastic bags. Questions: Feel free to contact John Mier at 751-7079 or John.R.Mier@dss.mo.gov “Trash cans are for icky stuff — which I love!” — Oscar

REMINDERS CONFERENCE ROOMS:  Please remove meetings from the conference room calendars if you know that staff will be attending your meeting remotely and you will not need the conference room.   Please refrain from reserving conference rooms for 2 or 3 people if there is an office available. KEEP YOUR OUTLOOK CALENDARS UPDATED PLEASE!   This includes scheduled days off, meetings, trainings, etc.  By doing this it will help immensely to ensure meetings are scheduled within your work hours and help staff working deadlines to be able to plan around planned absences or if they need to reach you.  Thank you.