Posts Tagged ‘MHS’

An innovative in-person education network is now live for those Indiana families who are members of Managed Health Services (MHS).

The MHS Family Education Network (FEN) is a partnership between MHS and the Indiana Minority Health Coalition (IMHC) and the organization’s 25 local minority health coalitions serving 29 counties across the State of Indiana. The FEN is now available in the following five Indiana counties: Marion, Lake, Elkhart, Vanderburgh and St. Joseph. The FEN will continue to grow, and additional counties will be added as the program develops.

The FEN works to provide specialized education to Hoosier Healthwise and Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) members on a variety of topics, such as the scope of health plan benefits, how to access care, as well as an overview of MHS programs and members’ rights and responsibilities.

Comprising the Network are staff designated by IMHC and trained to develop in-depth knowledge of the Hoosier Healthwise program and Healthy Indiana Plan, including but not limited to overall program benefits, choosing a PMP and the importance of preventative services and building a medical home. The Network team works with individual members and groups to help clarify how plans work, how to take full advantage of plan benefits and how members can meet the plan’s financial, healthy behavior and personal responsibility requirements.

MHS will first direct its members to the IMHC corporate offices in Indianapolis, who will then assign each member to the appropriate IMHC local office to schedule and conduct the education and assistance sessions.

Managed Health Services (MHS) is partnering with the Indiana Minority Health Coalition (IMHC) to develop an innovative in-person education network for those Indiana families who are MHS members.

The MHS Family Education Network (FEN) is being created through the IMHC and the organization’s 25 local minority health coalitions serving 29 counties across the State of Indiana. The Network will work to provide specialized education to Hoosier Healthwise and Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) members on a variety of topics, such as the scope of health plan benefits, how to access care, as well as an overview of MHS programs and members’ rights and responsibilities.

“MHS is excited to announce the innovative platform of our Family Education Network,” said MHS CEO Patrick Rooney. “In this partnership with IMHC, we will continue to expand Hoosier Healthwise and Healthy Indiana Plan awareness and education in our ongoing efforts to better serve our MHS members.”

IMHC will designate staff to comprise the Network. These individuals will be trained to develop in-depth knowledge of the Hoosier Healthwise program and Healthy Indiana Plan, including but not limited to overall program benefits, choosing a PMP and the importance of preventative services and building a medical home. The Network team will work with individual members and groups to help clarify how plans work, how to take full advantage of plan benefits and how members can meet the plan’s financial, healthy behavior and personal responsibility requirements.

“IMHC is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for minorities through education, advocacy and quality healthcare services,” said IMHC Vice President/COO Carl Ellison. “We are certainly looking forward to this partnership with MHS to offer a new way for families throughout Indiana to learn more about the high-quality healthcare plans and benefits available to them.”

MHS will first direct its members to the IMHC corporate offices in Indianapolis, who will then assign each member to the appropriate IMHC local office to schedule and conduct the education and assistance sessions.

For more, visit MHS online at mhsindiana.com.

Managed Health Services (MHS), an Indiana-based health maintenance organization serving Hoosier Healthwise and the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP), is pleased to announce that Eric A. Yancy, M.D., has joined the company as its chief medical officer. 

In this part-time role, Dr. Yancy assists MHS on multiple fronts, including working with network providers and various MHS committees, assisting with clinical care standards and medical practice policies, and promoting positive MHS relations with the local medical community. 

A self-employed pediatrician for more than 30 years, Dr. Yancy will maintain his practice. Dr. Yancy received his Bachelor of Science from Southern University at Baton Rouge in Louisiana and his Doctor of Medicine from Creighton University Medical School. He is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. 

Originally from Baton Rouge, La., Dr. Yancy currently lives in Indianapolis with his wife, Pamela. They enjoy spending time with their three children, Shawn, Erikka and Damion. Dr. Yancy has multiple church affiliations and enjoys acting and vocal music recording, having released a CD in 2009.

For more on Managed Health Services, visit mhsindiana.com.

Indiana families enrolled in the state’s Hoosier Healthwise and Healthy Indiana Plan healthcare plans through Managed Health Services (MHS) can now consult an independent advisor to help them navigate through their family’s healthcare needs at no charge.

Mental Health America of Indiana (MHAI) now acts as a third-party client advocate – or ombudsman – for MHS plan members. In this role, MHAI will provide information, guidance and support for MHS plan members and help them resolve any concerns they may have with MHS, its services or network of primary care providers or the Medicaid system in general.

“Our goal with this new ombudsman program is to provide our members with free and easy access to a trusted, non-profit organization that will assist them with all their needs,” said MHS CEO Patrick Rooney.

“MHAI will help MHS members complete forms, help with health system navigation or any other assistance that they may need,” said Stephen C. McCaffrey, president and CEO of Mental Health America of Indiana. “MHAI will also investigate any complaints that may arise as an independent party for positive resolution. We look forward to beginning our partnership with MHS and its members.”

This program is a free service MHS plan members throughout Indiana may utilize. MHS members are not required to consult an ombudsman. MHS members who’d like to speak to an ombudsman regarding their family healthcare needs through the plan should call (877) 647-5326. Members can also call MHS Member Services directly to discuss any needs at (877) 647-4848.

Managed Health Services (MHS), an Indiana-based health maintenance organization serving Hoosier Healthwise and the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP), has achieved national Health Plan Accreditation with a Commendable status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The NCQA Health Plan Accreditation is a nationally-recognized evaluation that purchasers, regulators and consumers can use to assess health plans.

NCQA Accreditation evaluates how well a health plan manages all parts of its delivery system — physicians, hospitals, other providers and administrative services — in order to continuously improve the quality of care and services provided to its members.

NCQA Accreditation surveys include rigorous onsite and offsite evaluations conducted by a team of physicians and health plan experts. A national oversight committee of physicians analyzes the team’s findings and assigns an accreditation level based on the performance level of each plan being evaluated to NCQA’s standards. MHS was awarded a status of Commendable.

“Achieving an accreditation status of Commendable from NCQA is a sign that a health plan is serious about quality,” said Margaret E. O’Kane, president of NCQA. “It is awarded to plans whose service and clinical quality meet or exceed NCQA’s rigorous requirements for consumer protection and quality improvement.”

“NCQA Health Plan Accreditation evaluates the quality of healthcare that health plans provide to their members,” said MHS CEO Patrick Rooney. “We are very proud to have received a Commendable status, as we continuously make it a priority to offer our members the highest quality healthcare programs and services.”

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality by providing information through the web and the media in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.

The Indiana Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA) has named Managed Health Services (MHS) its 2010 “Corporate Partner of the Year.”

The award recognizes an IPHCA Corporate Partner that has demonstrated a strong commitment to IPHCA’s mission and vision in the following ways: participating in collaborative efforts to help high-risk populations in Indiana; fostering advocacy on behalf of access to primary care for high-risk populations in Indiana; or by providing significant resources for the work of IPHCA or an IPHCA member Community Health Center.

MHS works in partnership with community health centers on innovative outreach programs across the state to increase access to primary care for Indiana families enrolled in the state’s Hoosier Healthwise and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and, beginning in January 2011, the Healthy Indiana Plan. For example, MHS brings patients and doctors together through the “Health Check Health Day” program, designed to encourage and support the “medical home” and foster the primary care-patient relationship.

“We are pleased to announce MHS as our 2010 Corporate Partner of the Year”, said Phil Morphew, CEO of IPHCA. “MHS has proven itself to be a true partner to community health centers throughout Indiana, and we are looking forward to continuing and building on our long relationship of serving the health care needs of Hoosiers.”

“It’s truly an honor to win this award, especially because it highlights the strong partnership MHS enjoys with the community-based health centers IPHCA represents,” said MHS CEO Patrick Rooney. “It’s this partnership that empowers our members to positively impact their health. It also allows MHS to reach out to the community at large through health fairs, health education events, local community health center sponsorships and other important community initiatives.”

Managed Health Services is the title sponsor of a communitywide back-to-school event Saturday during which children can obtain free school supplies and parents can undergo free health screenings. The Mid-North Back to School Rally starts at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Martin Luther King Center, located at 40 W. 40th St. in Indianapolis. The event concludes at 2 p.m.

Free glucose and cholesterol screenings for adults will be conducted by the Marion County Health Department and Martin Center. Healthcare professionals will provide dental education, general health information for families and answers to attendees’ health-related questions. Food will be available and entertainment for children, including a bounce house, will be provided.

The Mid-North Back to School Rally is also sponsored by the Marion County Health Department, the Radisson, United Way of Central Indiana and the Indianapolis Tornados.

An Evansville pediatrics physician has received a national award for providing quality care and clinical excellence to Hoosier children and adults enrolled in Managed Health Services’ statewide health plan.

Dr. W. Michael Crecelius has received a 2010 Summit Award for Excellence in Care from MHS and parent company Centene Corp. The award honors Crecelius, a board-certified pediatrician with Deaconess Clinic in downtown Evansville, for demonstrating exemplary performance when following up with examinations and consultations after patients’ emergency room visits, providing routine preventive and well-care services for children and adults and establishing a medical home for new enrollees in the MHS statewide healthcare plan.

Crecelius graduated Indiana University’s School of Medicine and completed his pediatric internship and residency at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. He is a fellow with the American Academy of Pediatrics and  member of both the Indiana State Medical Association and the Vanderburgh County Medical Society.

Crecelius is one of three Indiana physicians to receive the award. Sixteen awards were presented this year throughout the nation by Centene Corp.

Indianapolis pediatrics physician Dr. Sharon Gilliland has received a national 2010 Summit Award for Excellence in Care from Managed Health Services and parent company Centene Corp. for providing quality care and clinical excellence to Hoosier children and adults enrolled in MHS’s statewide health plan. Only 16 awards are given throughout the nation each year.

The award honors Gilliland, a board-certified pediatrician who runs Rainbow Pediatrics in Indianapolis, for demonstrating exemplary performance when following up with examinations and consultations after patients’ emergency room visits, providing routine preventive and well-care services for children and adults and establishing a medical home for new enrollees in the MHS healthcare plan.

“MHS is proud to recognize Dr. Gilliland for the outstanding service and quality of care she provides to Managed Health Services members in the greater Indianapolis community,” said Dr. Robert Baker, vice president of medical affairs at MHS. “Our primary focus is on delivering the best possible care to our members and we could not do that without strong relationships with our plan’s physicians. The Summit Award for Excellence is one way we thank Dr. Gilliland for her ongoing dedication to helping children live healthy lives.”

Gilliland opened Rainbow Pediatrics in 1996 and also maintains a solo practice supported by call partners. After earning an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University, she graduated Indiana University’s School of Medicine and completed her pediatric residency at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. From 1989 to 1996, Gilliland provided community pediatric care at HealthNet in Indianapolis before opening Rainbow Pediatrics. Rainbow Pediatrics is located at 5711 N. Michigan Road in Indianapolis. The center is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, 1-7 p.m. Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays.

Indiana Black Expo’s 40th annual Family Reunion is this weekend, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at Washington Park, located at 3030 E. 30th St. in Indianapolis.

The two-day event will offer activities for families, children and the entire community. Live entertainment, food booths and children’s activities, including bounce houses, face painting, sumo wrestling and obstacle courses, are sure to draw big crowds as will an Old School Car and Motorcycle Show and the annual five-on-five Dust Bowl basketball tournament.

KidsBMV, an identification program for children that generates a photo ID and includes a child’s address, date of birth, phone number, eye and hair color and height and weight and details about any medical conditions a child might have for parents, teachers and caregivers, will also be at Family Reunion on Saturday.

Managed Health Services is the title sponsor of Family Reunion and will staff a health fair booth from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, offering free blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose screenings, one-on-one personal health counseling and advice and health-related literature and giveaways.