Author: Lynette Harris
Andy Slavitt and Secretary Cohen in a "fireside chat" during the Medicaid meeting.
Sept. 11, 2018 -- NC Medicaid employees, contractors and business partners met on Aug. 29 for an afternoon hosted by Secretary Mandy Cohen to receive updates on the move to Medicaid Managed Care in North Carolina.
With almost 700 people in attendance, the event capitalized on the opportunity to have virtually “all hands” in one room at the same time to discuss the most significant change to the Medicaid program in over 40 years – and how Medicaid affects the lives of millions of North Carolinians.
Deputy Secretary of NC Medicaid Dave Richard elaborated on the meaning of becoming "One Medicaid" and introduced Medicaid beneficiary Sheila Arias, who spoke of the profound impact Medicaid has had on her family.
"Medicaid has truly been a blessing for my family. I hope you will continue to improve this program so many more North Carolina families can say the same," she said.
A highlight of the event was the "fireside chat" between Secretary Cohen and special guest, Andy Slavitt, former administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Slavitt shared six practices that will benefit the NC Medicaid team during the process of transformation. He called them "ABC/PPP."
- Accountability – Ensuring everyone knows who is accountable for what, and that everyone takes responsibility at some level for the success of the project.
- Badgeless – Regardless of whether you’re an employee or contractor, everyone is on the same team.
- Constant Communication – Everyone talks about everything. If there's something you're worried about, talk about it. You have a format where bad news is accepted.
- Personal – Everyone needs to inherit this project and make it their own; take personal responsibility and realize it is up to you to make it successful.
- Patients/People – We must think of beneficiaries as individuals, and not as numbers and dates. Remember we are serving people in the work we do.
- Privilege – It is North Carolina's goal to create the best program in the country that will make a dramatic difference in people's lives. Being a part of that is a great privilege and something you will talk about for the rest of your career.
Remarks from Secretary Cohen, Deputy Secretary Dave Richard, Governor Roy Cooper and a panel of transformation leaders encouraged teamwork from everyone at NC Medicaid. They reminded the audience that transformation is the top priority as DHHS continues the work of moving to Medicaid Managed Care, while also supporting the fee-for-service business model.
DHHS employee Deb Goda said "it was a well-thought-out event that delivered the message that it will take all of us to make this journey successful. It validated that we will need assistance along the way and that our team is there to support us."
A compilation video of the event will be made available next month for DHHS employees who were unable to attend.