Railroad Medicare Brochure (PDF,2654KB) - Palmetto GBA

Take a look at where we’ve been,and where we’re goingLetter from Robin Spires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Letter from Gina Jenkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Company Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Innovations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Outreach & Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Lighting the Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14(Team, Process Improvement and Associate of the Year)Where We are Headed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19In July of 2009, I assumed responsibility for theRailroad Medicare contract and the oversight ofour Medicare operations in Augusta, Georgia.Although on occasion I had worked with membersof management from the Railroad Medicare office,I readily admit to having very little insight into theactivities performed or the staff competencies in thisoperation.Over the past 8 months, I have marveled at the talentand level of commitment demonstrated by thisworkforce. The atmosphere is always welcoming, thestaff upbeat, and the energy level invigorating. As Ipass through the halls and work units, I see enthusiasmin the faces and hear problem solving in thediscussions. On any given day, numerous initiativesare underway that target cost efficiency, improvedperformance and customer focus. Stationed in ourColumbia, S.C. corporate office, I find myself lookingforward to my frequent trips to Augusta. Withover 30 years of leadership experience in healthcareand contract administration, I have had a multitudeof assignments with numerous groups of people invarying locations and activities. I cannot recall anassignment with an operation or a workforce morecreative or motivated. I am in awe of this group andtheir achievements and genuinely appreciate the opportunityto be a part of this team.Our collective goal in sharing this summary is to relaythe 2009 accomplishments that further strengthenthe Railroad Medicare contract operation and ultimatelybenefit the Medicare beneficiary. My personalgoal is also to acknowledge the amazing group ofpeople that work for you.Robin SpiresVice President of Medicare Part BOperations and TrainingIt was during one of my trips that I realized weshould share the accomplishments of this groupwith you, as you are the reason we are here. Thedocument you are about to review is our attempt tocapture 12 months of effort, devotion and our resultingsuccess stories. The progress achieved in just oneyear is truly impressive and worthy of recognition.1

Augusta Operation first opened its doorsin 1976, working with Railroad Medicare.Since that time the Railroad Medicare contracthas been serviced by smart, dedicated people,driven by a passion to succeed. It is that passion thathas made the Augusta Operation successful, allowingus to exceed the expectations we set year after year.For over 34 years, the Augusta Operation has beencommitted to serving Railroad Medicare beneficiariesand their associated providers with the quality anddiligence they deserve.In September 2000, Palmetto GBA was selected bythe Railroad Retirement Board to carry on the traditionof excellence set by the Augusta Operation. Thisyear, Palmetto GBA will be celebrating its 10th year ofservice to Railroad Medicare beneficiaries. PalmettoGBA’s service over the last decade has been filled withoutstanding performance, creating an exceptionaltrack record – it is on this foundation that we will continueto strengthen customer confidence and loyalty.The Augusta Operation has demonstrated its commitmentto quality and innovations over the last 34 yearsand the past year has been no exception. In 2009,numerous innovations and process improvementsstrengthened the quality of our service and led togreater efficiencies and cost savings. We are highlightingthe accomplishments of the Augusta Operationin 2009 and offering a glimpse into where we areheaded. As we travel through 2010, we look forwardto continuing our tradition of excellence by searchingfor new and more efficient means to improve the waywe conduct business. We look forward to furtheringour partnership with the Railroad Retirement Boardand continuing to serve Railroad Beneficiaries andtheir Medicare providers.Gina JenkinsSenior Director, Augusta OperationsRRB Project ManagerCompany OverviewPalmetto GBA provides contact center, technical and administrativeservices to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services(CMS) and the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), serving Medicarebeneficiaries and Medicare providers. As the largest and mostdiverse Medicare contractor in the nation, Palmetto GBA is areliable, long-term and innovative business partner.The Palmetto GBA Augusta Operation, located in Augusta,Georgia, is the national Railroad Medicare Part B carrier.We are contracted by the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB),an independent federal agency, which administers medicarecoverage and benefit payments for railroad workers under theSocial Security Act.In 2009, the Augusta Operation processed 10,717, 793 Medicareclaims and paid more than $907,326,500 in benefits for RRBMedicare. Currently serving over 600,000 Railroad Medicarebeneficiaries in all 50 states, Palmetto GBA continues to developinnovative solutions for the business and customer serviceaspects of the Railroad Medicare program.Palmetto GBA’s tenure administering Medicare benefits for theRRB has earned us a reputation for excellence. We are committedto continually challenging our processes and systems and strivingto identify operational improvements that will increase customersatisfaction, product and service performance and efficiency.23

Along the way,we have brought aboutgreat innovationsIn 2009, our associates generated 62 process improvementideas and innovations. These innovations automatedprocesses, increased quality and efficiency of our operations,and improved our customer service. Collectively,these improvements generated significant cost savings inthe form of reduced labor hours, supply costs, workloadprocessing time, and potential cost of errors, penalties andprogram costs. These innovations resulted in a savings ofapproximately $314,000. Some highlights of the keyinnovations implemented in 2009:Interactive Voice Response (IVR)The Customer Service Center implemented an enhancementto the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system thatreduced talk time and the number of calls handled byour CSRs. NPI and PTAN verification is now an automatedprocess through the IVR. The incoming call process was alsoenhanced to auto-populate the NPI/PTAN for the CSR whenthe call comes in from the IVR, providing more efficientservice to the providers and reducing the talk time for handlingcalls. This enhancement saves over $25,000 annually.Undeliverable Mail Processing System (UMPS)Our Operations area developed an automated mailprocessing system for undeliverable mail. This applicationscans, indexes, and archives all undeliverable mail returnedfrom the US Postal Service. The system also suppresses mailto ensure no additional mail is sent to the same incorrectaddress. By automating a formerly manual process, we areable to realize lower RRB contract administrative cost byensuring compliance with USPS postal requirements forbulk mail discounts.InnovationsTIMBA Grouping ApplicationThe Claims Operations and Provider Enrollment areascollaborated on a process to reduce the volumeof claims resulting from the NPI implementation.A grouping application was created to allow us togroup multiple claims having the same providerinformation and take like actions on the group ofclaims rather than having to process each claimindividually. The application also provides anautomated letter generating process for specificclaims processing guidelines, reducing the timeand cost of the prior manual process. Overall, thisinnovation enabled us to realize a reduction of theoverall staffing due to the reduction in manualprocessing required, an efficiency gain of 280%, anda cost savings of nearly $46,000 annually.Elimination of Cancelled ChecksDue to advances in technology and the eliminationof true cancelled checks after the passage of theCheck 21 legislation, high bank and storage feesto process, ship, and maintain hard copy imagereplacement documents are now unnecessary. Wereceived CMS approval to discontinue receivingcancelled checks allowing us significant savings onpaper storage costs and also to negotiate a lowerbank fee. Total annual savings for this processimprovement for 2009 is $79,187.72, and insubsequent years will be $89,046.76.Bank Clearing Scrub FileWe implemented a change to the incoming bankdata we receive to incorporate a file containingpurged and/or corrected bank errors. This improvementreduced time previously spent manuallyreconciling bank errors and preparing monthlyreconciliations as well as keying corrections to ourfinancial system. This innovation totals an annualsavings of $14,380.33.1099 B-NoticesEach year the IRS sends a mismatch file for allproviders we paid who are using a different tax idnumber or name. We are required to solicit updatedinformation from the providers and withhold 28%of their payments if they fail to respond. Due tothe unique nature of how the RRB provider file ispopulated with data from other Medicarecontractors, we developed additional steps to ourcurrent processes to ensure that we have the properinformation to match the IRS records. The Financeand RRB Provider Enrollment areas work togetherto update records and utilize additional IRS tools formatching. The work for these records have resultedin a significant reduction from the 2007 to 2008 taxyear, leaving only .07% of the total 1099 populationthat we mail. This process improvement result is apotential savings of $104,950 in potential penaltiesthe IRS could access.4 5

Innovations ContinuedPalmetto GBA has implemented key innovations which reduce cost and improvethe service we provide to Railroad Medicare customers. In 2009, Palmetto GBAdeployed several other innovations improving quality, efficiency and customerservice. Highlights for some of those innovations include:Remote Deposit ScanningA new bank service is utilized for incoming checks. Thisnew process allows us to scan checks and send a dailyelectronic file to the bank, replacing the former manualprocess of preparing a deposit along with a deposit ticketand sending checks overnight to the bank. Quantifiablesavings in time and overnight shipping costs were realizedwith an annual savings totaling $4,201.10. In addition tocost reduction, we realized an efficiency gain – the depositis now posted to the account the same day checks arereceived, which exceeds the 24 hour CMS requirementand allows deposits to be used earlier to reduce theamount of the letter of credit draws each day.Banking and 1099 ReportingThirteen smaller improvements were made to the variousbanking and 1099 reporting functions in the Financearea throughout the year ranging from automation ofreporting and balancing to streamlining area functions.These thirteen improvements resulted in a combinedsavings of $29,966.49 in salary dollars for the year.6ttttttA new Beneficiary Authorization Form, the B35, writtenin Spanish was crafted by the Operations area. This newform provides better service to our Spanish-speakingbeneficiaries and eliminates the need for thesebeneficiaries to call the service center for translationof the form.A reporting efficiency generated by the Medical Reviewarea automated the Progressive Corrective Action (PCA)reporting process, resulting in a time savings of over 93%while increasing the accuracy of reporting to CMS.A service innovation was implemented in the Enrollmentdepartment to reduce the number of provider callbacksrelated to data verification. This innovation allowsprovider call resolution at the time of call and eliminatesthe need for call backs, reducing incoming calls.The Enrollment department also deployed an InternetbasedProvider Enrollment form to capture the neededinformation from providers. This new form reduced thenumber of incoming calls needed to simply enroll inthe program.The Document Control area rolled out a streamlinedletter generating process which resulted in eliminationof the potential for backlog for letter printing.The Training team deployed a new training courserelated to claim data entry and Optical CharacterRecognition (OCR) resulting in an increase of Qualityscores from 95% to almost 99%.7

Outreach &EducationListserv SubscriptionThe Railroad Medicare listserv brings information toWeb site ActivitiesThe Railroad Medicare provider community is unique because of the national scope of the contract.Palmetto GBA Railroad Medicare’s Provider51,884 subscribers. This free service sends e-mail up-Palmetto GBA uses the Web site as the primary communication source for information and education for theOutreach & Education (POE) program isdates to registered subscribers to share time-sensitiveprovider community. We actively solicit internal feedback through various workgroup and interdepartmentaldistinguished by its breadth and depth, whichinformation, changes in guidelines and processes, andmeetings, and external feedback through the ForeSee survey, outreach activities and Provider Contact Centerare largely dependent on our demonstratedinformation on documentation and claim submission.(PCC) interactions. The data is used to make Web site improvements and enhancements.ability to develop and maintain effective partnershipswith medical and professional associationsSelf Service ToolsWe have made significant enhancements to our Web site to focus on clear, comprehensive and accessibleas well as provider associations and other groups.In FY 2009, we implemented a new and improvedcontent.Through these partnerships, we are able toprovide timely, tailored education from a clinical,specialty, and broad perspective in a variety ofvenues while minimizing cost to the program. Wewill continue to devote a considerable amount ofeffort to maintaining existing partnerships anddeveloping new ones.Palmetto GBA Railroad Medicare recognizesthe need for POE to communicate directly andimmediately with providers and partnerorganizations about problems, perceivedproblems, and solutions. One such opportunitywas the SC EMS Symposium held this year inMyrtle Beach, South Carolina.SC EMS SymposiumIn April 2009, we participated in a joint venturebetween the RRB and the SC Part B Medicareoperation by operating a booth at the SC EMSSymposium. Attendees at the Symposiumincluded software billing agencies, EMS providersand other Medicare providers. The Symposiumincluded over 300 participants and afforded usthe opportunity to interact directly with ourcustomers by helping providers with generalMedicare billing, coverage and specific EMSbilling questions.interactive voice response system. This new systemprovided additional options that were previously notavailable with our prior system, enabling providers toobtain Medicare information without having to waitfor a customer service representative. The IVR was alsoupgraded to implement a new automated voice. Thechange was made to utilize a more friendly and easyto understand voice for the IVR.We put significant effort into Web site developmentwhile maintaining current outreach mechanisms suchas the ListServ. We enhanced a number of self-servicetools for providers, notably the Interactive ProviderForms, Global Surgery Denial Tool and MSP Lookuponline tools. Although we have not fully realized thepotential reduction in provider inquiries and claimdenials related to these tools, we have receivedpositive feedback from the provider community.Based on this feedback, we will continue to exploreideas for additional tools in FY2010.tttWe worked with internal departments to updateexisting content and to create new content. Thisapproach has enabled us to target specific issuesor problems identified by claims processing andcustomer service staff. In turn, this approachresulted not only in clear guidance to the providercommunity but has also been of great benefit toour internal operations by ensuring our staff is keptup to date on the communications we provideto providers. This collaboration has led to greaterconsistency for our provider education, claimsprocessing and telephone customer service areas.Ultimately, we are continually improving the servicewe provide to our customers.Large categories of content (e.g., FAQs) are nowdisplayed as categories that can be expanded toshow details. As a result, Web site users can morerapidly navigate through various topics to quicklylocate the information they need.We created quick links to CMS guidelines and otherimportant resources for each specialty and topic.These links appear at the top of various Web pagesand allow quick access to CMS-level guidance forthe more savvy users. Some Web page “headers”were also shortened to allow the content to bettttdisplayed at a glance, instead of when the userscrolls down. Additional header information wasadded to several Web pages.The search engine was refined to display the mostrelevant, recent results first. This enhancement nowproduces search results that more closely meetexpectations of website users.The self service tools and top links are regularlyupdated to reflect the most frequent searches.The Customer Feedback Form was revised to includerequired customer information and validationof customer information. New fields were added toincrease the amount of information we collect toallow us to follow up with the customer regardingfeedback they submit to us.We enhanced the Interactive CMS-1500 Claim Formto reflect current guidance for submitting claims.(This tool also provides guidance for submittingelectronic claims.)89

Palmetto GBAsBeneficiary Outreach &EducationPalmetto GBA is focused on our Medicare beneficiary customer’s needs and tookadvantage of several opportunities for face-to-face meetings in FY09 including:United Transportation UnionThe United Transportation Union (UTU)conducts annual meetings to provide trainingand communicate upcoming changes to theirunion members. The UTU invites their members’healthcare vendors to participate in the meetingsto personally address their claims issues andretirement concerns.We have been participating in the UTU meetingssince 2002 and have used this as an outreachopportunity to build solid relationships with ourcustomers. Those members already eligible forMedicare benefits have an opportunity to staycurrent and gain information about upcomingbenefit changes. We also offer an opportunityfor those who will become Medicare eligible tounderstand Medicare coverage benefits andoptions to better plan for their future.The 2009 Regional Meetings were held in SanFrancisco, California and New Orleans, Louisianawith over 1000 members in attendance.National Association of Retired &Veteran Railway EmployeesThe National Association of Retired & VeteranRailway Employees, Inc. (NARVE) is the onlyfederally chartered organization in the industrywhose sole purpose is to promote, protect andpreserve the railroad retirement pension system.NARVRE has 158 chartered units in the UnitedStates and one national unit for members whodo not have a local unit. NARVE has been aproactive force in the US Congress and hasassisted in passage and/or defeat of legislationaffecting railroad retirees.In addition to our presence/participation in theNational Biennial Convention, we participatedin eight local unit meetings with 460 NARVEmembers. Our focus at these meetings isto educate RRB beneficiaries about currentMedicare benefits and also to inform them ofupcoming Medicare changes and how theymight be impacted. These face-to-facemeetings have afforded us the opportunityto build positive relationships with ourcustomers and to provide them with superiorpersonal customer service.1011

Our commitment to generosity andcommunity outreach is demonstratedby donating our time, resources andtalents to charitable organizations andthose in need in our community.American Cancer Society Relay for LifeSeveral Palmetto GBA offices participated in theAmerican Cancer Society’s Relay for life. TheRelay for Life raises money for cancer researchand honors victims of cancer, survivors andtheir families. The Augusta, Georgia officeraised more than $1,700 for the Relay for Life.American Heart Association’s Heart WalkThe American Heart Association’s annual HeartWalk promotes heart-healthy living andphysical activity. In 2009, Palmetto GBA’sAugusta Operations employees raised almost$2000 in donations and walker sponsorships.Employees also were encouraged to wearred on the annual Go Red for Women day tohelp build awareness and urge women totake concrete action to reduce their risk ofheart disease.Lighting the wayUnited WayThe United Way is a nonprofit organization that responds to thecritical human service needs of a community by distributingcommunity resources. In 2009, Palmetto GBA’s Augusta, Georgiaassociates contributed over $28,000 to the United Way campaign.United Way’s Project ServeThe United Way of the CSRA partners with local volunteers toprovide service and outreach to the community on a scope that isoutside of the routine donation drives that are held annually. Thisannual initiative, Project Serve, invites local organizations to providehelp to various charitable organizations throughout the communitythat benefit from the United Way’s yearly efforts. The main goal ofthe initiative is to help repair the facilities of these organizations sothat they can be of better and stronger service to the community.United Way’s Project Serve Participants:Mac Mccord, Debra Watson, Jeff Russell,Vicki Lamar, Julie Keen, Joe Giansante,Selena Haskins, Gina Jenkins, Sandi Martin,Jason AutryThis year, the Augusta office partnered with the FriendshipCommunity Center, a resource for those with emotional and mentaldisabilities to come learn basic life skills and job skills. The Centerneeded a variety of repairs at its facility – repairing damaged roofingand flooring, painting rooms and hallways, building shelving for astorage shed, as well as many other tasks.1213

Process Improvementof the YearBack Row L-R : Mac McCord, Sean Nixon, Jason Autry, SusanGonnella, Renee Floyd, Deloris Green, Jeff Russell, Robert GlassFront Row L-R: Trequila Clark, Karen Baldwin, Octavia Huff,Deirdra Miller, Helen Drayton, Mike PritchardNot pictured: Tammy Keel, Barrett HughesCoach of the Year - Jason AutryThe Coach of the Year is presented toan individual who guides and mentors,promotes growth, provides trainingto team members, supports andencourages all team members,recognizes exceptional effort andconsistently makes a positive impacton team performance.Jason’s Claims Operations team consistentlyexceeded all CMS metrics for the 2009 calendarThe Process Improvement of the YearAward is presented to an individual or ateam of associates who has implementedthe most significant process improvementthat advanced service to our customers,improved quality objectives and producedcost savings.The Railroad Medicare Claims Operations/ProviderEnrollment Team received the Process Improvement ofthe Year Award for their innovative solution to improveefficiency of a work process and reduce operating costresulting from CMS’ implementation of NPI (nationalprovider identifier). This team created a groupingapplication to handle multiple claims with the sameprovider information at one time rather than theoriginal process which required us to process eachclaim individually. Included in this new application is anautomated letter generating capacity, allowing for moreefficient response to claims meeting specific processingguidelines. The application reduces the time and cost ofthe original manual letter generating process. In total,Jason Autry holds a bachelors degree in BusinessAdministration from Augusta State University.Jason began his career with Palmetto GBA sevenyears ago verifying claim information for theRRB contract.His work ethic and demonstratedleadership quickly earned him several promotionsand ultimately to his current position as theManager of the RRB Claims Operations andMedical Review areas.year while also exceeding internal performanceand quality metrics. Jason understands the value ofteamwork and consistently leads his team to reachout to other areas to improve the RRB operations.Jason was an integral part of the team implementingthis year’s process improvement of the year,which yielded a total savings of almost $46Kannually. Jason demonstrates superior coachingskills by empowering his team to exceed their goals,motivating his team through constructive feedback,supporting his team by encouraging training andrecognizing individual and team efforts, and bydemonstrating his work ethic, initiative andcustomer focus.this innovation improved operations efficiency by 280percent! The total cost savings includes reduced supplycost and a significant productivity increase along with acorresponding staff workload reduction that equates toalmost $46, 000 per year.1415

Associate of the Year -ChristinaHarperThe Associate of the Year Award is presentedto an individual who has demonstratedcommitment to providing superior serviceto our customers. The Associate of theYear is an individual who is dedicated toassisting others and empowers team membersto achieve team goals.Christina received accolades in 2009 by severalbusiness partners. Christina was thanked by the RRBfor her continuous efforts in assisting them withcomplex beneficiary issues they forward to her. JeffWeisbarth, Membership Service Director with theUnited Transportation Union, sent a letter toacknowledge the prompt and thorough assistanceChristina has provided on inquiries from the UTUrelative to application of Medicare benefits torailroad beneficiaries.Many of the persons Christina deals with are irateand frustrated, making Christina’s professionalismand work ethic of critical importance. She has superbcustomer service skills and works quickly to resolveproblems while exceeding timeliness standards.Christina Harper has worked for the RailRoadMedicare contract for seventeen years. As PublicAffairs Specialist, her primary responsibility is toresolve executive level inquiries received fromCongressional offices and the Railroad RetirementBoard (RRB). In addition, Christina handlesescalated inquiries from the beneficiary andprovider community.Team of the YearThe Team of the Year Award is presentedto a team of associates who havedemonstrated exceptional commitmentto exceeding quality and performanceobjectives, improving customer service,implementing innovative processes andpromoting quality and making a positiveimpact on our organization.Team Members: Jason Autry, Octavia Huff, Teresa Martin,Tina Bowles, Chantay Chapman, Susan Gonnella, KarenBaldwin, Andrian Brooks, Qiana Brown, Trequila Clark,LaTasha Dawson, Helen Drayton, Tara Dunn, Tanika Elam,Donna Harding, Barrett Hughes, Ginevra Martel, DeborahMcCladdie, Peter McGee, Deirdra Miller, Debra Powell,Marc Raborn, Stacy Reinhardt, Daryl Richardson, ShelbyRogers, Sheronda Smith, Susan Valadez, Phoebe Yarbray.RRB Claim Operations was selected as Team of the Yearfor 2009 for their commitment to meeting PalmettoGBA strategic goals and for continually exceedingcustomer expectations. This team exceeded all CMSperformance metrics, having an annual score of 99%for timeliness and 100% for quality. The team had zeroaudit findings and was cited with a best practice for aninnovative approach to internal communications.They implemented ten process improvements andinnovations to improve efficiency, increaseautomation, decrease error rates and reduce cost.The Claim Operations team was also a part of theteam selected as this year’s winner of the ProcessImprovement of the Year (see Process Improvementof the Year for more information) for their role inimplementing an innovation that saves almost$46,000 annually. This team has the drive anddetermination to exceed customer expectations andto make Palmetto GBA stand out among its peers inthe industry.1617

Where we are headed…We will continue to maintain the exceptional performance levels that we demand of ourselves. We arecommitted to our customers and we will provide innovative, professional solutions. We will make ourbusiness partners and our company stronger by continuing to focus on Compliance as our top priority.Although 2010 has just begun, we already have significant innovations underway that will continue ourtradition of using technology to improve the quality and efficiency of our operations. Some examples of ourinnovative solutions:OurLeadershipTeamEnhanced Workflow Management SystemIn 2008, Palmetto GBA launched our customdesignedimage-enabled document workflowmanagement system that electronically scans,creates images, stores and retrieves hardcopydocuments and faxes. The Workflow ManagementSystem (WMS/Client 2.0) has the ability to trackand monitor, in near real-time, incoming receipts,completions, and pending volumes by workflowcategory using the Statistical Web Page. In addition,productivity and full audit trail reporting is providedby the system.In 2010, Palmetto GBA will be deploying anenhanced version of the Railroad Medicare WorkflowManagement System (WMS) in 2010. Enhancementsto this internal workflow application include morerobust real-time statistics and ad-hoc reporting.Additional features include the electronic transferof documents between departments creating apaperless environment.This application was custom designed for thePalmetto GBA Railroad Medicare workload to ensureits design is intuitive, simplistic, and enables efficientprocessing of the work. All images are stored in aLocal Image Warehouse providing immediate accessfor staff as they retrieve and work documents.18Increased Online Self-Service for ProvidersOnline Provider Services (OPS)Palmetto GBA shares CMS’s vision to offer OnlineProvider Services to the provider communitythrough the deployment of Internet-based, secureprovider self-service applications. Palmetto GBA’sgoal is to give the provider secure and fast access totheir Medicare information via our Web site.The OPS application provides real-time informationaccess over the Web for the following online services:• Eligibility• Claims Status• Online Remittance Notices• Financials (payment floor and last 3 checks paid)We are currently awaiting CMS’ approval to deploythe OPS application. Once approval is received, weanticipate the application will be available forproviders within 60 days.Railroad Medicare Online Learning CenterPalmetto GBA is planning to launch web sessions toprovide basic Medicare information on static topicssuch as MSP Basics, Ambulance Billing, and ClaimSubmission Errors. These web events will be viewable“on demand” and will be available to providers 24/7.Gina JenkinsSenior Director of OperationsRRB Project ManagerOur Team of Directors:Cassandra Canales, Ramona Johnstonand Sylvia Hammock19

Our Management TeamMonica Williams, Mac McCord and Russel SavitzJeff Russell, Vicki LamarJulie Keen, Jason Autry and Flora HawesDebra Watson, Jennifer Johnson2021

Palmetto GBAPARTNERS IN EXCELLENCESMSMwww.palmettogba.com