FedEx recognizes EAP for quality improvement
Callback time slashed from 18 to 1.2 hours
For the past two years, the benefits department at Memphis, TN-based Federal Express (FedEx) has issued a series of awards as part of its Benefits Vendor Recognition program. One of this year’s recipients, Columbia, MD-based Magellan Behavioral Health, was recognized for excellence in its EAP program.
Magellan received the Quantum Leap Award, given for excellence in the area of process improvement including quality improvement, problem resolution, and timely implementation.
Callback cutbacks
What exactly was it that FedEx found so noteworthy?
"One of the accomplishments referenced by FedEx was process improvement, implemented by Cindy Harvey," notes Karen Friedman, LCSW, St. Louis-based national program director for the FedEx EAP, which is called the People Help program. People Help is an integrated EAP and mental health substance abuse program.
"We cut down on callback time [necessitated when a specific staffer is not immediately available], which was running about 18 hours, to 1.2 hours," she notes. "We altered the process by assigning one case manager for each particular callback, rather than handling it on a rotating basis."
Magellan was also recognized for receiving its Credentialing Verification Organization designation from the Washington, DC-based National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA). This designation states that the credentialing procedures used by an organization to evaluate practitioners meeting NCQA standards. Magellan was also recognized by the awards committee for a quality initiative on its alcohol/drug free workplace program, which found that the EAP was capturing 99% of callers.
Above and beyond
In addition to global recognition of the program, FedEx also issued several Spotlight Awards to recognize individuals we demonstrated services above and beyond the call of duty. They included:
• Kathy Harnacker, clinical care coordinator, for responsiveness in facilitating a critical incident stress debriefing. "She was here working in the middle of the night, and was able to locate a provider get a staff on site and up to speed in California in six hours," notes Friedman.
• Diana Rabatin, clinical director of the Mem-phis staff office, for excellent customer service. "Diana offered assistance to a FedEx family member despite the fact that they were not covered," Friedman explains. "She worked with the family to find appropriate resources."
• Mellisa Rose, finance director, for attention to financial information. Rose reworked an eligibility project to confirm the accuracy of all eligibility files.
• Christine Refeedie, clinical care manager for educational services. One of the providers was so impressed with this drug-free workplace case manager that they asked her to go to Chicago and speak to his group of graduate students about EAPs, managed care, and how to address substance abuse needs.
• Friedman, for excellence in account management. "There were requests made for research unrelated to my role, and I conducted the research and provided it to FedEx," Friedman notes.
FedEx program drives excellence
While gratified by this client recognition, Friedman believes that perhaps the lion’s share of credit for vendor excellence should go to FedEx itself.
"FedEx’s whole award program is really dedicated not just to recognizing their vendors, but to really encouraging vendor collaboration, to sharing best practices; and to even take it a step further to explore how vendors can work together," she notes. "The EAP, for example, is a perfect adjunct to med/surg. We now can identify highly utilized primary providers, reach out to them, and explain our program. After all, they may have patients who have stress-related ailments. Or a pediatrician may notice that parents are struggling to deal with a child who is diagnosed [with] attention deficit disorder. We are also a perfect adjunct to disability vendors, and many others. The bottom line is, we serve FedEx, but we serve them best by collaborating with other vendors."
What does Friedman think it takes to make a great EAP? "The EAP has historically provided brief treatment to the individual," she notes. "What makes an EAP great is meeting that need, and at the same time being sensitive to meeting the dual client relationship role; those who call us and the customer.
"Maintaining the delicate balance between the two is critical. From a global perspective, we get a lot of information about areas of the country where there may be problems — such as an increased number of calls for stress-related counseling, or domestic violence. As an EAP, you never disclose personal information, but you could say to the client, Wouldn’t it be a great idea to have an education piece in area A or B?’ We see the big picture, and we know what the needs are; the key, then, is to go in and address them."
• Erin Somers, Magellan Behavioral Health, 6950 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia, MD 21046. Telephone: (410) 953-2405. E-mail: essomers@ magellanhealth.com.
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