NURSES’ NOTESTHE OFFICIAL MEMBER NEWSLETTER OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MANAGED CARE NURSES

Volume Fifteen, Number One

Insidepg 2..... President’s Message Cont.pg 2..... End of Life Care & Costspg 2..... Corporate Cornerpg 3..... Coaches Cont.pg 3..... New CMCNs!pg 4..... New Members!pg 5..... New Members!pg 6..... Providing a Continuum of Carepg 6..... Become a CMCN!pg 7..... Would Your Company Keep You

Coaches Don’t Win Games, Players Doby Cheryl Slagle, RN, CMCN, CCM, CCP

President’sMessage

The winter hasbeen long for mostof us, however it isalmost Springwhich will bringback the warmweather and flow-ers! Spring alsomeans it is timefor the 2010Spring Forum inOrlando. Pleasetake a moment tolook at the exciting

opportunities the Association has planned forthe conference in the beautiful setting ofDisney World at The Swan and Dolphin ResortHotel. I look forward to seeing many of you there.

If you have not heard yet, the Leadership Insti-tute has an awesome opportunity for each ofus in the form of a Webinar on “The UltimateLay-Off Survival Guide: How to Thrive and Sur-vive a Company Lay-Off” presented by the es-teemed Richard Yadon of Health Career Pro-fessionals. This webinar is scheduled for Fri-day, February 26, 2010 at 1:00 PM ET/10:00AM PT. Please sign up in order to get in onthis awesome opportunity.

I am thrilled to report that 2009 marked thehighest amount of new members in the lastsix years. That is so cool! I want to top it in2010 and currently the Association is in themidst of a membership drive that offers mem-bers the chance for product discounts for newmember referrals, including being able to re-new with $10 off the renewal price of $70.00,when signing up a new member. What a greatsavings! Tell your peers why you belong andencourage them to do the same.

If you are looking to do more, become involvedand share your knowledge with others. Thereare several committees available – contactus let us know what you are interested in andwe will point you in the right direction.

I think it is also important to share with you

by Lanita Knoke, RN, BS, CMCN“Coaches don’t win games, players do”. Be-ing married to a coach taught me the truth inthat statement and it’s the leadership modelthat I have chosen. Being named ManagedCare Nurse Leader and being presented theaward by AAMCN President LaNita Knoke, RN,BS, CMCN was a great honor, but the greatesthonor was knowing that I had been nominatedby the nurses on my team. As the Director ofMedical Management for CareSource (a non-profit managed care company managing thecare of Medicaid and dual eligible Medicaremembers in Ohio and Michigan), my team ofnurses, social workers and non clinical staffdo the real work of managing the care pro-vided to our members. I believe that the mostimportant thing I can do as a leader is to givemy team what they need to do their job well.

I start by making sure they understand theimportance of the work we do and the vitalrole managed care plays in our health caresystem. We work each day to:

• Ensure that members have timely accessto appropriate covered services• Ensure that members receive quality care• Promote quality care along a health carecontinuum• Decrease fragmentation of care• Promote efficient use of resources• Promote cost effective use of services

My team and I believe that managed care nurs-ing is a nursing specialty; that the skills andeducation needed to do this job are no lessimportant than the clinical skills we learnedand practiced during that phase of our career.Like most of us, my journey to managed caretook me through many years of clinical nurs-ing, giving me the background to understandthe challenges and realities of providing qual-ity care to patients. As a pediatric critical carenurse, I saw the holes in providing coordinatedcare for my patients after they left the hospi-tal. This frustration in our fragmented sys-tem led me to managed care.

In 2009, the Medical Management Depart-ment decided to embark on an adventure toprove our commitment to managed care nurs-ing. Twenty-eight of my nurses began work to...continued on page 2

become certified in managed care nursingthrough the American Board of Managed CareNursing (ABMCN). The ABMCN certificationprogram offers nurses a national examina-tion testing competence to deliver a definedset of behaviors related to patient-centeredcare to member populations of health plans.

I worked to have the cost of certification writ-ten into my department’s budget, knowingthe return on investment would be great. Wehad weekly lunch sessions to complete thehome study course. We invited speakers fromour profession to present during our studysessions, sharing real life experiences on thetopics covered in the home study course.These speakers brought invaluable insight. Byproctoring after hours of exams, we supportedeach other all the way through this journey,right up to sharing healthy snacks before theexam. So far, all 24 of the 28 nurses who havetaken the certification exam have passed!

We’ve put together smaller teams responsiblefor providing understanding, accuracy andconsistency in our work. We have bi-weeklyManaged Care Theory Huddle Ups for clinicaland non clinical staff providing opportunitiesfor us to learn and talk about managed careprinciples and theories that are relevant tothe work we do each day. Our PIT Crew (Pro-cess Improvement Team), a team of clinicaland non clinical team members writes desk

...continued on page 3

2

President’s Message cont....continued from page 1

that 2009 also marked the year that we soldthe most home study prep course for CMCN.That means more peers are studying to ob-tain certification. Managers and Directorsare now looking more and more at certifica-tion as a defining element in the workplace.

Do you have someone you work with that de-serves accolades? Please bring them to ourattention as we love to spotlight those in Man-aged Care that are making a difference. Oncethey are spotlighted they can also be in therunning for Managed Care Nurse Leader ofthe Year. I believe this is a great honor and thelist of previous honorees is humbling.

As President of American Association of Man-aged Care Nurses my goal is to strengthen uswith members and benefits to show othershow we contribute to healthcare. Do you haveprofessional goals for 2010? Share them withus. Let us know what we can do to assist youin achieving those goals. I challenge each ofus to make this the best year yet!

AAACEUs.comwww.aaaceus.com

CareSourcewww.caresource-ohio.com/en/default.htm

Coram, Inc.www.coramhc.com

Gilead Sciences, Inc.www.gilead.com

Health Career Professionals, LLCwww.HealthCareerProfessionals.com

KCIwww.kci1.com

Medtronic Xomedwww.xomed.com

Optum Healthwww.OptumHealth.com

RCM Health Care Serviceswww.rcmhealthcare.com

Sarasota Memorial Health Care Systemwww.smh.com

The Scooter Storewww.thescooterstore.com/managedcare

Don’t forget to check out our corporatepartners and their products and services!

Managed care’s growing recognition of theclinical and economic factors involved in endof life care is resulting in the implementationof new care coordination, health educationand health counseling programs. As many ofthe 85 million baby boomers are caring fortheir aging parents, the practical and emo-tional needs of patients and family caregiversfacing advancing illness is becoming moreapparent. The economic climate facing Medi-care Advantage plans further supports inno-vative programs that can improve the qualityof life for patients and caregivers while simul-taneously reducing costs.

Recognized gaps in end of life care have beendocumented in studies ranging from the wellknown Support Study in 1995, toZimmermann’s 2008 systematic review ofpalliative care programs. Hospice utilizationhas significantly increased since the hospiceMedicare benefit came in to existence in1982, with dramatic increase in the last tenyears, but median length of stay in hospicewithin the major metropolitan areas of thecountry remains relatively short. Hospitalbased palliative care programs, pain manage-ment, and other physician office based inno-vations continue to be developed within lead-ing practices, long term care setting and hos-pital systems. All of these activities continueto support the current need for improved carethat begins as part of routine medicine andpersist through the transition from seriouschronic illness to end of life.

Managed Care leaders who are planning tointegrate new programs within their servicescan analyze recent innovations that providetested solutions to their current economic,clinical and political concerns. Aetna’s tele-phonic case management program to improvepalliative care has been reported to have a sig-nificant effect in both commercial and Medi-care populations (Spettell, et al., 2009). As alarge managed care company Aetna is lead-ing efforts to publicize its program and shareits experience, noting both political and pub-lic acceptance of their efforts. Care Supportof America’s telephonic and face to face nursecare manager program, integrating with treat-ing physicians and routine case managementreported in a Medicare Demonstration(Engelhardt, et al., 2008), has been imple-mented and tested in multiple managed caresettings (Humana Florida, Oxford, Blue CrossBlue Shield of Northeastern NY). A recentlypublished randomized 3 site prospective studywith Kaiser Permanente (Engelhardt, et al.,2009) demonstrates significant improvementin the quality of life for patients as well asfamily caregivers and decreased end of lifehospital utilization, with no increase in mor-tality. Several regional-based hospices are

End of Life Care and Costs: Innovations in Managed Carealso expanding palliative care programs withmanaged care plans and new end of life carevendors are piloting advance directive andcase management interventions.

In developing new managed care end of lifeprograms it is also helpful to recognize thehistory from which these arise, as well as theclinical and cultural complexity for caring forpatients at this time of life. A review of theliterature will demonstrate the value ofbiopsychosocial care addressing the biologi-cal, psychological, social and spiritual needs.Costs in the last few months of life need to berigorously studied in prospective and con-trolled evaluations of innovative programs. Indeveloping new end of life programs, man-aged care leaders can benefit from integrat-ing the following components into their pro-gram:

• Offering as broad a range of services aspossible – including care coordination, healtheducation and health counseling.• Integrating wherever possible on a local levelwith primary care and specialty physicians,hospitalists, and certified as well as non-medi-cal homecare.• Not requiring a palliative care or hospiceconsult, to meet patients and families whengoals of treatment are still curative or uncer-tain. Helps them prepare for care when ill-ness inevitably worsens.• Implementing tested efforts that have evi-dence of depth in understanding the complexi-ties of end of life care.• Integrating an understanding of culturaldiversity.• Implementing advance directives as a com-ponent, rather than the focus, of care.• Messaging for local medical, political, & com-munity leaders that address regional concernsassociated with a new end of life program.• Integrating with existing case management,utilization management, disease management,readmission programs, and coding vendors.

Nurses within managed care settings willcontinue to face the challenges and rewardsof caring for increasing amounts of agingpatients. They can benefit from learning aboutand integrating end of life programs withinroutine care. In doing so, managed carenurses will help support the cultural shift to-wards greater self-efficacy for patients andfamily caregivers as we all approach the finalphases of life.

by Dan Tobin, MD and Sheryl Riley, RN, OCN, CMCN

Corporate Corner

3

Coaches Don’t Win Games Cont....continued from page 1

references and quick tools. Make the peopleresponsible for the work part of the decisionmaking process. They won’t let you down!

The AAMCN mission to establish standardsfor managed care nursing practice; to posi-tively impact public policy regarding managedhealthcare delivery and to assist in educatingthe public on managed care are goals that allof us who chose managed care nursing asour profession can benefit from. I’m proud ofthe role my company, my nurses and I play inhelping to meet these goals.

For the past 5 years, CareSource has been acorporate sponsor of AAMCN, showing ourdedication to the vitally important role man-aged care nursing plays in our nation’shealthcare system. I encourage you to speakto your leaders about becoming corporatesponsors. Being a nurse leader means pro-viding the opportunity for your team to do theirbest by giving them with the skills, knowledge,and tools required to be a vital part of thechanging healthcare environment. Each day,look for ways to positively affect your mem-bers through the programs and processes youmanage. Empower your team. It’s time to bebold and creative. The climate of our healthcare system demands it and the team youlead is ready for the challenge. I’m proud tohave been nominated by the skilled and tal-ented nurses on my team and to have beenrecognized as Managed Care Nurse Leaderby the AAMCN Leadership Institute. I plan tocontinue my commitment to managed carenursing, will you join me?

Terri Lynn Acosta, RN, CMCNCareSource

Arlinder Alexander-Jackson, RN, BSN, CCM,CMCNBCBSIL

Suzanne Baldasare, RN, CMCNCareSource

Rhonda Bender, RN, CMCNMHP

Helen Busocker, RN, CCM, CMCNCapital Blue Cross

Virginia Cody, RN, CMC, CMCNWellpoint

Jacqueline Davis, RN, CMCNCareSource

Karen Dowell, RN, CMCNCareSource

Lisa Durrant, RN, CMCNCareSource

Linda Gray, RN, CMCNCareSource

Toshika Howard-Patterson, LPN, CMCNCareSource

Faustina Koomson, RN, BSN, CMCNBlue Cross Blue Shield of IL

Shannon Leach, LPN, CMCNWellpoint

Virginia Long, RN, BSN, CMCNMidwest Health Plan - Health Services

Ann Maleta, RN, CMCN

Patrice McGrath, RN, BSN, CMCNMidwest Health Plan - Health Services

Debra McGraw, BSN, RN, CMCNCareSource

Debra Patt, LPN, CMCNMidwest Health Plan - Health Services

Wilma Roberts, RN, CMCNCareSource

Debra Serie, RN, CMCNCareSource

Karen Seybert, RN, BSN, CMCNWellpoint

Erica Shaffer, RN, CPUM, CMCNCareSource

Kathleen Smart, RN, CMCNAnthem

Sonja Toma, RN, CMCNCareSource

Guanfen Xu, CCM, RN, CMCNMHP

Shari Lyn Nelson, RN, CMCN

Frances Jones, RN, BSN, CMCNWellpoint

Vicki Williams, RN, BSN, CMCNBCBSIL

Jennifer McGowan, RN, CMCNAnthem

Dale Allen, RN, CMCNCareSource

Rebecca Arzu Marcial, LPN, CMCNCareSource

Dionna Blake, BSN, CMCNCareSource

Aeisha Delores Massengale, LPN, CMCNCareSource

Susanne Monnin, RN, BSN, CMCNCareSource

Beth Shilt, RN, BS, CMCNCareSource

Luanda Stanback, LPN, CMCNCareSource

Rhonda Townsend, RN, CMCNCareSource

Congratulations New CMCNs!

Spring Managed Care ForumApril 22-23, 2010

Swan & Dolphin HotelOrlando, FL

Don’t miss the chance for the highest qualitycontinuing education, networking with adiverse group of executive managed careprofessionals & learn about the latest availableproducts and services to utilize in yourpopulation, all with a fun-filled backdrop ofWalt Disney World! PLUS, receive discountedpark tickets, as well as the low hotel rate ofjust $149/night! You won’t want to miss thisfantastic opportunity!

$200 Discount off your registration fee!Enter the code NN200 in the value code box ofthe registration form to redeem this offer!

4

Welcome New Members!Mary Lou Faucette, BSNWakeMed

Leta L. Deskins, BSNWakeMed

Judy Schiffli, RN, COHN-SHarden Case Management

Carol A.Stanish, RNUnicare

Isabel Pena, RN, CCM, CPURSouth TX Veterans Healthcare Systems

Jennifer Erena, RN, BSNSaint Joseph Wound Center

Miriam Stewart, RN, CPHMSheridan Memorial Hospital

Aleia Bloodworth, LPNSecure Health

Carol Jeter, RN, CCMSecure Health

Judy Herzer, RN, BSNHCR Manor Care

Beata Reshetar

Lorri Thompson, RN, CNOR

Ann Giambelluca

Jean Whitehead, RN, CCM

Karen Wetzel, RNOwensboro Community Health Network

Josephine Ojeaga, RNCommunity Health Choice

Nancy Lewis, RNAccredo's Hemophilia Health Services

Pam Carr, RN, BSNNationwide Childrens Hospital/Partners forKids

Michele Rice-Spann, RNHealth Care Service Corporation

Wendy S. Tverdos, MSSL, BSN, CCM

Melrose Stephens, MSN

Lori Fox, BSN, MBAPiedmont Community Health Plan

Elizabeth Spero, RN, CCM

Dawn M. Fitzpatrick, RN, MSNDepartment of VA, TVHS

Eric Palmer, MSN, MHAUSN

Kacey McAdoo, RNVanderbilt Medical Center

Barb Lennert, RN, BSN, MAOMXcenda

Joan O'Donnell, RN, CCMHorizon BCBSNJ

Heather E. Whitcomb, RNLatham Medical Group - CCP

Janet Lowery-Neal, RNBCBSIL

Sharon Lee Greico, CCMChildrens Medical Center-Dallas/Legacy TX

Penny McRayJSA Medical Group

Jean Henry, RN, MSNMemorial Hermann Healthcare System

Nancy Sweeney, RNAbove & Beyond Nursing Care

Teresa White, RN, CRRNVA Affairs

Gina Lusch, RNMEDecision, Inc.

Dawn Stevenson, RNMoorestown Visiting Nurses Assoc.

Gloria Harris, RNVAMC - Nursing

Barbara Homoya, CMCNRoundebush VAMC

Annette Schneweis, RN

Rebecca Brown, BSNCochise Health Systems

Deirdre Doyle, RN, BSN, MSCCProcure Management Inc.

Kris Fricke, RNBiState Case Management

Cindy Crandall, RNMedSolutions

Barbara Ringgold, RNSeniorCare Family Services, Inc.

Janet Kunz, RNFocus on Senior Care, LLC

Laura SetlichArcadian Healthcare

Sherry Klass, RNUnited Hospice

Connie McDonough, RN, MSNCephalon Oncology

Tammy Dixon, BSN

Connie Phillips-Jones, RNMEDecision

Sandra Scott, RN, BSN, FCNAmerigroup

Kristi Cox, RN, BSNWellpoint Next Rx

Michael HargisAnthem

Jennifer McGowan, RNWellpoint

Frances Jones, RNHMC Wellpoint

Welcome New Members!Deborah Hoover, RNAnthem

Brenda Phillips, RN, BSNWellpoint

Pam Cage, RNWellpoint

Suzanne Shayer, RN, BSNWellpoint

Tara BillingsleyWellpoint

Judy Anne Dye, RN, BSNWellpoint/HMC

Barbara Nighbert, RNAnthem

Amy Ernst, RNAnthem/Wellpoint

Cynthia Stokes, RNWellpoint

Debra HicksHumana

Deb Roberts, RNHumana

Mary (Marie) L. Alfano, RNC, CCMAetna

Kristin Atkinson, BSNSchaller Anderson, an Aetna Company

Sandra R. Booker, LPNHealthSpring, Inc.

Patricia Bosarge, ADNHealthSpring, Inc.

Janet VesselsAmerihealth Mercy/Passport Health Plan

Rebecca Carpenter, RNAmerihealth Mercy/Passport Health Plan

Betty LattisAmerihealth Mercy/Passport Health Plan

5

Dana Wheatley, RNAmerihealth Mercy/Passport Health Plan

Robin Hidgon, RNAmerihealth Mercy/Passport Health Plan

April Sharp, RNBCBS of TN

Deborah Lemley, RNBCBS of TN

Mary McFallsBCBS of TN

Jennifer Haile, RNBCBS of TN

Juliet Mallery, RNBCBS of TN

Sherry Moore, RNBCBS of TN

Patricia Cain, RNBCBS of TN

Elbra Morgan, RNBCBS of TN

Mary Beth Newell, RNBCBS of TN

Leslie Kurkowski, RNBCBS of TN

Anne Brock, RNBCBS of TN

Lisa Stahl, RNBCBS of TN

Heather Johnson, RNBCBS of TN

Dawn Townson, RNBCBS of TN

Glen Curtis, RNBCBS of TN

Linda Chisenhall, RNBCBS of TN

Mimi Bennett, RNBCBS of TN

Rose McFarland, RNBCBS of TN

Theresa Smith, RNBCBS of TN

Janice Milligan, RN, BS, BAHealth Net of CA, Inc.

Beverly SmithUnitedHealth Group

Christine Anne Nelson, BSNCA Department of Health Care Services

Rosemarie West, RNCA Department of Health Care Services

Maria Amelia Montenegro, RN, BSNCA Department of Health Care Services

Ruth Isaksson, RNJohns Hopkins HealthCare

Patricia Cooper, RNJohns Hopkins HealthCare

Deborah Ablorh, RNJohns Hopkins HealthCare

Marigloria SeitzJohns Hopkins HealthCare

Suzanne Bathon, RNJohns Hopkins HealthCare

Victoria Metzger, RNJohns Hopkins HealthCare

Cassandra PetersonJohns Hopkins HealthCare

6

The discharge process is in the spotlight again.All major payers (Medicare, Medicaid andcommercial insurances) are preparing to al-ter or refuse payment for patient readmissionwithin thirty days of discharge. ‘Potentially pre-ventable readmissions’ have been connectedto insufficient or ineffective discharge strat-egies which may have opportunity for improve-ments. There are several evidence-based strat-egies that have been identified as effective atpreventing these “potentially preventable re-admissions” and are especially useful for pa-tients with chronic, high-profile diseases suchas congestive heart failure (CHF), hyperten-sion, diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructivepulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic renalfailure. Changes to the discharge process andutilization of a disease specific home healthcare program have been identified as possibleinnovations for discussion.

Evaluation of the discharge instruction pro-cess is essential, including a review of theeducational materials given and which staffshould be involved in the discharge process.Printing off a medical database driven packet(many pages and written in medical terminol-ogy) on the condition (e.g CHF) can some-times result in “information overload” for thepatient. Developing a simple one or two page“Top 5 Tips for Managing Your CHF” with apersonalized summary of diet, fluid and activ-ity restrictions, printed in a larger font and inlaymen’s terms, might be a more effectiveway of getting the message across. (Userfriendly and could be put on someone’s re-frigerator door as a reminder)

The bedside direct care RN assigned to thepatient on the day of discharge normally givesthe discharge instructions in many facilities.However, the CHF nurse educator, having es-

Providing a Continuum of Care for Chronic Condition Patientsby Colleen Morley-Wines, RN, BSN, CMCN

tablished a therapeutic relationship with thepatient during his/her stay could use the dis-charge process to build upon the educationpreviously given. This would provide continu-ity of information, less confusion and theability for the patient to ask more specific,disease related questions. Potential issuesaround this could be availability of the dedicatedCHF RN for off-hours discharges. Additional staff-ing would be needed to handle this need and thebudgets, as always, would be a concern.

Utilization of a Home Health Care program tofollow up on patients, immediately post-dis-charge, has been identified as a cost-effec-tive option, for both patient and facility. Noadditional staff needs to be hired by the facil-ity. There are minimal training needs identi-fied and education of the MDs and facilitystaff RNs regarding the new program can bedone in established monthly meetings. Thepatient’s insurance coverage will “usually“cover an initial visit post-acute discharge forevaluation and teaching. (This would be con-firmed at the time the services are being setup.) The program would be available to all pa-tients, regardless of insurance coverage andambulatory status. In my area, several homehealth agencies have programs developed forCHF follow up in place with dedicated cardiacRNs and proven track records of success. Ifthe facility or system has it’s own home healthservice with a program that meets the crite-ria, the additional referrals could increasesystem revenues as well.

Multiple agencies need to be contacted andpartnered with to assess or develop these pro-grams so the patient has a choice in post-acute service providers. Having an establishedcriteria set; such as length of time the pro-gram has been in place, use of dedicated,

specifically trained staff, use of technology/tools (telehealth programs)and data to dem-onstrate effectiveness (readmission rate,dropout rate, metrics used to track progress)is critical to offering an un-biased choice tothe patient. Drawbacks identified are patient’sdesire to participate in the aftercare programand continuity and consistency of the termi-nology in the inpatient vs. home education,which involves possible editing and realign-ing the scripting between the educators.

The goal is to provide the patient with a con-tinuum of care and education to better man-age their chronic conditions as well as to de-crease the readmission rate from the facility’sperspective. Providing the patient with a con-tinuum of care and resources post-acute ad-mission should make an impact by helpingimprove patient outcomes, allow the patientto remain in their own environment and helpthe facility to avoid that potentially non-reim-bursed subsequent readmission. By utilizingone or more of these strategies to build a con-tinuum of care, as Carolina’s Medical Cen-ters Health System did, care managers canmake a positive impact on their patients andtheir facilities as well.

ReferencesCenter for Medicare and Medicaid Services.(2009, December 15). Retrieved December15, 2009, from Center for Medicare and Med-icaid Services: www.cms.hhs.gov

Kay, D. B. (2006). Heart failure:improving thecontinuum of care. Care ManagementJournals , 7(2), 58-64.

Stark, J. (2010). How can I reduce my facility'sreadmission rate? Case ManagementMonthly , 5(1), 5-7.

Become a Certified Managed Care Nurse (CMCN) Today!

The CMCN is setting a standard for nurses across the continuum of managedhealthcare. AAMCN offers a preparatory course for the certification, coveringall the critical areas of managed care. In 2009, more nurses began preparingfor the exam than ever before. Take on our challenge to become certified as agroup at discounted rates! Contact Patti Hulcher at phulcher @aamcn.org or

804-747-9698 for more information!

Job security is a topic on everyone’s mind to-day.

“Do I have it?”

“Will I lose it?”

Many in corporate America are asking thesequestions. A better question to ask is…“Isjob security real?”

Labor costs are one of the largest companyexpenses and it is no secret companies arelooking for ways to trim costs. That meansevery position in corporate America is open toevaluation. All companies are designed tomake a profit. Even non-profits can’t spendmore than they bring in. It makes sense thatevery job in the company should contribute tothat result.

According to surveys, young professionalsentering the workforce today expect to haveeleven to twenty job changes during their ca-reers. Most of those changes will be volun-tary and self-motivated. Several will not. Ourhyper-competitive marketplace forces compa-nies to make the hard decisions about jobsand the people in them. No employee isindispensible; no job is sacred. Companiesdo, however, value certain employees morethan they value others. Who stays and whogoes often has little to do with the employee’s

Would your Company Keep You?by Richard Yadon, CPC, CERS

job. Often it has everything to do with theemployee.

Employers want people who bring value to theorganization over and above their job. Theseare the people they will try to keep even if thejob is eliminated. “Do I have job security?” isthe wrong question. The real question to askis, “How do I increase my value to my em-ployer?” If you want to increase your valueand be one of the people they keep, work todevelop and demonstrate these four definingcharacteristics:

Risk Taking – Employers want their people totake risks. Improvement comes from chang-ing the status quo. Employees who take risksshow they have a “can do” attitude. This isespecially valuable in today’s economy. Risktakers are results-oriented people. They aren’tafraid to try something new to get better re-sults.

Pro-active Problem Solving – When you bring aproblem to your manager, also bring a solu-tion. Today’s manager has too much on theirplate to solve every issue. Good managerswant your input and appreciate your willing-ness to be a part of the answer. People whobring problems without solutions will be asource of frustration, not value.

Competency – When was the last time you

proactively took a course or seminar to im-prove your job knowledge? Are you a memberof your occupation’s professional associa-tions? Have you asked for additional train-ing? Competency is more than just doingyour job well. Companies want people whoseek out opportunities to grow in knowledgeand skill. Don’t expect the company to pay forall of it. Employees who take responsibilityfor their own development are what compa-nies value today.

A Difference Maker –Difference makers areemployees who are motivated about their con-tribution to the company. These employeeswant to make an impact. They accept respon-sibility for their performance and they are ac-countable for their results. Most companieswant to keep difference makers.

Today no job is exempt from reevaluation, re-tooling, or elimination. If you are worried aboutyour job, then you are worried about the wrongthing. Instead, concentrate on the value youadd to the company. Take risks, find solu-tions, grow and develop in your job and yourindustry, and be a difference maker. Don’t letyour job define your value. You need to defineit for yourself.

Spring Managed Care ForumApril 22-23, 2010

Swan and Dolphin HotelOrlando, FL

Don’t miss the chance for the highest quality continuing education, networking with adiverse group of executive managed care professionals & learn about the latest available

products and services to utilize in your population, all with a fun-filled backdrop of WaltDisney World! PLUS, receive discounted park tickets, as well as the low hotel rate of just

$149/night! You won’t want to miss this fantastic opportunity!

$200 Discount off your registration fee! Visit www.aamcn.org to register!Enter the code NN200 in the value code box of the registration form to redeem this offer!

7