Regular communication with our workforce has played a critical role in creating the high-performance culture I have been privileged to lead. Our workforce craved a connection with me, and I with them. Our core values and messages needed to be continually reinforced. My blogs were one important means of staying in touch with the HMS family. My goal in each was to connect, be real, and speak from my heart. Below are several examples.
September 11, 2001, seemed like a normal morning. I was on vacation away from my home in Manhattan. I woke up and turned on the television. What I saw would stay with me forever, and I know it will stay with you and all other Americans.
I witnessed the stunned faces of the news broadcasters and saw the second tower of the World Trade Center collapse. I could only imagine the horror and sheer panic of my fellow HMSers, some of whom were watching the tragedy unfold from the roof of our headquarters, which at the time were in Manhattan.
Who could have ever imagined our country as the target of terror? Who could have ever imagined aircrafts flying into two of the tallest skyscrapers in the U .S .? And who could have ever imagined a plane striking the Pentagon? And, if not for the quick action of passengers, a plane most likely would have crashed into the White House.
I’ve always believed uncertainty to be a terrifying feeling. As a nation, we were very uncertain. Who would be next? Where would the terrorists strike?
Like all of you, I mourned the loss of people and our sense of security. I felt very alone. However, I also quickly felt a new sense of hope. There is no country as resilient as the United States. In the end, the worst would bring out our best.
I remember the bravery of the first responders—including New York’s firefighters, paramedics, and police, many of whom sacrificed their lives to save others. I also witnessed the love and humanity in people helping total strangers.
Our HMS family remains committed to remembering the victims of 9/11 through our work in supporting the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program. The program provides security to first responders and survivors of the attack. I’m incredibly proud of the work we do to ensure the viability of the fund. First responders and survivors will always get the healthcare they need.
Let’s remember 9/11 with a sense of hope. We live in a deeply divided country, especially as we move into elections. We need to remember that we are all in this together. We survived 9/11 and prevailed— the same way we have so many times before when our nation was tested. And we will do so again.
I’m writing at a dark time for our nation. We’ve all seen the horrific video of George Floyd pleading for his life. We share the pain felt by the African American community after another all too familiar tragedy.
Martin Luther King Jr . once said, “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people .” We must all speak up and root out hate in all its ugly forms. There’s no place in our communities or workplaces for discrimination, racism, or hate. At the same time, I’m sure Dr . King would call for peaceful protest absent the violence we’ve seen this weekend.
Whether you’re a person of color, a member of the LGBTQ community, or any other minority, you deserve nothing less than equality, fairness, and justice. Those are the values we share as a nation.
At HMS, we lead with our values to make healthcare work better for everyone. We do this by leading with both our heads and our hearts to ensure our nation’s healthcare system continues to serve the most vulnerable among us.
As your leader, my commitment to you is that HMSers will always support each other and lend our voices and talents to be part of the solution in our communities. This means speaking up for those who have been marginalized for far too long.
As Minneapolis and our entire nation continue to grieve, let’s pray justice is served and that we have the courage to make real change. Together, we must build an equitable and just society where all individuals can thrive. Only then will we heal and create a more inclusive world.
I still vividly remember the day my mom passed away from cancer six years ago. She was surrounded by her family. Her husband of 70 years held her hand, stroked her hair, and gently kissed her cheek. Mom suffered from a stroke that took her body but couldn’t touch her soul.
Today, there are families across our nation saying goodbye to loved ones dying from COVID-19 via FaceTime and Zoom. Imagine the grief and sorrow of having to say goodbye to your loved one through an iPad.
Throughout this pandemic, our nurses and healthcare workers have become like family members—they provide the comfort we so desperately want to give ourselves. I remember reading a story about a nurse who stayed at the bedside of a patient and held up a phone with the family on FaceTime. The family asked her to brush their mother’s hair and hold her hand so she wouldn’t be alone as she passed. It’s heartbreaking.
As we begin to open up our country, we can’t lose sight of how quickly this virus spreads. There are still so many Americans, especially the elderly, who are vulnerable. I haven’t seen my 93-year-old father in two months. And I won’t see him because I love him. At a time when our aging parents need us the most, we can’t be with them. Many of you are in this same situation.
This is just one reason why our nation must focus on our mental health as much as physical health. COVID-19 has taught us all how to cope with a situation we’ve never experienced during our lifetime. The way we live, work, and play has changed. It’s okay to talk about our fears, stress, and anxiety—it’s perfectly normal and human. We all grieve the loss of nearly 90,000 Americans, a death toll that only continues to rise. If you need to talk with someone, our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available to every employee.
Now more than ever, we must take a holistic approach to how we deal with health in our country. To thrive in our new normal, it will take the entire healthcare community, our governments, and citizens to act with both their heads and hearts to take care of our own.
We can all do our part right now. No act of kindness is too small. I would love to hear your ideas or examples of how you’re showing concern for others—family members, friends, neighbors, or even strangers you’ve never met. Imagine the power of sharing ideas and then acting on them.
Please post your act of kindness in the comments section. I’d love to hear from you.
I’m proud of what you do for each other, our clients, and the communities in which we live and work. You lead with your heart and your head—that’s what makes HMSers so special.
I want to share a story close to my heart. When I turned 62 in November, it was a difficult birthday for me. I’m now the same age my sister Janis had been when she died of cancer.
At that time, she called me and asked me to talk to our parents. Doing this for Janis was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done—explaining to my parents that their daughter, their first born, would not survive them.
By the time Janis’ cancer was diagnosed, it had spread to her lungs, brain and bones. There was no hope for treatment to save her life. But my sister hung on to her faith, which led to her decision to fight on behalf of her children and grandchildren. Against the advice of her little brother “Billy” and the oncologist, she chose to receive chemotherapy. As a result, Janis was unconscious within three days and passed away two weeks after treatment.
After listening to Annemarie Hull’s story about her sister, it reminded me that had Janis’ health plan used Elli or Eliza this would not have happened. She never received outreach from her health plan, even though she had very good labor union coverage with Blue Cross Blue Shield. Janis was a smoker and had some illnesses over the years. Clearly, Elli would have identified her as a rising-risk member.
I think back on the pain my parents endured, the great loss we all experienced, and my sister’s call telling me about her cancer and saying, “I’m sorry, Billy .” I asked her why and she said, “Because I didn’t act earlier.” An outreach from Eliza would have helped her to act sooner.
Rest in peace my dear sister.
If you ever want to know if HMS’ work matters, please think of Janis.
What’s your story?
I’m sure we can all agree: the coronavirus and its rapid spread are scary. I’ll admit—I’m a bit scared, too. I worry about the health of our employees, our clients, and the members they serve. Many of those members are elderly, have compromised immune systems, or need more help due to their economic situation.
At the same time, I’m hopeful and inspired by the humanity and determination we see—especially from the doctors, nurses, and community health workers who are on the front lines fighting a global pandemic. No matter who we are, our human nature is to help others—it’s in our DNA as a nation and a company.
Think About How You Can Help
We can all help combat the spread by taking steps to protect our own health. Wash your hands regularly and vigorously, avoid touching your face, and stay away from anyone who is sick. Also, remember to practice social distancing. As an Italian, I come from a long line of huggers. But I’m doing my best to avoid hugging anyone right now! I try to keep six feet between myself and anyone else. It’s not easy, and I admit that sometimes I forget. But if we all do our best to practice social distancing, we can slow the rate of infection.
If you know someone at a higher risk of developing an acute illness from COVID-19, call them regularly to check in with them. For example, my dad is a healthy 93-year-old. But I know his health could change quickly if he becomes infected, so I check in with him every day. And I had a small win—I convinced him to not take the bus to the casino. My dad loves the slot machines!
Reach Out to Those Who Need Help
Let’s also keep in mind the families depending on school lunch programs, the elderly and homebound who rely on programs like Meals on Wheels, and others who need help right now. Some may even be worried about being able to feed their pets. With schools closed, some families will find it hard to put food on the table. Organizations that deliver food to homes may be facing shortfalls of food and people to help. I encourage you to reach out to community service organizations and provide donations to help them continue service.
As the world battles this pandemic, it’s important to remember the Dalai Lama’s words about compassion:
“There are two kinds of compassion. The first comes from a natural concern for friends and family who are close to us. This has limited range but can be the seed for something bigger. We can also learn to extend a genuine concern for others’ well-being, whoever they are. That is real compassion.”
Events That Will Test Us
Things may get tougher and test our nation, our company, and each of us individually before they get better. However, we will get through this together if we focus on our communities, our friends and families, and our colleagues. I’d love to know what you’re doing differently to take care of your communities and those you love. Do you have any thoughts or ideas about what we can do for each other? As always, I welcome your feedback. Just post your comments below.
It’s now the fifth month of working from home, our new normal. During this unprecedented time, you continue to display a resilience that leaves me inspired and proud to be leading HMS.
If this experience teaches us one thing, it’s how each of us wants and needs to connect with something larger than ourselves. I believe that’s why our Volunteer Army continues to thrive and play a significant role in driving HMS’ business.
Let me share a few powerful examples of how our Volunteer Army impacts our clients, our brand, and our business … then consider how this incredible resource could be applied to help you and your teams drive business results.
Helping Our Clients
One of our clients—North Carolina State Health Plan—asked HMS to help boost its subrogation recoveries. The plan covers more than 720,000 teachers, state employees, and retirees. Like many health plans, they too are trying to weather the financial crisis and are looking for ways to save money. We knew we could tap into one of legacy Accent’s vendors and use their property/casualty database to find new opportunities for recoveries. However, that’s a very time-consuming, people-intensive task. Enter the Volunteer Army. For six weeks, we rotated a group of 12 volunteers who worked for three hours per week. The results were amazing. The Army identified 400 new cases with potential client revenue totaling $3.8 million. Mission Accomplished!
Raising HMS’ Brand Profile
Building HMS’ brand is one of the most important investments we can make in our business. It starts with 3,100 HMSers serving as brandambassadors. I believe social media is a great equalizer when it comes to taking on much larger competitors. Let me give you an example. When we launched our new Population Health Management campaign, the video we posted to LinkedIn received 400 views. When we asked our Volunteer Army to help amplify our voice in the marketplace, they responded. We now have more than 2,000 views and counting. Mission accomplished!
TBO Boot Camp for New Joiners
The lifeblood of our Volunteer Army is recruiting new members. And who better to speak with HMS’ new hires about the benefits of engaging in TBO than our passionate volunteers.
We now have 35 volunteers who host and facilitate TBO Boot Camps twice per month. The goal is to immerse our curious new colleagues in all things TBO. Our volunteers give personal testimonials on how joining the Volunteer Army helped them develop and grow their careers. During these interactive sessions, new joiners get to ask questions and dive deeper into what it’s like to step outside their comfort zone and support other areas of HMS’ business. Mission Accomplished!
If you’re not using the Volunteer Army to help drive our business results, then I strongly encourage you to do so. Many department managers have not pursued TBO initiatives with the Army. They are ready and waiting. Please share how you plan to use our Army in the comment section below.
Unleash the Army!
Strong. Smart. Fierce. These three words perfectly describe the women of HMS. As we celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD), I want to take this opportunity to honor our women and share why I’m so proud of their accomplishments.
This year’s theme—”An equal world is an enabled world”—reminds us all that we must take action for equality and break down barriers that women encounter. While much work remains to help forge a gender equal world, I’m proud of the steps our company is taking to ensure women advance and thrive. And I know the men of HMS arealso actively engaged in supporting women’s equality.
Today, 50% of all HMS leaders are women. The Lead Independent Director on HMS’ board of directors is a woman (Cora Tellez). And our Chief Legal Officer (Meredith Bjorck), Chief Strategy and Growth Officer (Maria Perrin), and Chief Administrative Officer (Tracy South), my direct reports, are powerful women who drive our business and serve as role models to both women and men at HMS.
I’m equally proud of our Women’s Opportunity Network (WON). Founded by Millie Manning in 2018, WON continues to pave the way in helping women and men further strengthen their business acumen, leadership skills, and technical expertise. From launching a successful mentoring program to leading monthly development programs and personal branding sessions, WON and its 250 members represent HMS on its best day. I’m incredibly proud of the amazing work they do to help other women succeed.
I’m also proud of the work HMSers are doing to help young girls through Girlstart, an HMS Cares partner. Girlstart’s mission is to increase girls’ interest and engagement in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) through innovative education programs. Last year, HMS donated $15,000 to Girlstart, and our volunteers showed up in force to help throughout the year.
Salena Torres, a leader in COB Operations, serves as HMS’ champion and spearheads our efforts in collaboration with Chief Technology Officer Jacob Sims. The first in her family to attend college, Salena holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a master’s in engineering management. Salena puts her passion to work every day, especially in minority communities, to show the next generation of young women what’s possible.
If you’d like to help, HMS is currently partnering with Girlstart for its national “Send a Girl to Camp” campaign, which kicks off on March 14. Visit the site to find out how to support sending girls to STEM-based summer camps. HMS will match employee donations up to $2,500.
We still have so much work to do. Despite being more than half the population, women still lag in their representation on corporate boards and company management teams, and they earn less than men. As the CEO of HMS, I am committed to creating a culture of equality—where every woman can succeed and thrive.
Strong. Smart. Fierce.
If you’re like me, it’s getting hard to remember what life was like before COVID-19 and sheltering in place. Our personal and work lives have changed, becoming more intermingled than ever. Many of you have added “homeschool teacher” to your LinkedIn profile and reimagined your home office in clever ways. Whether it’s using your ironing board as a standing desk or taking calls from your SUV office, I’ve seen innovation in action—and I love it!
It’s unlikely we’ll return to our HMS offices before June, so I want to take a moment to share my thoughts on staying productive to support HMS, your families and our communities during this unprecedented time.
HMS’ First Responders
I talk a lot about being agile and putting our clients at the center of everything we do. One great example is the work our Population Health Management team is doing to respond to COVID-19. Through our Eliza solution, we’ve reached out to 6 million people, ensuring our clients’ members receive critical information about the virus.
From helping them learn how to stay healthy at home to providing instructions on how to order vital medications by mail, our Danvers team is working nonstop in the fight against coronavirus. They are HMS’ first responders, helping to save lives.
Caring For Our Families
The best part of my day is watching your homemade videos. HMSers have welcomed us into their homes, giving us all a wonderful glimpse into their lives. These videos unite us all because they show our humanity and the day-to-day struggles we all share. Whether you are sheltering in place with children, friends, spouses, partners, parents or pets, life can be messy. Your sense of humor and ingenuity always shine through, so please keep those videos coming!
Paying It Forward
Showing up for our communities has never been more important. In addition to supporting our HMS Cares partners, there are things you can do to give back to others and show small acts of kindness. Think about buying lunch for an essential worker, starting a mask-sewing group in your neighborhood, or watching out for an elderly neighbor by delivering that ever-elusive package of toilet paper to his or her front door. I support small, local restaurants that are still doing takeout or delivery. Small businesses have been hit so hard. Bring moments of joy to others and boost your well-being in the process.
Tell Me What You Think
As the coronavirus situation continues to unfold, I’m curious how you think life will change when we return to the office. What do you think you’ll do differently at work? How have your relationships with your coworkers changed? What can we do better if we ever experience another crisis like this? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please share them in the comments section. Stay safe and healthy!
If you follow my blogs, you know my parents shaped my values and the core beliefs I’m still passionate about to this day.
Growing up in Philadelphia, our family didn’t have much money. My mom worked two jobs cleaning doctors’ offices, and my dad worked in a textile factory. But my parents were big believers in the importance of giving back. They expected my siblings and I to share our time and talents to causes we cared about.
HMS’ Mission
At HMS, I’m proud of the work we do to ensure the most vulnerable in our nation have access to quality healthcare through Medicaid. We must never forget that our work ensures this safety net program is available to those who have the fewest resource. I’m equally proud of the work we do to improve people’s health and well-being through our health engagement efforts. In short, we help the healthcare system work better.
Introducing HMS Cares
Our company and its people have a proud history of giving back to communities where we live and work. It’s who we are. And it’s what we do. Today, I’m excited to introduce our new HMS Cares volunteer and giving program. Moving forward, we are partnering with charities aligned to our mission of making the healthcare system work better and helping people live healthy lives.
Working Together in Our Local Communities
HMS now has 11 company-sponsored nonprofits we support with our time, talents, and corporate funding. Many of them address key social determinants of health like fighting hunger, providing a safe place to live, and disaster relief. We will focus our time and funding on these nonprofits.
As a healthcare technology company, we will also inspire girls’ engagement in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Today, only 24% of STEM jobs are held by women—even fewer in computer science and engineering. We can and must do better as a nation. That’s why HMS will do its part to help close the gender gap in STEM careers.
How You Can Help
You can put your passion to work for one of our nonprofit partners by using your eight hours of volunteer PTO. I encourage you to visit the HMS Cares SharePoint site. It includes information about each of the charities HMS now supports.
Pablo Picasso once said, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” I believe that when you have a servant’s heart, you’ll find a way to use your resources and gifts to help others.
Now, it’s time to take action. Use your gifts to serve your local communities. I encourage you to get together as teams to support one or more of our HMS Cares partners.