CULTURAL COMPETENCY ANNUAL PLAN 11/ /2009 CULTURAL COMPETENCY PLAN 2008

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1 1. SUMMARY: Evercare Florida plans recognize each Evercare health plan must have a Cultural Competency Plan (CCP) that describes how care and services will be delivered in a culturally competent manner. Evercare Florida has a Cultural Competency Plan that focuses on three groups of stakeholders. Enrollees/ Enrollee Representatives Providers Employees 2. CCP 2008 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: Increase awareness of the definition of Cultural Competency to targeted stakeholders. Provide ongoing information and education including resources to stakeholders to ensure that services are provided effectively to enrollees of all cultures. Obtain feedback on the cultural competency of enrollee care, and the success of Evercare s performance and communications with regard to cultural competencies. Improve coordination of enrollee care and increase enrollee involvement in their care through specialized language/cultural Case Manager Caseload assignment to Evercare Florida care managers fluent in Spanish. To continue to meet the demands of our diverse population, Evercare Florida plans monitor the numbers of enrollees whose primary language is non-english or Spanish to use as a guide in Case Manager recruitment efforts. Add cultural competency elements to the CareOne program. It will maintain primary language spoken and self determined ethnicity to our information management system and enrollee record. The program will have a culturally sensitive enrollee assessment. The assessment will assist the case manager with the delivery of service in a culturally competent manner. 3. EDUCATION: Cultural Competency Plan Page 1 of 8

2 A. Enrollee Evercare Florida plans strive to make enrollees/enrollee representatives aware of what cultural competency is and how to gain access to available information. The enrollee focused information available is at a fourth (4) grade comprehension level. The plan uses the Flesch-Kincaid Index in the tools menu of Microsoft Office Word application. Towards that goal: All of Evercare Florida plans materials are printed in both English and Spanish, to meet our enrollee needs and comply with 42 CFR Some of the materials available in English/Spanish include but are not limited to: the HIPAA privacy notice, change in benefits, Notice of Action Letters, Enrollee Handbook, Provider Directory, ID cards and welcome letters and Enrollee Disease Management education materials. In addition, Evercare FSC will produce the Enrollee materials in all other prevalent languages, prevalent languages defined as one spoken by greater than five percent (5%) of the total population in a Florida county. Materials are available in other formats as requested, i.e. Braille, large print, audio, and materials in languages other than Spanish and English are available upon request. All written notices informing enrollees of their right to interpretation and translation services are also available in Spanish. In order to ensure that enrollees/enrollee representatives comprehend the benefits and potential consequences of all aspects of their health care. The Case Manager verifies enrollee comprehension when reviewing the Enrollee Handbook with the Enrollee/Enrollee Representative initially and at subsequent assessments. The Care Manager can access the language line in the enrollee s place of residence should the enrollee need oral translation services for written materials. The enrollee and or / representative are informed of this service and that it is free through the Enrollee Handbook and the Customer Service Tollfree help line. To facilitate access to interpretation/ translation services the enrollee/enrollee representative is instructed by the Case Manager (CM) on how to contact the CM for translation services and how to utilize the language line (offers 161 different languages). Evercare Florida plan care managers are trained in acknowledging differences in cultural groups and being sensitive to religious beliefs. The Care managers are trained to address enrollees in a Holistic approach when conducting Cultural Competency Plan Page 2 of 8

3 B. Provider assessments taking into account enrollee s religious, economic and family beliefs. The Provider Directory identifies providers who are proficient or have staff who are proficient in languages other than English. Evercare Florida plans strive to increase cultural awareness of providers and educate them on how to obtain available resources. Information is provided through, but is not limited to, these resources: Benefits of a culturally competent approach to care. Provider Manuals explain the importance of cultural awareness within the provider network. Provider Representatives will assist providers with how to obtain information on Cultural Competency and they encourage providers to be culturally aware. Customer Service is able to instruct the provider in using the telephonic translation service. C. Employee Employees are instructed in cultural competency using information provided through, but not limited to, the methods listed below: Training and education through internal/external vendors. This includes the UnitedHealth Group intranet site Learnwell, which houses Computer Based Training (CBT) courses in cultural proficiency. Employees are required to complete the cultural proficiency courses upon orientation and as they are updated and /or new training is developed. Evercare Florida plans obtain employee feedback after cultural competency trainings are completed. Staff meetings. Department meetings. Employees are educated on how to access translation services during orientation and as needed. Employees receive a calendar each year that describes the cultural holidays, beliefs and other information about diverse cultural groups. All Evercare employees received, The International Diversity & Inclusion Lexicon published by Profiles in Diversity Journal 2007, Westlake, OH... Cultural Competency Plan Page 3 of 8

4 When culturally sensitive assessments are added to the CareOne general assessment tool, care managers will be trained on how to complete the assessment and how to follow up on indicators. The CareOne assessment will be enhanced to include questions pertaining to cultural differences and will provide triggers for additional assessments to be completed. The additional assessments triggered will be specific to the enrollee s cultural identifiers. Evercare Florida plans care managers are trained in acknowledging differences in people, they are trained to address the needs of their enrollees in a Holistic approach taking into consideration their religious, cultural, economic situation and family beliefs. D. Provider Online Education Participating Providers can access the UnitedHealthcare (UHC) website through links on the Evercare website The UHC website provides a link to Cultural Competency Continuing Education Programs on the DHHS Office of Minority Health website. From this website providers can find a wealth of information related to Cultural Competency in the health care arena. The Provider Administrative Manual lists the DHHS website for provider education resources and the Evercare website to view FSC Cultural Competency Program. 4. Corporate Level Activities On February 27 th, 2006 Ovations and United Health Group received The Advisory Council Report submitted to : Language Services Associates, Inc. for Ovations and UnitedHealth Group Submitted by: Philadelphia Health Management Corporation. The report summarizes the findings from 15 Advisory Council Discussion Groups, which were held in January and February The project was conducted by Language Services Associates, Inc. Language Services Associates is an innovative cultural and language services company. The Advisory Councils were facilitated by staff of the Philadelphia Health Management Corporation (PHMC), who also completed the report. PHMC is a nonprofit public health Cultural Competency Plan Page 4 of 8

5 organization committed to improving the health of the community through outreach, education, research, planning, technical assistance and direct services. The purpose of the Advisory Councils was to collect information on the health and wellness beliefs and end of life traditions of individuals in the United States who were originally from each of these countries or speak that particular language. Each Advisory Council was composed of six to eight representatives of a culture or speakers of a particular language. The information will be used to improve the cultural proficiency of the health care providers employed by Ovations and UnitedHealth Group. UnitedHealth Group (UHG) has long been committed to building an inclusive, supportive workplace for all our employees, as well as to designing health benefit products and services that best meet the needs of our unique customer populations. UHG recently formed a Diversity and Inclusion Council to help better translate the company commitment to diversity throughout the enterprise into actionable results. The nine senior managers comprising the council met for the first time on October 4, The first meeting focused on setting into motion the council s analysis of current practices and forging ahead with a broad agenda of integrating diversity and inclusion strategies throughout the businesses. Our initial objectives fall into three core areas: Recruitment and Strategic Sourcing Bringing more diverse candidates to the workforce of UnitedHealth Group and all our businesses; reviewing the practices and policies of our suppliers and vendors to ensure their diversity goals and benchmarks mesh with our own. Retention Analysis Improving our diversity training and practices across the enterprise to better retain talented employees of all races, genders and backgrounds. Emerging Market Opportunities Offering more products and services that meet the specific health care needs of people in ethnic and other nontraditional market segments and serve them more effectively. The council will continue to provide updates on council activities as they develop. Periodically, the council will seek formal input on UHG progress through surveys Cultural Competency Plan Page 5 of 8

6 and other channels. Employees are encouraged to provide feedback to their managers as ideas or suggestions arise. Managers should direct feedback to their Human Capital Partners who will ensure that it is passed along to the council. The council encourages each employee to consider and implement all the ways in which an inclusive perspective can more actively enhance their work. It is critical that UHG continue to view diversity not as a program bolted onto the business, but as an integral part of the business itself. 5. CCP Assessment: Our assessment of CCP-YE 2009 will be based on feedback from the Quality Department, Provider Relations, and Care Managers. Other sources shall include but are not limited to 1915 (c) Waiver Enrollee Satisfaction Surveys, CAHPS, Provider Satisfaction Surveys and Grievance & Appeals reports. The data will be analyzed comparative to English only results and across cultural groups if relevant. Provider Relations outreaches to our physicians and provider community on a regular basis. They complete education concerning provider responsibilities, covered services, and submitting claims. In addition, in-services and training are provided upon request and/or as needed. Providers are given a Provider Administrative Manual to serve as a reference for plan services. The manual includes information on how to look up the FSC Cultural Competency Program online as well as how to access free provider training modules for CEUs on Cultural Diversity in health care on the DHHS website. The feedback received from Employees will play a vital role in obtaining pertinent information that directly impacts our enrollees and their representatives. The care managers communicate regularly with enrollees and providers alike. They are in an ideal position to identify and elevate issues that lead to enhancing a Culturally Competent approach to service delivery. The tools we will use to maximize outreach to our diverse enrollee population include but are not limited to the following; Cultural Competency Plan Page 6 of 8

7 Addressing language barriers -- Our front line staff, Care managers and Customer Service Representatives have the ability to access bilingual staff. In our Case Management department, we have staff fluent in Spanish. In our Customer Service Department, we have staff fluent in Spanish. Anything beyond our ability to handle at the local level, staff will utilize the language line. Language line This line employs over 2,000 interpreters, the only company with medically certified interpreters in the top 22 languages, and proficient in 161 languages, are available to all enrollees/enrollees 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Dual head-set telephones were provided for the case management department at all our office sites throughout the state. The dual headsets eliminate the necessity of having a family or friend to act as a translator and provide a better opportunity for the enrollee to actively participate and direct their own care. The 5-Wishes booklet serves as a form of Advanced Directives and is a tool that provides the enrollee information on how to express their wishes including Advance Directives in a culturally competent manner. It is available in both English and Spanish, it is easy to use and understand but most importantly it allows the enrollee the ability to plan and express their end of life wishes. 6. Plan Evaluation Guidelines for 2009 Evercare Florida plans will determine the effectiveness of its CCP- YE 2008 Plan, Goals, and Objectives by a review of the following areas: Enrollee feedback and Enrollee Grievances related to Cultural Competency issues. Provider feedback. Feedback from meetings where Cultural Competency has been discussed. Case management staff feedback/recommendations. Feedback from other Evercare departments. Quality Management s tracking and trending of any formal concerns surrounding Cultural Competency issues. Progress towards and attainment of goals. Addition of cultural competency as a section on the Evercare website ( that is available to enrollees and providers. Education Materials Developing Cultural Proficiency (Attachment A) Cultural Competency Plan Page 7 of 8

8 Cultural Considerations for Caregivers (Attachment B) Overview of Language Line Services (Attachment C) Advisory Council Report (Attachment D) Diversity Council Training Memo to all Employees regarding new CBT on Learnwell (Attachment E) Cultural Competency Notification to Health Care Providers on How to Access Web Based Training (Attachment F) Cultural Competency Plan Page 8 of 8