Memo
In this memo,
I will talk about our visit to Sierra Health on September 17, 2004. The objective at Sierra Health Services
was to understand the types of services they provide, and potential practicum
projects they have to offer.
Sierra Health
Services started out as a private practice under physician Anthony M. Marlon
M.D. Within ten years of his practice in Southern Nevada,
he founded Health Plan of Nevada which was a health maintenance organization,
to provides comprehensive health care services for a
fixed or prepaid fee. Today, Sierra Health Services is for profit, public
traded organization. The company is traded at the NYSE, under the SIE symbol.
Sierra Health Services was established in 1982, and has continued to grow
since. Main sources of income are from policyholders that pay a premium on a
monthly basis, of which most of them are large businesses.
The first speaker,
Shelly Wike Cranley, is the Vice President of
Government Affairs for Sierra Health Services. The objective of her job is to
push forth legislation and policies which help benefit health care policies in Southern
Nevada. Mrs. Cranley is
currently looking for individuals who are interested in legislative procedures
and policies.
The second
speaker was Linda Lee, project manager of the Quality Improvement and Research.
Mrs. Lee’s department is in charge of the HEDIS program, which stands for
Health Plan Employer data and Information Set. The HEDIS program is a
requirement for NCQA. HEDIS involves
annual reporting to NCQA, center for Medicare and Medicaid services, State of Nevada
and FEHB. Mrs. Lee’s department is looking for someone that will work on the
Baseline Assessment Tool and the Data Submission Tool for submission to the
accrediting body.
The third
speaker was Wendy Ronovech, who is in charge of the Health Education and
Wellness program at Sierra Health Services.
The goal of this department is to help educate employees at major
corporations to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Organizations such as Park Place
Entertainment have been a huge supporter for the Health Education and Wellness
Centers on their property.
Executives at these companies have noticed that the benefits are outstanding,
and risk of health diseases are tremendously reduced, cutting cost
tremendously. The HEW department is looking for individuals to help out the
growth of the HEW by creating databases, and spending times educating employees
on basic nutrition and weight loss techniques.
My overall
assessment of Sierra Health Services is that it’s a corporation focused towards
growth, and a great asset to Southern Nevada. Sierra
Health is the largest HMO in the state, therefore has a stable future.
Management so far has done an outstanding job with the proper management of the
organization. Finally, I feel that Sierra Health Services might be a potential
practicum site for me. The reason is that I foresee growth in the organization,
and a chance to move up; however I would like to review other options before I
limit myself to just one organization and later regret.