OptumRx
Company: OptumRx, Costa Mesa, CA
Company Description: OptumRx uses a proven, collaborative approach to pharmacy benefit management to ensure that customers receive innovative solutions, the best possible clinical outcomes and meaningful service at the lowest cost. We will leverage our health care knowledge and clinical expertise to become the country’s leading PBM company, developing products and services that improve and enhance people’s
Nomination Category: Solution Provider Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service or Call Center Training Practice of the Year
Nomination Title: OptumRx Training Practice of the Year - Leading Through Supervision
Tell the story about what this nominated organization has achieved since the beginning of July 2011 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
OptumRx maintains an ongoing and dedicated commitment to continuous improvement in customer service training. The most critical issue facing the company is an explosive growth and meeting the demands of a rapidly expanding work force. As the work force increases, the need for additional Supervisors also increases. While all are proven practitioners, many have little experience supervising a team, First-line Supervisors are the target audience for Leading Through SuperVision (LTS). The LTS topics selected for the curriculum addressed observed areas of need and mirrored our award winning Managing From the Middle program for Managers.
Leading Through SuperVision consists of 12, 2-hour modules covering the principles and practical applications crucial for effective supervision. Topics selected focused on Team Leadership, Building a Successful Team, Communications, Coaching, Employee Evaluation and Motivation, Problem Solving, and Decision Making. Curriculum combines instructor-led presentations, highly participatory learning experiences (role play, teams, presentations), multimedia, and guest interactions with managers and directors. In this effort, OptumRx Learning developed a series of curriculum modules, using the latest research in adult learning theory, of chunking, metacognition, and sequencing that focused on hands on (learning by doing) activities to hold attention and ensure the adult learner’s retention. In addition to the traditional instructor led classroom, OptumRx Learning developed videos to reinforce concepts and to allow the visual learners to easily engage the concepts.
The corporate principles of Our United Culture (Integrity, Compassion, Relationships, Innovation, and Performance) are blended throughout the modules and activities, and assigned readings are reinforced in the content. In addition participants receive a collection of useful resources, such as job aids, articles, success tips, worksheets, templates, forms, and more. The learning material and classroom instruction are supplemented by reading assignments, including books and articles. These books and articles used real stories that related to the workplace of the participants and provided information on how others have dealt with situations. Participants received 48 tools including: 13 Leadership and Team building tools, 22 Communication and Coaching tools, 6 Evaluation and Motivation tools, 7 Problem Solving and Decision Making tools as well as resource pages identifying additional tools not addressed during the course. A Cap-Stone activity culminated the course where participants were provided activities that drew upon learning to solve real-world situations facing Supervisors.
Training to exceed the expectations of our customers is a defining value for our company. Recognition by the 2009, 2011 and 2012 ASTD BEST Award for Training and Development, the 2011 Learning Elite Award from the Chief Learning Officer Journal, and Achievers Fifty Most Engaged Workplaces 2011 reinforces to us that we are on the right track as we constantly work to improve our training.
Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader of this nominated company:
William Garrick, MBA, serves as Senior Director OptumRx Learning.
Will taught school before becoming part of the aerospace industry for 20 years with the Boeing Corporation. Will came into the health care industry at Providence Healthcare Systems, where he gained his Six Sigma Black Belt qualification. He joined PacifiCare in Cypress, California as Learning Manager in 2004 and moved on to be manager of Instructional Design with Uniprise after the merger with UnitedHealth Group. In 2006, Will joined OptumRx as Director of OptumRx Learning. Will received his Bachelor’s degree in Education and earned his Master’s degree in Organizational Development.