Hillsborough County Health and Social Services, Creation of a Medical Certification Unit

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

Creation of a central certification unit has enhanced the cost-effectiveness of the Hillsborough County Health Care Program (HCHCP). Dedication of a small number of staff in an off-site location to a more focused and streamlined eligibility process has allowed workers at neighborhood-based community centers more time to case manage clients with multiple barriers to self-sufficiency. Comparison of outcomes for six months prior to the unit’s creation reveal several statistics. The number of families moving out of poverty is up from 201 to 912, an increase of 453 percent. The number of individuals enrolled in the HCHCP increased by 18 percent, from 13,524 to 15,922. The medication certification process itself began as a pilot in February to test whether the existing enrollment process could be streamlined by establishing a centralized enrollment unit. Initially, partner agencies agreed to help their clients fill out and submit application packets for certification unit staff to review. Later HHS, utilized in-house staff expertise to design and test an online system that replaced the paper process. Community partners were trained by HSS staff on how to help clients navigate the new electronic process. The new unit has proved so successful that additional staff was assigned to handle what quickly became an increased number of applications.