Analysis: Medicaid Inefficiencies Cost Ohio Taxpayers Nearly $900 Million per Year
Columbus, OH, January 06, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Governor Kasich must change government culture to succeed, expert says. An analysis by the former Performance Measures Manager for the Ohio Department of Aging has uncovered between $800-$900 million dollars in unnecessary annual Medicaid spending by the state of Ohio.
The analysis, conducted by performance management expert, Sheri Chaney Jones, bases this estimate on cost savings that could be recovered immediately by expanding the availability of home and community-based Medicaid waiver programs to Medicaid eligible individuals.
“Home and community-based services allow seniors to stay in their own homes or home-like settings with excellent quality care at one third the cost of nursing facility care,” says Jones.
“Ohio currently lags the national average in utilizing home and community-based care. Simply bringing Ohio up to the national average will save taxpayers $800-$900 million annually. This common sense change can be made immediately and with few changes in policy.”
Jones has identified further savings that can be realized through government restructuring and the implementation of performance management systems, but says that incoming Governor, John Kasich, must focus on changing government culture in order to successfully eliminate Ohio’s budget woes.
“It’s as much about people as it is numbers,” says Jones. “Motivating employees in the face of budget cuts and downsizing is a difficult challenge for any executive.”
“Fortunately, the blueprint for these cost savings already exists,” Jones asserts. “We’ve seen it done in Iowa, Galveston County, Texas and Coral Spring, Florida. All of these governments were able to dramatically lower costs while simultaneously boosting performance measures.”
“The key is implementing a high performance culture. Leaner, more efficient government doesn’t have to mean sacrificing quality. With the right plan in place, you actually achieve better results while reducing the tax burden.”
About Sheri Chaney Jones
Sheri Chaney Jones is President of Measurement Resources Company and brings more than 10 years of experience to the areas of performance analysis, organizational efficiency, and high performance work cultures in public and private organizations.
Sheri formerly served as Performance Measures Manager for the Ohio Department of Aging and Deputy Director of Performance Evaluation for the Franklin County Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court. Sheri teaches Organizational Behavior at Franklin University. Sheri holds an M.A. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Central Michigan University and a B.S. with Distinction in Psychology from The Ohio State University.
Interviews and Background
The nationwide state government budget crisis is poised to be the hot topic of 2011. Ohio, with a projected state budget deficit of $8 billion, is no exception to the difficult challenges that lie ahead for governments and taxpayers alike.
Sheri Chaney Jones is available for speaking engagements and interviews on a variety of topics concerning the impending cost cutting and restructuring of local and state governments, including:
Government streamlining: How to remove bureaucratic cultural barriers and provide greater organizational efficiency in order to deliver greater value to overburdened taxpayers.
High performance cultures: What they are, who is using them, why they outperform other work cultures and how they can help state and local governments cut costs without sacrificing quality of service.
Aligning outcomes with human resources: How to motivate employees who are working within difficult, budget cutting environments and get them on board with changes that they may view as threatening.
Performance gaps between governmental agencies: Which Ohio agencies outperform, which lag, and what can be done about it.
Case studies: The groundbreaking techniques that select local and state governments are using to improve service in the most challenging economic environment in a generation.
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The analysis, conducted by performance management expert, Sheri Chaney Jones, bases this estimate on cost savings that could be recovered immediately by expanding the availability of home and community-based Medicaid waiver programs to Medicaid eligible individuals.
“Home and community-based services allow seniors to stay in their own homes or home-like settings with excellent quality care at one third the cost of nursing facility care,” says Jones.
“Ohio currently lags the national average in utilizing home and community-based care. Simply bringing Ohio up to the national average will save taxpayers $800-$900 million annually. This common sense change can be made immediately and with few changes in policy.”
Jones has identified further savings that can be realized through government restructuring and the implementation of performance management systems, but says that incoming Governor, John Kasich, must focus on changing government culture in order to successfully eliminate Ohio’s budget woes.
“It’s as much about people as it is numbers,” says Jones. “Motivating employees in the face of budget cuts and downsizing is a difficult challenge for any executive.”
“Fortunately, the blueprint for these cost savings already exists,” Jones asserts. “We’ve seen it done in Iowa, Galveston County, Texas and Coral Spring, Florida. All of these governments were able to dramatically lower costs while simultaneously boosting performance measures.”
“The key is implementing a high performance culture. Leaner, more efficient government doesn’t have to mean sacrificing quality. With the right plan in place, you actually achieve better results while reducing the tax burden.”
About Sheri Chaney Jones
Sheri Chaney Jones is President of Measurement Resources Company and brings more than 10 years of experience to the areas of performance analysis, organizational efficiency, and high performance work cultures in public and private organizations.
Sheri formerly served as Performance Measures Manager for the Ohio Department of Aging and Deputy Director of Performance Evaluation for the Franklin County Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court. Sheri teaches Organizational Behavior at Franklin University. Sheri holds an M.A. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Central Michigan University and a B.S. with Distinction in Psychology from The Ohio State University.
Interviews and Background
The nationwide state government budget crisis is poised to be the hot topic of 2011. Ohio, with a projected state budget deficit of $8 billion, is no exception to the difficult challenges that lie ahead for governments and taxpayers alike.
Sheri Chaney Jones is available for speaking engagements and interviews on a variety of topics concerning the impending cost cutting and restructuring of local and state governments, including:
Government streamlining: How to remove bureaucratic cultural barriers and provide greater organizational efficiency in order to deliver greater value to overburdened taxpayers.
High performance cultures: What they are, who is using them, why they outperform other work cultures and how they can help state and local governments cut costs without sacrificing quality of service.
Aligning outcomes with human resources: How to motivate employees who are working within difficult, budget cutting environments and get them on board with changes that they may view as threatening.
Performance gaps between governmental agencies: Which Ohio agencies outperform, which lag, and what can be done about it.
Case studies: The groundbreaking techniques that select local and state governments are using to improve service in the most challenging economic environment in a generation.
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Contact
Measurement Resources Company
Sheri Chaney Jones
614-893-0773
www.measurementresourcesco.com
Sheri Chaney Jones
614-893-0773
www.measurementresourcesco.com
Contact
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