Absolute Total Care Blog

Effective March 1, 2012, Absolute Total Care will discontinue the adult dental benefit which covers adult members ages 21 and older. The last day of coverage for the adult dental benefit will be Wednesday, February 29, 2012. This change will not affect any other Medicaid benefits. Members will continue to receive their other Medicaid benefits as usual. Please contact our Member Services department at 1-866-433-6041 with any questions about this change.

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Effective March 1, 2012, Absolute Total Care will discontinue the adult dental benefit which covers adult members ages 21 and older. The last day of coverage for the adult dental benefit will be Wednesday, February 29, 2012. This change will not affect any other Medicaid benefits. Members will continue to receive their other Medicaid benefits as usual. Please contact our Member Services department at 1-866-433-6041 with any questions about this change.

This entry is filed under News.

Absolute Total Care has announced the addition of Paul Accardi as its new chief operating officer. In his newly acquired role, Accardi will serve as the lead of operations and strategic growth for the company and is responsible for several key areas, including medical management, quality, member and provider services, marketing and network development.

“Paul brings a strong operational background to Absolute Total Care and will be working with the leadership team to provide excellent service to members, providers and the State of South Carolina,” said Mark Eggert, interim chief executive officer, Absolute Total Care, and executive vice president of health plans, Centene Corporation.  “He is a seasoned healthcare executive whose experience and knowledge will help Absolute Total Care improve the quality of care and the health outcomes of our members, which is a top priority for our health plan.”

Accardi, a veteran healthcare professional, worked for both Liberty Health Advantage and MDNY Healthcare in New York. His experience includes multiple executive management positions in the healthcare sector, as well as the finance and accounting industry. 

Accardi earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Hofstra University, a master of business administration degree in corporate finance and investment theory from Adelphi University and master of healthcare policy and management degree from Columbia University.  He holds several executive certifications, including negotiation from Harvard University School of Law and Six Sigma Quality Management from Villanova University.

This entry is filed under News.

Absolute Total Care has announced the promotion of Bobbi Crimm to vice president of medical management and quality. Crimm oversees several key areas, including quality improvement, pharmacy, utilization management, case management and marketing and communications. Prior to her promotion, she served as senior director of quality.

Crimm joined Centene Corporation, Absolute Total Care’s parent company, in 2005 at its Georgia subsidiary, Peach State Health Plan, where she served as senior director of quality from December 2005 to January 2009. While there, she secured New Health Plan NCQA accreditation for Peach State Health Plan. Under Crimm’s guidance, Absolute Total Care obtained its highest score in company history from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) New Health Plan accreditation as well.

Crimm’s healthcare career spans over 25 years with an emphasis in advancing quality initiatives. Her background includes leadership positions at top healthcare organizations — Emory University Hospital, Matria Healthcare and BlueCross BlueShield of Georgia. A registered nurse with clinical experience, Crimm is a graduate of St. Joseph’s College of Maine with a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration. She earned a master’s degree in business administration from St. Joseph’s College of Maine, as well as Certification in Professional Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) and Six Sigma certification. Crimm is a member of NCQA’s Health Plan Advisory Council.

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Absolute Total Care will soon initiate the implementation of the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Version 5010 in accordance with the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) rules for all EDI transactions.  HIPAA rules mandate that the implementation of EDI Version 5010 will begin January 1, 2012.  From October 1, 2011, through December 31, 2011, Absolute Total Care will support a dual-strategy approach to the implementation of EDI HIPAA Version 5010.  Trading partners will be able to submit version 4010 transactions through December 31, 2011; however, trading partners that have passed the EDI HIPAA Version 5010 testing and certification requirements may send version 5010 transactions beginning October 1, 2011. 

Absolute Total Care is working with Edifecs to ensure a successful transition to the new formats.  Trading partners are required to complete HIPAA Version 5010 testing and certification using the Centene Edifecs Ramp Management Testing Facility.  To obtain access to the HIPAA Version 5010 Companion Guides, sample files, and FAQs trading partners must enroll on the Centene Edifecs Ramp Management site: www.centene.com/edifecs

Additional information regarding HIPAA Version 5010 will be communicated on the Centene Edifecs Ramp Management site and distributed to trading partners that have enrolled for testing on the Centene Edifecs Ramp Management site.  

Questions? Contact the EDI Helpdesk at ediba@centene.com or 1-800-225-2573 X25525.

This entry is filed under News.