March 31, 2017 (Smithfield) Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island (Neighborhood) is excited to announce that Michelle Lupoli, RN, Vice President of Medical Management, has received the “Dr. Martin L. Block Award for Innovation and Excellence” from RISE, a national association committed to bringing together, supporting, and educating healthcare professionals involved in the healthcare reform movement. Michelle received the recognition at RISE’s annual conference in Nashville, Tennessee earlier this month.
As Vice President of Medical Management at Neighborhood, Michelle has redesigned the insurer’s strategy for working with its members, moving from a traditional, clinical managed care telephonic approach to a face-to-face, inter-disciplinary team approach, incorporating community outreach workers and other specialists. Additionally, Michelle created the Integrated Behavioral Health program which assists Neighborhood’s care management teams in their efforts to support Neighborhood’s most medically fragile members.
The RISE (Resource Initiative & Society for Education) Association prides itself on being the first association dedicated to empowering healthcare professionals to meet the evolving world of accountable care and healthcare reform. Each year, RISE chooses to honor someone who “who has made a significant impact in the lives of America’s seniors through clinical leadership, policy vision or through superior example of RISE’s mission to promote continuous improvement in the health care system”. The award is named after Martin Block, an Arizona-based physician who devoted his life to improving the lives of America’s seniors through leadership, vision, and continuous innovation in health care.
“We are incredibly proud of the tremendous work Michelle has done on the behalf of Neighborhood’s members,” said Peter Marino, President and CEO of Neighborhood. “The RISE committee was particularly impressed with Michelle’s excellent history of developing a continuum of care that includes Long Term Care Services and Supports for Neighborhood’s members who are dually-eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. I’m happy to see Michelle’s dedication to Rhode Island’s most at-risk residents be recognized at the national level. It’s well-deserved.”
RISE also praised Michelle for the partnership she fostered with the Rhode Island Department of Elderly Affairs in support of continuity of care programs, as well as for her work in establishing a Nurse Practitioner Rounding Program that focuses on increasing the quality of care for Neighborhood members who live in nursing homes.
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About Neighborhood:
Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island is a non-profit HMO that was founded in 1993 in partnership with Rhode Island’s Community Health Centers. Currently serving more than 190,000 members, Neighborhood has doubled in membership, revenue and staff since November 2013 as a result of the Affordable Care Act and decisions state leaders have made to extend coverage to more Rhode Islanders. Neighborhood has also extended its service, benefits and value to individuals and businesses through HealthSource RI – the state’s health insurance exchange; Neighborhood serves 52% of the RI exchange market. Neighborhood has been rated by National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as one of the top Medicaid health plans in America every single year since ratings began – one of only two organizations in the country to have this distinction.