Nearly 65 people will lose their jobs at UMass Medical School after the school’s Commonwealth Division ended a contract with MassHealth.
According to Mark Shelton, spokesman for Commonwealth Medicine, MassHealth requested services of the school that were beyond what Commonwealth Medicine could provide, so the UMass division did not bid on a new contract.
Commonwealth Medicine, the school’s public service consulting and operations division, had been providing prior authorization services for MassHealth through the division’s Disability and Community Services Department since 1999. On Feb. 28, MassHealth announced a new contract with Optum Government Solutions/United Healthcare for the services.
On Feb. 28, MassHealth announced a new contract with Optum Government Solutions/United Healthcare for the services.
About 65 employees at the school’s Shrewsbury campus will be affected by the contract change. Some employees will have the option to seek employment with Optum.
Optum’s new contract will bring in nearly 90 full-time employees, the Telegram & Gazette reports.
In this role, Optum will serve as a third-party administrator for MassHealth’s Long-Term Services and Supports program, which provides home health services for the elderly and individuals with disabilities.
Date:April 25, 2017