UPMC for Life member gets custom care from Health Care Concierge

Dolores McIlvain loves the service she gets from UPMC Health Plan. And now, to her delight, she can put a name and a face on that service — Mark Henderson. “Mark is just amazing…he’s a keeper,” says Dolores.

Dolores recently joined UPMC for Life, UPMC Health Plan’s Medicare Advantage plan. Mark is the Health Care Concierge who helped her navigate the sometimes confusing world of Medicare coverage.

The service Mark provided to Dolores is a good example of the value we offer our members every day, in terms of service that is dedicated, personal, and efficient.

For many years, Dolores worked as office manager for a physician practice. “I loved my job. I loved working with people,” she says. In her position, Dolores was responsible for hiring staff. “I knew what it meant to try to find someone with good people skills. Mark has everything I would look for in an employee, and more.”

Because she was still working and had health care coverage from her employer, Dolores did not immediately sign up for Medicare when she became eligible. She was unaware, however, that she was automatically assigned to a plan by the federal Medicare program. This caused some paperwork problems when she attempted to sign up for UPMC for Life, the Health Plan‘s Medicare Advantage plan.

When Dolores called UPMC Health Plan’s call center for help, it was Mark who answered the phone. “Mark was unbelievable,” says Dolores. “He went above and beyond. He researched my situation and checked with his supervisor when he needed more information. During the time we worked together on my problem, he never left me hanging, wondering what was going on. He called me and kept me informed of the status.”

“When I saw Mrs. McIlvain’s address, it caught my interest,” says Mark. “We discovered we both had a connection to the neighborhood where I grew up. It helps if you can find something you and the member have in common — you establish a rapport.”

Mark’s persistence in pursuing the facts of her case eventually resulted in a clearing up of the paperwork for Dolores. Dolores and her husband signed up as UPMC for Life members in December of 2009 and have been satisfied ever since.

“I trust UPMC,” states Dolores. “I would never go anywhere else.”