Erik Gross Email & Phone Number

Hartford, Ct, Us

Optum Serve

Part of the Optum Health Care Delivery - Operational and Engineering Excellence Team, tasked with improving overall customer experience by establishing a regional issue management and application support model for growing markets and clinics within UnitedHealth Group / OptumCare.

United States

Recruited to lead highly visible team responsible for critical-to-quality initiatives centered on optimizing workflows, increasing compliance, and supporting change within provider-facing departments. Conducted optimization on escalation and remediation workflows until position was consolidated as part of company-wide reduction in force in April 2022.• Cut Provider Operations remediation timelines from 20+ to three days, increased QA scores, and improved damaged provider relationships by standardizing escalations processes for local and off-shore teams in compliance with regulations.• Piloted utilization management program to improve data quality and reduce wasted resources by overhauling processes for handling returned and undeliverable as addressed (UAA) return mail pieces currently costing Anthem $0.30/piece for minimum of 5M pieces annually. o Documented inconsistencies in execution of standard operating procedures for returned mail pieces. o Proposed processes for automating OCR data lift of consolidated scanned mail pieces by region to deliver visibility into opportunities for improved handling of return mail program.

Hartford, Connecticut Area

Directed critical reengineering projects that identified opportunities to define current and future states and improve productivity, increase available capacity, boost accuracy and timeliness, reduce workflow waste, and decrease costs, driving operational efficiency and effectiveness. Assisted in cross-functional redesign of customer experience journey. ADKAR certified.• Served as sole process engineer on $10M transformation of customer experience journey in collaboration with UX, customer service, product development, finance, and risk management groups.• Piloted program to improve customer education and increase upselling opportunities by developing compliant processes to encourage direct engagement from existing customers.• Imagined and executed compliant new methodologies for collecting customer contact information from agents.• Decreased average handling times for business insurance lines by optimizing product and compliance processes.• Regularly presented ideas, strategies, and results to C-suite executives.

Hartford, Connecticut

Promoted to partner with and advocate for Medicare and retirement technology operations, acting as a translation point between business and technology divisions. Create and deliver productivity reports for management, proactively identify and resolve risk, and drive continuous process improvements.• Prepare for, monitor, and assess/adapt operational performance for annual peak usage during Medicare & retirement open enrollment (an 8-week, $74B sales period). • Realize 99.96% system uptime during critical business periods by creating stable, consistent systems across remote, offshore, and on-site vendors.• Improve vendor relations and communications by creating a consolidated visual dashboard for tracking and reporting information from 6+ vendors.• Influence leaders to implement solution architecture recommendations and align initiatives with corporate roadmap to create organizational behaviors that positively impact the bottom line.• Participate in segment wide program activities. Drive cross-functional teams, application deep dives, peak season readiness and audits.• Communicate systems health and business impact to business leadership and key IT stakeholders.

Hartford, Connecticut Area

Consulted as a strategic business partner and trusted advisor to enable improvements and increase IT value while driving quality and inspiring process excellence throughout Optum Technology’s E&I software development division using Lean and Six Sigma continuous improvement methodologies. SAFe certified.• Realized $11.8M in savings by identifying solutions and opportunities across projects in the infrastructure, software development, privacy/security, pharmacy, and disaster recovery spaces.• Product and relationship owner for Swift-Kanban toolset with 1400 active users.• Facilitated large LSS project for interactive voice response system (IVR), developing customer experience maps and closing coverage gaps with solutions that actualized $70M ROI.• Mentored and certified 4 Six Sigma Green Belts while serving as a cultural ambassador.• Launched multiple transformative events and projects to create a culture of quality, providing training in change management, data/statistical analysis, Lean, Kanban, Six Sigma, Scrum, Agile, and SDLC methodologies.

Hartford, Connecticut Area

Directed $50M worth of contracted enterprise print services. Managed 3K+ multifunctional managed print devices while supporting server and software services across 300+ domestic and international facilities. Executed highly complex corporate communications deployments and coordinated the activity of 2K+ business segment liaisons at 250 locations. Secured NAC government access. • Realized 20% device reduction and equipment replacement at 95% of sites 2 months ahead of schedule as project manager of significant equipment upgrade project.• Exceeded 90% site activation goals by 7% with on-time, on-budget deliverables as leader of major print infrastructure project, delivering a 10% page count reduction and improved compliance.• Implemented corporate print deployment plan for Tricare Health Centers in preparation for UHG’s Tricare launch and ensured stakeholder engagement.• Devised a multi-phased approach to deliver integrated hardware and software improvements that enhanced user experience for multi-functional devices, coordinating up to 20 sites concurrently.

South Windsor, Ct

Managed technology projects, vendor relations, and departmental operations for team providing technical support, training, and onboarding to diverse client base. Oversaw variable data composition, image resource creation, print file management/translation, and development for archival and e-presentment systems. Project managed process improvement initiatives using several efficiency methodologies.• Improved operational efficiency 15% by increasing rapid application software delivery capabilities.• Led 3 team acquisition and site consolidation efforts over 10 years, successfully integrating personnel and processes to meet corporate objectives.• Administered all department functions, including budget development/oversight, profit analysis, deliverables, systems integration and deployment, and associate management/development.• Project managed on-time, on-budget system development lifecycles for hundreds of new and existing applications, overseeing business requirements, technical design, and system specs.• Coordinated all vendor activities, including licensing, installations, versioning, database management, validations, integrations, performance, defect escalations, and regression test plans.• Trained internal and external customers on application functionalities.• Conducted market research for specific hardware and software purchases: requirements gathering, vendor relations, documentation, and proof of concept test execution including performance analysis.• Evaluated team member’s performance levels and developed quarterly professional development action plans.• Handled vendor relations and profit analysis on all software and associated charges identifying new opportunities for optimizing cost savings.

New York, New York, United States

• Worked with five account managers at a startup imaging location inside of customers (Conde Nast) headquarters to directly assist in the imaging prepress preparation of their thirteen monthly magazine titles.• Supervised two staff members and coordinated with Permissions, Promotions, and Circulation Departments, as well as reprints for all magazines to provide hi-resolution images, fonts and digital material; converted files to desired formats for advertisements and reprints. • Coordinated efforts between two locations in NYC as well as three other remote plants to accomplish work.

Wisconsin, United States

• Worked "hands on" in many departments and locations. Learned manufacturing processes and machinery used in offset web printing including: prepress imaging, rotogravure printing, and finishing print production. • Organized and facilitated the assembly and preparation of monthly magazines and a clothing catalog. • Hired into sought after corporate trainee program by founder and president of Quad/Graphics.

Lean And Six Sigma Quality Certification

Ms Technology Management

Bs Industrial Technology And Graphic Communications