Charles Hallberg bet the farm several times in the early days of
MemberHealth Inc. He says when your business is small, every risk is great,
but you must attack it to succeed.
Hallberg, president and CEO of the Solon-based prescription benefit management
company, has led MemberHealth through a
tumultuous time of tremendous growth.
At the end of 2005, the company had $215
million in revenue. By the end of 2006, that
number had grown to $1.2 billion.
With rapid growth like that, Hallberg had
to make some major adjustments. One of
them was allowing his pharmacists to utilize
their training in tasks other than counting
pills. Hallberg thought the six years of education and training pharmacists receive was
underutilized. So, MemberHealth provides
an incentive program for pharmacists who
are able to safely and economically convert
patients from expensive branded drugs to
much less expensive generics.
Hallberg’s approach to employees is guided by MemberHealth’s core values. He
encourages employees to be innovative
and competitive, and in return, the company provides an environment that nurtures
those who want to achieve greatness.
One of the company’s innovations in team
communication is the “huddle.” Huddles are
a tool for improving communication speed
and value throughout management teams,
across departments and project teams.
The huddle provides several specific benefits to the managers. In less than 15 minutes, it allows them to learn whether or not
every staff member knows his or her priorities. It also gives opportunities to say
“good morning” to teammates or congratulate them on a job well done. A quick team
huddle allows a manager to be confident
that no new problems remain unexposed
for more than 24 hours, and it also allows
managers to make changes on the fly to
take tasks off a too-busy person’s plate.
Hallberg says the company culture
is more open because employees are empowered — and expected — to discuss
any concerns with their direct management. Team members freely collaborate to
solve problems and improve on ideas, in
the way that Hallberg designed.
HOW TO REACH: MemberHealth Inc., (440) 248-8448 or
www.mhrx.com