TAMPA, Fla., April 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- It's awards
season, and the WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) (WellCare)
Legal team is celebrating being named Legal Department of the Year
by the Daily Business Review in the 2019 Florida Legal
Awards. This well-deserved award highlights WellCare's Legal
department for their hard work in representing WellCare nationwide,
protecting the company's interests and serving as a trusted advisor
across a multitude of matters.
The Florida Legal Awards spotlight the state's top in-house
legal departments in distinct categories. The awards are based on
success stories: how a given corporate counsel's office, regardless
of its size, came up with innovative programs, used ingenuity to
solve problems or surmounted a scarcity of resources and still
delivered a high quality of client service.
"I'm incredibly proud of the amazing work that our team has
accomplished over the last few years to ensure that WellCare's
reputation and commitment to our members are consistently protected
and represented," said WellCare's Executive Vice President, General
Counsel and Secretary Anat Hakim.
"Our talented and diverse team of attorneys and support staff
across the country are dedicated to the company's values and are
invaluable business partners for our leadership and their teams,
who work tirelessly to position WellCare as a healthcare
leader."
Hakim joined WellCare in 2016 and began transforming the Legal
department. Under her leadership, the company undertook a strategic
review of the structure, talent and culture across the Legal
department. One of the first changes implemented was a
restructuring, which moved over 50% of the department's attorneys
into markets outside Tampa and
created a regional attorney support model. This resulted in
increased collaboration between Legal and WellCare's markets.
Improvements in the approach to litigation resulted in a
significant reduction of the litigation docket, an overhaul of
WellCare's outside litigation counsel panel, and the use of
alternative billing arrangements, all of which led to increased
efficiencies, reduced litigation costs and quality improvements.
Likewise, technology enhancements implemented by a newly-created
Legal Operations team automated several legal processes that were
previously handled manually, resulting in further increased
efficiencies and productivity within the department. Finally, on
the mergers and acquisitions front, the WellCare legal department
was front and center leading the company's multiple acquisitions
over the last two to three years, helping to drive WellCare's
growth.
In March, Hakim and Corporate Counsel Rachelle Sico received the Tampa Bay Business
Journal's 2019 Top Corporate Counsel and Top Corporate Counsel
Rising Star awards, respectively. Hakim was also named to
The Legal 500 GC Powerlist, which recognizes the
nation's most influential and innovative General Counsel.
About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
Headquartered in
Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health
Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) focuses primarily on providing
government-sponsored managed care services to families, children,
seniors and individuals with complex medical needs primarily
through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug
Plans, as well as individuals in the Health Insurance Marketplace.
WellCare serves approximately 5.5 million members nationwide as of
December 31, 2018. For more
information about WellCare, please visit the company's website at
www.wellcare.com.
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SOURCE WellCare Health Plans, Inc.