software engineer

customer service representative

senior claims analyst

project manager

operations associate

PacificSource Health Plans

February 2020. PacificSource has abandoned its core value of "Doing what is right", and adopted a new value, "Doing what is right (for Us.)"

Throughout my 18 month experience at PacificSource in the Boise, ID location, I have witnessed over the past 6 months arguably the worst decline in organizational health that I've ever seen. Due to overly- aggressive growth over the past 6 months, PacificSource has forsaken its customer service employees in order to fulfill extremely unrealistic demands that they were unprepared to handle. Please note that I truly feel that my comments here are not exaggerated. 

Referring to the Boise Medicare/Medicaid Customer Service department: 

1.) Customer Service Employees are becoming deprived of their voice and of their dignity by Team Leads. Employees who privately voice their concerns are punished for arbitrary reasons presumably related to performance. 

2.) Team Leads are pushing their best employees too far in order to compensate for the employees that should have never been hired in the first place.

3.) An astounding number of exemplary, top performing reps have either transferred to other departments for equal pay, or resigned. This is no coincidence. Management is failing to retain their best employees, which from an optics standpoint has demolished their employee's trust.

4.) Attrition and Turnover should be an enormous concern for leadership at this point. I am not kidding when I say that employees who carry 1yr with this department are referred to as "Veterans." 

5.) Team Leads show no intention of taking ownership of their flaws and continue to blame their subordinates in exchange. 

6.) Unhealthy social rankings among customer service employees is no different than a High School Cafeteria. 

Please steer away from working for this company if you aspire to do more than fill a seat! Right now they are not seeking talent, they are looking for people that want nothing more than a paycheck. You will be discouraged for wanting to do more. You will suffer for being true to your morals. You will be fooled into thinking that you are indispensable, only to find out one day that the opportunities you were promised, never existed.

A typical day at work would include managing case loads that are probably meant for LCSW. Making appointments for cancer treatments, helping people access flex funds for different items, whether it be a hotel room to stay in or a cane, helping people navigate the healthcare system by trying to get them Senior and Disabled Services, housing, food, find out who would manage a pay out for SSI, make sure those funds were being used for what they were meant to....I mean, you name it, that's what I did. Again, probably LCSW worthy work the more I got into it. What they failed to mention is that you're on the phone quite a bit all day, when they said you're not on the phone all the time. Turns out, you are. All the time, all day long. I was told that I'd be in a queue and that the queue was quiet for the most part, maybe take 4 or 5 calls a day. They also failed to mention that they turn on robot calls during the week and you have to work in the queue. Fine, whatever, but the robot calls that went out often caused confusion for our members and it took longer to figure out what they were actually calling for because even they couldn't figure out why they were called. This coupled with the 17-20 cases they assign everyone that was mandatory we reach out every day, or very often felt very overwhelming. Management was not understanding and neither was HR. I felt very brushed aside. My advice is to make sure this is the company you want to be associated with because they don't seem to care about their employees mental health or health problems in general. They have a 6 month policy that you have to stay in the job, so watch out. If you don't like your position you still have to wait the full 6 months to move, doesn't matter if you have doctors notes, nothing. Also, keep all emails, and email them to yourself if you get a supervisor that doesn't adhere to the missions and values. It'll come in handy later. 

Not the best  not the worst. Company lays on thick veneer of company values, collaboration, cooperation, etc but doesn't match it in practice. Poor pay, benefits used to be good but now are less than standards in the marketplace.  Work is treated as career for salaried managers and team leads, hourly for everybody else.  Hard to advance (I was 0/22 in 7 years even though I was more qualified than the people interviewing me for positions).  This is an insurance company that grew too big, too fast, and can't keep up with the rate of change.  Type A personalities not appreciated, while they say otherwise, the company likes hourly employees to be highly compliant types.  Employee feedback is constantly solicited but never goes anywhere, all decisions of any importance are made by salaried managers, team leads, and supervisors.  This leads to an environment of over collaboration with results never going anywhere, because the decision makers were not involved. This makes employees feel less respected as decisions are often made without employee input, after the company solicited the very input they seemingly ignore. The HR department is an absolute mess, the hiring process unnecessarily slow and tedious.  PacificSource is great for a low paying job, if you don't plan on advancement and are willing to take instruction without having an opinion of your own.  For any deviation from that narrow paradigm, my experience was that PacificSource was not a great fit.  I've worked better, I've worked worse.  But this is a company struggling with maturation and growth currently.  Caveat Emptor... 

When I began my career at PacificSource, I truly believed this was where I would retire one day, It really was a company that cared about family, community and it's employees. I spent over a decade, in three departments, worked my way to the top of two, developed new policies, procedures, was part of their amazing mentor program, was a trainer, did everything I could to better myself and the company I cared so deeply about. 

Then the company, career, and people I cared so much about began to change... 

They canceled the mentor program, it was no longer important. There was restructuring, people were moved into positions of authority with absolutely no training, they say 'the best way to test a person's character is to give them power' (Abraham Lincoln) well believe me, many were tested and many failed, but they remained in places of authority. You could no longer go to your 'Supervisor' for help with issues because so many of them had no idea how to do the job of their subordinates. It was made clear to me I would not receive a promotion I had earned for over a year but yet it was given to others in my department who could not perform my job, favorites, as mentioned in some of the previous reviews. So discouraging how the workplace has come to resemble high school. 

Though I have to say, nothing was more discouraging than to watch the 'weeding out' of employees. So many long term employees are no longer with the company, why? 

It doesn't take a genius to find the common factors, so disappointing. So glad this institution is no longer part of my life!

-you are treated like a child by everyone in management and micromanaged to the point where you no longer feel human
- they set impossible goals for metrics, then punish you by not allowing you to apply elsewhere in the company, not hitting their strict metrics disqualifies you for any other position and labels you an unfit employee, even if you are committed to the company and do you actual job (taking calls and doing the right thing by the callers).
- department goal metrics are getting even stricter, they change break and lunch schedules daily and can change mid-day, and your schedule adherence suffers which you will get reprimanded for. 
- management blames everyone under them for the departments failure to meet service levels, and is tightening all rules and metric goals instead of simply asking the people actually taking the calls and doing the work why morale is so low. They preach about stats in department meetings (like blaming the total amount of personal time taken in a month, including the allowed 45 min each person has per month, as a reason they can't get the department service levels up). They complain constantly about call outs, but refuse to improve the toxic environment they have created.

They treat us like children that need to be strictly punished and reprimanded, None of PacificSource values apply or benefit customer service especially for Medicare/Medicaid agents, The rest of the company ignores government customer service. 

Great job, never boring, with new info and updates daily. This is a customer service position that uses all your patience and pharmaceutical and medical skills. I LOVED the content of this job, it was so interesting, and kind of fun. The Pharmacy Tech II position is the best job in the Pharmacy department; just don't expect much in pay increases. It's a fast-paced, sometimes fun, but very demanding job that deserves much more credit than the company gives it.
Don't expect to stay long term unless you wish to be a supervisor. I made it 8 years. No other Tech II has ever stayed longer than 5 years. Most techs stay less than 2 years, then transfer to another position in order to get a pay increase.
PacificSource does not believe in running a well-oiled machine. The team lead's job is to hire and train new techs constantly. This corporation does not pay cost of living increases. Instead, everyone receives an annual review with a merit increase based on 3% average. Even if you try your hardest, don't be surprised to get awarded less than 3%. If you want a better raise, you must transfer to another position. This job is highly detailed and deserves better than being a stepping stone. If you remain a Pharmacy Tech II, you'll find yourself constantly training and fixing your new coworker's mistakes. 

When I first started working here in 2011 it was a great company. I moved halfway across the county for this job. I made 40% less at this job but thought it would eventually pay off but it didn't. I found out that unless you are a favorite of management you won't advance, even with a college education! Management is poorly trained and not equipped to deal with complex management issues. While many managers are RN's or MD's they don't possess the necessary skills needed in a business environment. When we would express our concerns HR would tell us if you don't like working here you can find another place to work!  That's almost a direct quote! They think they provide an outstanding work environment and excellent pay but the pay is not enough for the work you do and the work environment can be hostile. 

There are positives at PacificSource but unfortunately they are overshadowed by poor management and no real work life balance. Time off or flexible schedules are frowned upon unless your in management. It doesn't matter how educated or experienced you are either. If they like someone's personality more than your's they will advance them and not you. Don't buy into their hype, this company is terrible and you have to pay a portion of your health insurance now!

Some managers may be better but I worked for someone who had her favorites and ignored or verbally abused the others who worked for her.  Older nurses are very unfriendly and too into doing their homework at work, setting up an entire bridal shower while at work, being rather unfriendly and very controlling with patients so patients will not "bother them".  Also, if this company decides something is "not medically necessary" and the test or the hospital stay have already happened the patients are then billed for the services.  Other managed care plans protect their patients from being balance billed but this one does not.  Lots of unhappy patients.  They got a JD Powers award by giving free insurance premiums to people.  MD who decides on what is approved and what is not approved does not even have an MD license in Oregon, which is their primary state.  Their benefit booklet states "certified case manager nurses" review inpatient hospital stays when the reality is that only 2 out of 6 actually have the certification.  Lots of emphasis on company values but I never saw those values being exhibited.  My manager frequently referred to patients as "those people".  Those people are the ones paying the insurance premiums unless they are up for an award.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Insurance Knowledge, and working from home

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The micro managing by their VP on how long you are on each call and if you took a bathroom break outside of a scheduled time.  They monitor down to how fast you are typing and taking on each call.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It used to be fun in 2019 but in 2020 and since then it has turned into a micro manage fest by leadership.  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
log in exactly on time not early not late answer calls and be monitored on each call and time or length of each call always a follow up of what you can do to do better. Never rewarded for just being you rather only your speed on calls and no breaks between each call, monitored on how many times the phone rang to include if you were wrapping up the last call and why you didn't do this on the last call or why did you transfer a call.  Why you used hold time when you were transferring this company is looking for people to be more like a robot rather than be a person.

This company provides great benefits. Since they are an insurance company, they provide their own benefits to the employee at very low cost. If this will satisfy you in a job, PS is the right place for you. Other than the benefits, there's not much for the medical employee. Bullying behaviors abound. The written policies are obscure, and contradictory. The policies openly contradict each other and new employees are left bewildered. More seasoned employees are daily trying to learn the intricacies of the policies, only to find that the information is not valid due to a contradiction found in unrelated areas.Management does not provide any positive feedback; they only act like chickens and pick, pick, pick. Virtually no clear support from management - they have not established training manuals, clear procedures and policies, or consistent standards....then they blame the employees for problems related to the lack of concrete standards. Strictly an environment that has a glossy cover, but an empty book inside with employees who either keep their heads down, or are pack animals that bully other employees. Very high turnover in the medical division....with good reason.

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