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1994.09.20 : Customer Service

Contact: HHS Press Office   (202) 690-6343
Tuesday, Sept. 20, 1994

            SHALALA MAKES COMMITMENT TO CUSTOMER SERVICE

     HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today joined President Clinton,
Vice President Gore, and other members of the Cabinet in sites
across the country, to release "Putting Customers First -- Standards
for Serving the American People."  

     The report of the National Performance Review contains
thousands of specific commitments from over 100 federal government
programs to their customers, the American people.

     Secretary Shalala released copies of new brochures for HHS
programs which provide direct service to customers: Social Security,
Medicare, Medicaid and the Indian Health Service.

     Joined by Bruce Vladeck, administrator of the Health Care
Financing Administration, Secretary Shalala detailed the new
commitment to customers of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. 

     "In this brochure, we make a commitment to make our rules and
our forms more customer friendly, and we promise to reduce
paperwork, make accurate determinations, and eliminate unnecessary
delays," Shalala said.

     Secretary Shalala released the brochures during a visit to the
Health Insurance, Information, Counseling and Assistance Program
(HICAP) of the George Washington University Institute of Law and
Aging.  

     HICAP is a walk-in center that assists senior citizens who are
having trouble making health insurance decisions, filling out forms,
or getting reimbursement from Medicare, Medicaid and other
government health programs.  

     HICAP is funded through the HCFA Information, Counseling and
Assistance (ICA) grants program which is matched and administered by
the District of Columbia Office on Aging.  HICAP is also a
participant in the Aging Network of the Administration on Aging. 
AoA provides funds to the D.C. Office on Aging as an Area Agency on
Aging.  

     Secretary Shalala hand-delivered to Jearline F. Williams,
executive director of the District of Columbia Office on Aging, a
letter she and Assistant Secretary for Aging Fernando Torres-Gil
have written to all members of the Aging Network, making commitments
to better service to the department's partners in providing service
to aging Americans.  

     Secretary Shalala, Bruce Vladeck and Portia Porter Mittelman,
principal deputy assistant secretary for aging, discussed health
insurance problems with HICAP customers and consulted with the HICAP
staff and volunteers. 

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