OLYMPIA -- Rich Campbell, a veteran Information Technology manager with the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), has been named Director of the Division of Systems and Monitoring in the Health and Recovery Services Administration.

Campbell, who has been Assistant Director of the division for the past six years, will lead a division involved in auditing state medical providers as well as providing information system support for the state's Medicaid program, mental health services and chemical dependency treatment.

The Division of Systems and Monitoring also provides oversight for the ProviderOne project, which is developing a new computer payer system that will distribute up to $70 million a week in reimbursements for medical and nursing home providers and hospitals across the state. ProviderOne is scheduled to become operational later this year.

Campbell left his position for a few months in 2004 after he was appointed to develop the Enterprise Architecture Project (EAP) for the agency, but he returned to Systems and Monitoring that fall.

The EAP project was aimed at developing a consistent philosophy and coherent guidelines that will be applied to all future information systems as they are acquired. The guidelines Campbell developed there would also play a significant role in the procurement of the ProviderOne project.

He came to DSHS in 2002 from the Department of Retirement Systems, where he had been Information Systems Architect. Earlier, he had worked with several other agencies and had an early stint with DSHS, where he was Information Systems Manager in the Children's Administration from 1994 to 1995.

He also was a consultant worked with Community Health Information Services as director of information resources, and he worked with the Department of Health as data resource manager. In DSHS, Campbell was instrumental in developing electronic claims-filing systems under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Campbell succeeds Bob Covington, who resigned in December to accept an appointment with the Department of Transportation. Cathie Ott, Chief of the Office of Medicaid Systems and Data, served as Interim Director during the search for Covington’s successor. She also will continue to service as Acting Assistant Director to help Campbell during the transition.

"Rich is the kind of hands-on manager who is comfortable with both the people skills needed to manage a large division and the technical knowledge that lies behind our complex auditing and information systems," said Doug Porter, Assistant DSHS Secretary for the administration and Director of the State’s Medicaid program.

"Rich also comes to his new position in a time of challenge," Porter said. "Washington is a pioneer state in developing fiscal integrity programs that verify and contain our spending, helping save millions of dollars a year in taxpayer revenues. We will continue to look for new opportunities to improve these systems and cut costs without sacrificing quality of care for the vulnerable populations that depend on our services."

Campbell and his wife, Laura, have two children, Kimberly and Jacob. The family lives in Olympia.

EDITORS: An electronic photo of Rich Campbell is available from DSHS. Send your request by e-mail to stevejh2@dshs.wa.gov.

FOR ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND, CONTACT:  Jim Stevenson, Communications Director, HRSA, DSHS, 360-902-7604 (Pager: 360-971-4067).