Case study
Health Insurance Provider – Medicaid Behavioral Health Program
When a leading healthcare provider took over a $198M state Medicaid Behavioral Health program, they needed a recruiting and HR partner fast. The The Imagine Group scaled the workforce from 80 to nearly 200 contractors in months.
Challenge
On January 1, 2020, our client, a leading healthcare provider, began managing a state Department of Health's Medicaid Behavioral Health program as an Administrative Services Organization (ASO). The five-year contract, valued at $198 million, included a two-year extension option.
The program targeted individuals with Medicaid eligibility, uninsured populations, and children and youth with autism through the Applied Behavioral Analyst (ABA) program. Recognizing the complexity of the task, our client partnered with The Imagine Group as the Recruiting and HR Business Partner to meet the Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) requirement.
Solution
The Imagine Group implemented a focused and collaborative approach to meet the program's demands. Imagine quickly recruited and trained 80 junior adjusters starting in October 2019, expanding the workforce to nearly 200 contractors by March 2020.
A local office was established near the client's corporate growth site to streamline hiring and support operations. To retain employees and ensure satisfaction, The Imagine Group offered competitive salaries, comprehensive healthcare benefits, PTO, and additional incentives including referral bonuses and performance reviews.
Training programs addressed burnout and vicarious trauma, while recognition initiatives such as "Masked Crusader" and "Spotlight" awards boosted morale. Collaboration with the client — including daily communications and stakeholder meetings — ensured alignment with goals and operational efficiency.
Outcome
The combined recruitment and marketing strategy quickly delivered strong results. Within the first month, Imagine successfully hired 250 hourly employees—already halfway to the hourly hiring goal. In the first six months, 75 salaried employees were also onboarded, building out the leadership and support teams critical to operations. Beyond the numbers, the marketing efforts helped ease community concerns and reposition the client as a positive contributor to the region. Together, these efforts not only set the foundation for reaching the full staffing goal of 600 employees but also helped the client launch its new facility with stronger community alignment and an elevated employer brand.
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