Case Manager Spotlight: Meet Lotoya Phillips

At SurfMed, we have the opportunity to work with case managers across Florida who dedicate their careers to helping members navigate complex healthcare needs and access the services and resources that can improve their quality of life. Through our Case Manager Spotlight, we want to introduce some of the professionals behind that work and share their stories.

This month, we are highlighting Lotoya Phillips, a Humana Long-Term Care case manager in Jacksonville, Florida.

Lotoya has been a case manager with Humana Long-Term Care for three years, but her career with Humana spans eight years. Before transitioning into case management, she worked in psychosocial rehabilitation, an experience that gave her a unique perspective on working with individuals facing complex needs.

Originally from Madison, Florida, Lotoya attended Edward Waters University in Jacksonville and now calls Jacksonville home.

Finding Solutions When Resources Are Limited

Ask Lotoya about the most challenging part of being a case manager, and her first answer comes with a laugh.

“The traffic,” she joked.

But beyond navigating Jacksonville traffic, there is a much more serious challenge: finding solutions for members when the resources they need aren't always available.

“On a work level, I would say trying to find services and solve issues for our members and not being able to, or not having the resources to do it,” Lotoya said.

That challenge is one reason she believes identifying a member's needs as early and thoroughly as possible is so important.

If she could make one improvement to the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care program, Lotoya said she would like to see even more emphasis placed on screening and assessing members.

“More screening, more screening, more screening,” she said.

For Lotoya, a thorough assessment can help uncover needs that may not have been apparent during a member's initial evaluation.

“By the time I get them, a lot of times there is a need that wasn't first expressed in the initial assessment,” she explained.

Putting the “Human” in Humana

Managing a caseload of approximately 83 members means no two days are exactly alike.

Lotoya works with members in a variety of settings, including those living at home, in assisted living facilities and in skilled nursing facilities.

She enjoys working with home-based members because of the variety involved, while care plans in assisted living and skilled nursing settings can sometimes be more straightforward.

Regardless of the setting, however, Lotoya believes one quality is essential for anyone considering a career in case management: a genuine passion for helping people.

“Make sure you have a passion for people,” she said. “Because when the basic work ethic runs out, you really need that passion, the care to want to help.”

It's a philosophy Lotoya brings to her own work every day.

When asked what makes her a good case manager, she points to her ability to relate personally to the people she serves.

“My relatability,” she said. “Having family that has the same needs as our members and knowing that I, myself, could have the same issues as I age.”

That perspective helps turn case management from simply coordinating services into understanding the person behind those services.

And when asked to sum up her approach to working at Humana, Lotoya found the perfect way to describe it:

“I'd like to think that I put the ‘human’ in Humana.”

Leadership That Understands the Role

Another important part of Lotoya's experience has been having a leadership team that understands the realities case managers face.

Many of her leaders have previously worked in similar roles, something Lotoya believes gives them valuable insight into the challenges their teams encounter.

“They've done the role that I've done, so their experience helps me,” she said.

That experience also gives Lotoya confidence that case managers have advocates when leadership communicates with others within the organization.

“We know they have our voice,” she said. “They are advocating for us.”

A Career Built Around People

After eight years with Humana and three years in long-term care case management, Lotoya doesn't hesitate when asked how she feels about her work.

“I love my job,” she said.

Her enthusiasm reflects something that can't necessarily be taught through training or learned from a manual: caring about the people behind every case.

Whether she's searching for a difficult-to-find resource, assessing a member's changing needs or managing the responsibilities that come with a caseload of more than 80 members, Lotoya continues to approach the job with empathy, relatability and a commitment to finding solutions.

Thank you, Lotoya, for taking a few minutes to speak with us and, more importantly, for the work you continue to do for members and families throughout your community.

Know a case manager we should feature next? We would love to hear their story.