Parkland Community Health Plan expects to hire 100 workers over the rest of this year in a major overhaul of its business operations, according to a release from the locally owned and operated insurer.

As unemployment during the pandemic rose to unprecedented levels, more people are relying on Medicaid, which heightens the need for PCHP’s services, CEO John Wendling said.

The publicly funded insurer provides health care for traditionally underserved communities, including children, pregnant women and families, through the CHIP and STAR Medicaid Managed Care programs. It was created by the Parkland Health & Hospital System in 1999 to help those patients in the Dallas area. PCHP serves hospitals in seven counties: Dallas, Collin, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro and Rockwall.

Wendling was brought on as CEO of the health plan about 18 months ago to lead the program through wholesale change.

PCHP has outsourced its claims management work to a third-party company for nearly two decades.

By April 21, 2021, the insurer will switch over to a new claims management system in partnership with Cognizant. The investment entails a $110 million shift in its current spending, according to Wendling. Bringing the work in-house for the first time in decades, however, is expected to save the health plan $20 million to $25 million over a five-year period, he said.

Like other industries, the health care industry has struggled to keep workers on payroll during the pandemic. Halts on elective surgeries to prioritize COVID-19 patients and minimize spread of the virus have had an enormous impact on hospitals and health care companies across the country and in Dallas-Fort Worth in recent months.

Wendling says that he hopes the insurer’s overhaul will help it support the rest of the health care industry, including making sure PCHP members are getting the care they need despite fears of coronavirus.

“What we’re hearing across our network of providers is their [patient count] is down anywhere from 30% to 70%,” Wendling said.

Half of the positions PCHP plans to fill are for outreach to communities and providers. The insurer will also hire 20 clinical employees to work on care management for members who need help with the health care insurance system and directions from physicians.

The new claims management system will also help the insurer better manage health information and transactions among its members, the organization said.

PCHP has more than 6,000 physicians and more than 40 hospitals in its network, including Parkland Health & Hospital System and Children’s Health. The health care plan currently employs 45 people and expects to hire the additional 100 employees by 2021.