Medicare News
| For Immediate Release: | Contact: |
| Friday, June 29, 2001 | CMS Office of Public Affairs 202-690-6145 |
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SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENT HONORED FOR HELPING MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES WITH KIDNEY DISEASE
A San Francisco resident has received an award for her work in helping Medicare beneficiaries with kidney disease.
Esther-Marie Carmichael, who lives in the Laurel Heights neighborhood, was selected by Tom Scully, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), as employee of the month for June. CMS, which administers Medicare and Medicaid, is the new name for the U.S. Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA).
An eight-year HCFA employee, Carmichael is the Western Consortium organ procurement coordinator in the division of state operations in CMS' San Francisco regional office, which has about 170 employees.
"Esther-Marie Carmichael helps to ensure that seriously ill Medicare beneficiaries in the western United States receive the proper health care they need," Scully said. "She also is working to meet the nation's critical need for organ donors."
Carmichael designed and conducted a study of certain California kidney dialysis centers to ensure patients were treated properly and understood their transplant options. As part of the study, she developed a number of survey tools to help state inspectors conduct a more accurate and timely assessment of patient rights issues at the centers.
Medicare, which primarily covers the health care of those 65 and older, and people with disabilities, also helps pay for kidney dialysis and transplants for other qualified individuals. Medicare is the nation's largest insurer, providing health insurance coverage for more than 39 million Americans.
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson has launched a national initiative to encourage organ and tissue donation. CMS is an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
"Last year, more than 5,500 patients died while on the national waiting list for organs," Thompson said. "Our goal with this initiative is to get the information out there, encourage families all over America to understand the importance of organ donation, and grow the number of donors."
Carmichael's other duties include overseeing 11 organ procurement organizations covering 14 western states, including California. She assists the organizations in achieving successful working relationships with hospitals, and eye and tissue banks and ensures that the organizations are working to increase the number of organ donors.
"I am pleased to work with two programs involving organ procurement and kidney disease that truly provide for life-saving procedures to our Medicare beneficiaries," Carmichael said. "This work is extremely gratifying and on the cutting edge of our industry."
Carmichael began her federal career in 1981 at a Veterans Administration hospital in Buffalo, N.Y., where she was employed for two years. She returned to federal employment with HCFA in 1993.
An Arizona native, Carmichael grew up in Lordsburg, N.M., and graduated from high school in Tucson, Ariz. Carmichael received a bachelor's degree in medical technology in 1967 from the University of Arizona at Tucson. In the same year, she earned a national certification and her California license in medical technology, and was employed in that field. She received her microbiologist certification in 1978, and worked as the supervisor of two microbiology departments in the public and private sector in California.
