| Upcoming Events | |
*Cancelled - M&M - June 1
Executive Committee Conference Call - June 8
eValue8 Site Meeting - August 20
Executive Committee Meeting - September 9
Board of Directors Meeting - September 9
Diabetes Roundtable -September 30 |
| Healthcare Seminar | | HealthStat will be hosting a Healthcare Seminar on June 10th.
Please click here to view the invitation.
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| Fourth Annual Meeting |
Thank you to everyone who attended our fourth annual meeting. It was a very successful event, due in large part to our sponsors and speakers.
Please plan on attending our fifth annual meeting which will be Tuesday May 10, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency, Downtown Greenville.
Click here for the annual meeting presentations. |
| Low-Value Services in Value-Based Insurance Design | |
There is an abundance of literature today focused on Value Based Insurance Design (VBID), specifically on the use of incentives to steer individuals to high-value healthcare services. While this practice has demonstrated favorable results in reducing risks and increasing cost savings, it only addresses one element of VBID. The missing piece of VBID, which has received little attention, is the use of disincentives to steer individuals away from low value services. The challenge lies in determining what qualifies as a low-value service. There is a growing amount of research focused on defining low-value services that are costly and provide marginal benefits.
A recent article published in the American Journal of Managed Care, explores potentially low-value services that can be included in VBID programs and identifies the challenges involved. To read the article click here. The Tufts Medical Center has developed a Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Registry which consists of over 2,000 cost-utility analyses on a wide variety of diseases and treatments. Visit www.cearegistry.org
Source:
American Journal of Managed Care |
| Raising the Bar on Financial Incentives |
Employers Raising the Bar on Financial Incentives to Improve Worker Health, National Business Group on Health/Towers Watson Survey Finds
While employers remain committed to offering health and productivity programs, they are frustrated by the inability of many workers to change their health habits. In an effort to encourage healthy behaviors, a growing number of employers are tightening their requirements for workers to receive financial incentives, according to a survey conducted by Towers Watson (NYSE, Nasdaq: TW), a global professional services company, and the National Business Group on Health (NBGH), a nonprofit association of large U.S. employers.
Please click here to view the full article.
Press Release Source: Towers Watson
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| Executive Committee | |
We would like to welcome the following members to the Executive Committee:
- Bausch & Lomb - Anderson Garcia
- GE Infra Energy - RuthAnne Hackett
- Metromont Corporation - Jason Woodward
- Mitsubishi-Polyester Film - Rose Marchek
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| 2009 Leapfrog Hospital Survey |
FROM THE 2009 LEAPFROG HOSPITAL SURVEY:
QUALITY NOT ADEQUATE & WASTE A MAJOR PROBLEM
Results emphasize the advantages of employers and other group purchasers demanding change.
According to new results from the 2009 Leapfrog Hospital Survey released today at the World Health Congress in Washington, DC, hospital quality needs significant improvement and waste remains rampant. One encouraging sign: steady improvements over time, supporting the value of hundreds of purchasers' growing efforts to use Leapfrog performance data in decision-making, contracting, pay for performance, and benefits design. Nonetheless, overall quality remains challenged, with fewer than half of hospitals achieving adequate quality standards.
Please click here to read the full article.
Source: The Leapfrog Group |
| Asthma and Allergy Awareness |
 Each year, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA)declares May to be "National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month." It's a peak season for asthma and allergy sufferers, and a perfect time to educate your patients, family, friends, co-workers and others about these diseases.
Please visit AAFA for more information: Source:
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America |
| May is High Blood Pressure Education Month | |
May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month. About 74.5 million people in the United States have high blood pressure, which is also called hypertension. Hypertension increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, the first and third leading causes of death in the United States. Researchers estimate that high blood pressure will cost $76.6 billion in direct and indirect costs in 2010.
Please click here for more information.
Source:
CDC |
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If you have any questions or comments about the newsletter or have suggestions on ideas for articles, please e-mail them to wsimmer@scbch.org
Please visit our website - www.scbch.org | |
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