South Carolina Business Coalition on Health
South Carolina Business Coalition on Health Newsletter
Special Edition - Updates on Initiatives
In This Issue
Healthy Living at AJW
2010 Hospital Quality Guide
October 20th Healthcare Reform Seminar

Member Holiday

Luncheon

 
 
 
Register now for our upcoming Holiday Luncheon.  This year's holiday luncheon is scheduled on Tuesday December 14, 2010 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at AZIA.
 
To register to attend, click here.
 
For Directions to the restaurant click here.
2011 Annual Meeting

It's never too early to start planning for our annual meeting!   SCBCH's 5th Annual Meeting will be held at the Hyatt - Downtown Greenville on Tuesday May 10, 2011

 

We already have two great speakers lined up:

 

Andy Webber, CEO of NBCH

 

Shawn Leavitt, VP of Benefits at Safeway

2010 eValue8
The Coalition would like to thank both CIGNA and UNITED HEALTHCARE for participating in the 2010 eValue8 Survey Tool! 

On August 20, 2010, SCBCH employer members had an opportunity to hear directly from both plans during the eValue8 site visit.

We are currently exploring ways to work with the Health Plans to develop an improvement action plan.
Diabetes Roundtable

Participants of the Diabetes Roundtable were provided  a metrics tool to evaluate the performance of their diabetes management programs.


The group held a conference call on September 30, 2010 to discuss the findings of the metrics tool.

What's in Store for 2011?
The SCBCH Board of Directors met for their 2011 Strategic Planning session on November 2nd.  During this meeting, Board members discussed and approved a variety of new activities for the Coalition to implement in 2011. 

Click here to view the 2011 Strategic Plan
November/2010
Dear SCBCH Members, 

As we near the end of 2010, we would like to highlight some of the Coalition's major activities and accomplishments over the past year.  2010 marked the 5th year of existance for SCBCH.  Thanks to the dedication and collaboration of our members, the Coalition has made great strides in reaching our four central goals:

4 central SCBCH goals

Healthy Living Program at A.J. Whittenberg Elementary School
The goal of the Healthy Living program at AJ Whittenberg Elementary (AJW) is to provide students in a progressive and developmentally appropriate  
 AJs Playground
The Playground at AJW: Student designed, Community Built
manner, the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for living active, fit, and healthy lives.  This program will prepare students to be productive members of society who take lifelong personal responsibility for engaging in healthy decisions.  SCBCH has been working closely with AJW to develop and implement this program. 
The SCBCH Board of Directors met at the school in August and had the opportunity to sample lunch from the healthy cafeteria menu prepared by the school culinary specialist.  During the meeting they approved the funding to purchase heart rate monitors that can be used during physical education class.  The P.E. teacher, Katie Raymond has experience using heart rate monitors with students and is very excited to get the children involved.  CIGNA has also come forward with funding to support this program and challenges other members to do the same.
The Healthy Living Advisory Committee is currently in the process of planning a school garden which will include a section for organic fruits and vegetables to be used in the cafeteria.
To find out how you can get involved please contact Lisa Morgan.  
2010 Hospital Quality Guides

The 2010 Hospital Quality Guides have been published and distributed!!!

This year's guide includes a comprehensive outline of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.  Many members have sent these to their employees with enrollment packets as well as posted them to their internal website. 
Click Here to access the electronic version of the Hospital Quality Guide.
Healthcare Reform Seminar
 
On October 20, 2010, SCBCH hosted a meeting in Columbia to address What Employers need to Know about Healthcare Reform.  We had over 60 attendees come to the meeting to hear from a variety of experts who presented on changes applicable to benefit design, Accountable Care Organizations, and State Insurance Exchanges.
November is National COPD Awareness Month
 

Including chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema, COPD is a leading cause of disability and death in the U.S. Approximately 70% of COPD patients are working, and COPD accounts for nearly $50 billion in total health care costs to the nation.1,2,3 With higher healthcare utilization, absenteeism and reduced productivity, staffers with COPD can cost companies up to four times more than average employees.4


The effort to screen every American age 35 and older for risk of COPD is spearheaded by the public health initiative DRIVE4COPD led by founding sponsor, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and leading lung health organizations including the American Lung Association, COPD Foundation and American Association for Respiratory Care. Other supporters include NBCH and employers such as 3M, Ford, Winn Dixie and Pfizer.

  

Take action today! Click here for tools employers can use to educate employees about COPD.

 

*The screener is validated for use in the United States to screen for risk of COPD and was published in the Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, April 2008, Martinez, F. J., Raczek, A. E., Seifer, F. D., Conoscenti, C. S., Curtice, T. G. & D'Eletto, T., et al. (2008). Development and Initial Validation of a Self-Scored COPD Population Screener Questionnaire (COPD-PS). COPD: Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 5:2, 85-95.



1 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US HHS). Improving health care for Americans with disabilities. AHRQ Pub. No.02-M016. March 2002. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/focus/focdisab.htm. Accessed February 20, 2008

2 Doherty, Dennis E. et al. "Value of Early Diagnosis for COPD". Journal of Family Practice. 2007; 56(10); S10-S32.

3 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Morbidity & Mortality: 2009 Chart Book on Cardiovascular, Lung, and Blood diseases. Bethesda, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health; 2009.

4 Darkow, Theodore PHARMD, et al. "Health Care Costs Among Individuals With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Within Several Large, Multi-State Employers". Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2008; 50(10): 1130-1138.


Take action today! Click here for tools employers can use to educate employees about COPD.