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The FORUM for Worksite Health Programming (October 2010)
(Invitational Conference-More Information in Future Newsletters)
Midwest Business Group on Health
On-site Clinic Employers
Roundtable
Upcoming Session TBA
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Greetings!
I continue to be confused by all the hoopla over "healthcare reform." The appointment of Donald Berwick, M.D. by President Obama during a break in Congress was, they say, done this way to avoid Republicans dragging up the healthcare reform debate again and extending it into rationing and the like.
Some people have recognized that maybe you don't have to ration if you "engage" people in their own healthcare maintenance; maybe you don't have to slash budgets to save money - perhaps you can do that by spending more wisely on the right things.
Maybe evidence-based medicine and value-based health care design can actually work. Is it really true that no one in Congress knows anything about these concepts and what is happening at the grassroots level by employers everywhere addressing the cost of healthcare themselves and finding out they really can do it? It isn't as impossible as the members of Congress think it is.
A study and its results were recently published about what employers in Wisconsin have been doing, and the results. I know for sure you will find the report interesting. See below. |
| Wisconsin: Levers Drive Value-Based Innovation Across the State | | |
I just became aware of a study published by The Center for Health Value Innovation dated January of this year. The study focused on understanding the "levers" used by four Wisconsin-based employers (Quad Graphics; Chippewa County, WI; Journal Communications; and Humana, Great Lakes Region) to drive down healthcare costs, obtain employee engagement in their own healthcare, and reduce long-term risk.
The study divides companies into three groups (when it comes to addressing the healthcare needs of their employees): Those who start by reducing waste (the "Entrants"); those who move on from there to include programs that address risk reduction in the future (the "Fast Followers"); and finally those who arrive at the stage in their program development where they are working hard with individual employees to make them healthier (the "Innovators"). They call this the "Maturation of Health Value Continuum."
The "levers" are the techniques, programs, and incentives used with employees that actually work to improve health and reduce costs. It is really important to identify them, to understand how to implement/use them, and to figure out their actual impact (both in health improvement and cost reduction).
If you read this nine-page summary of the study, you'll find out, employer-by-employer, what each of these companies has been doing, why, and what they have found works.
These employers have made dramatic changes in employee health and costs. Their successes make you want to take a tour of Wisconsin, stopping at each of these companies and meeting with their leaders. Quad Graphic's costs for health care per employee in 2008 averaged $7,500 - similar costs in the entire Midwest were $10,000 - huge savings on a per employee basis. Chippewa County saved $500,000 in 2008 when compared to their 2007 budget for health care. Humana, Great Lakes Region reduced their costs for diabetes care per quarter from $3,000 at the end of 2007 to $2,500 at the end of 2008.
I hope you find the time in your busy schedule to read this report and show it to others in your company. |
| Global Media Dynamics On-site Conference - A Chance to Learn and Network in Boston | | |
Over one hundred attendees engaged in this third conference sponsored by Global Media Dynamics. The venue was the Taj in Boston, and the crowd consisted of many of the same faces that we have come to respect as leaders in the on-site industry along with some new faces -- and a few new ideas. In upcoming issues, and on the Web site (www.onsiteclinics.org), we will highight programs and concepts from each of the presenters in an effort to broaden everyone's perspective on the industry. Truly amazing to me is that, even as closely as we watch what is happening (or try to), I find that I can always come away from a conference of this nature with a new respect for the employers who are sponsoring these programs and the many vendors that continue to innovate and energize the industry.
The panel discussion, and some of the key presentations, addressed changes that will be coming for on-site programs because of health care reform. It was generally agreed that this legislation will bring challenges to all of us as we await rule-making and regulatory definition. We are all looking for a good set of Cliffs Notes that can help us understand the core financial imperatives that will impact wellness, consumer savings accounts, co-pays, and employer sponsored on-site health clinics as this legislation becomes better defined.
Global Media Dynamics continues to provide a solid conference offering with real substance for both the seasoned and experienced crowd as well as for newcomers in the on-site field. The challenge for future conferences will be to continue to have something for each level of experience and orientation. |
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Devanny Steps Down as Cerner President |
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It was announced on July 13 that Trace Devanny would step down as the president of Cerner on July 16. He started work Monday July 19 as president of TriZetto, also an IT corporation - but significantly on the other side of the picture. Cerner focuses on IT solutions for healthcare providers, and TriZetto works producing software for the insurance (payer) industry.
Devanny has taken Cerner through ten plus years of tremendous growth, adding an international component that is significant, to say the least. Devanny also was at the helm when the corporation added its own on-site services for employees and became a player in the on-site vendor arena (initiating service to Cisco and others and purchasing IMC to round out its employer service lines).
This has to make one wonder what lies ahead for both corporations, particularly in the venue of on-site services.
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