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Vol. 21 No. 1
| December 2011
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Greetings!
In this issue, we address the issue of associations and what they can do for us. I have been a proponent of associations and groups for a long time. I often liken the process of collaboration to the farmer's grange movement in the Midwest. There are not many business people more independent than farm folk; but when a common sense situation faces them, they turn quickly to what I call "prairie communism" and link together. They buy large pieces of equipment, store and transport product, and do anything else that is better done when people work collectively.
All of us who are involved in the development of on-site programming can see, I believe, the need for collaboration and cooperation. We need to have an open exchange of information, and we need to lobby with some precision to make sure that this trend does not get eaten up or beaten up by the many other trends that are being pushed right now as health care "solutions." However, some associations which could appear on your horizon may require further study. In other newsletters we have discussed the issue of RFPs (Requests for Proposals) and the difficulty employers have in evaluating the responses because the vendors sometimes stray so far from the initial request. Comparing RFP responses can make one feel like the old Johnny Carson character, "The Amazing Carnac" - you need psychic capabilities to evaluate what's inside those envelopes! So, to the rescue are the APMPs!? This interesting association made me smile - it is the Association of Proposal Management Professionals or APMP. This is a group of consultants who will "juice up" a proposal for a vendor who is responding to an RFP that is being written by another consultant. Great. I sense some irony in that the consultants are now communicating with the consultants. (Full disclosure requires me to inform you that I am a consultant!)
I hope that if the APMP people latch onto the on-site clinic vendors, the quality of submissions goes up. I know that if they do, we will have less billable hours trying to figure out what the respondents are saying, and our clients will have responses that are more in line with what was actually requested. Let's see if that really happens.
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Childhood Obesity
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| There is hardly a day that goes by that you don't pick up a journal (or even a local newspaper) with an article in it about obesity and the links to other serious health problems, the cost to industry and the economy in general to take care of overweight people, and the loss in productivity. It's frightening when you look at the data.
The article we read recently and will summarize here starts out with the sentence, "There is no shortage of solutions to solve obesity." If the solutions are that voluminous, why is the prevalence of obesity growing? Well, this article explores that question, as well. The author focuses on a program started by, of all things, a middle school science teacher in North Carolina. He saw rates of obesity in his students going up and up, and he decided to do something about it. Something simple - teach the kids about BMI, nutrition, etc. right in the classrooms of their home towns. He saw kids begin to lose weight, and by the end of the (school) year, 42-percent of the kids in his classes went from overweight to normal.
Now, BCBSNC funding and East Carolina State University scientists have joined his efforts to hit younger people before they enter adulthood with unhealthy BMI (it has been shown if kids are overweight, they tend to become overweight adults). They are tailoring efforts to reach kids with social media and special apps on Android phones, etc. The name of one of the studies is (at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health) "PODS-II" (sound like a phone you might have?).
Using Twitter and a social network of fellow dieters, the results are already promising with some of the participants losing 70 pounds or more. Finally, a use for your child's cell phone that actually seems to be important and effective!
If you don't already have one, a specialized program for the overweight kids of your employees might be on the horizon soon. They already know how to text, but can they tweet when they need help at the ice cream parlor? |
Study Recognizes Value of On-sites for Municipalities
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The Government Finance Officers Association did a study funded by Colonial Life which attempted to identify the most "innovative and effective" ways that local governmental units can impact health care costs for their employees. The results demonstrated that:
1. The ROI for on-site clinics can be from $1.60 to $4.00 for every dollar invested (an example of a clinic in North Carolina for 1,300 employees and dependents showed a net cost savings of more than $624,000 over a 4-year period).
2. Most governmental units which have on-sites use vendors to manage them.
3. Incentives must be provided to get employees to use the clinics.
It is interesting to see a study focused exclusively on governmental units using on-sites. We have noted that many more cities, school districts, counties, etc. are doing this. So, while some wait for a decision from the Supreme Court next summer on the validity of mandated health insurance and "ObamaCare," those in the employer-managed health care arena (and smaller governmental units) will just forge ahead, achieving great savings and improving the health of their employees.
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 This week look for an invitation that will be mailed to employers and on-site service vendors to join the National Association of Worksite Health Centers.
This is a joint effort between our group (The La Penna Group, Inc.) and the Midwest Business Group on Health. This organization is incorporated as a non-profit trade association with the core organizational structure formed. The real vision and guidance of this organization will come from the Board and the Medical Council. We think that a lot of ideas and energy will also be derived from the membership.
The organization is closely affiliated with the Midwest Business Group on Health for good reason. The MBGH has a longstanding commitment to assisting businesses and municipal employers to address the health care needs of their employees. In this first phase of the organization, MBGH has graciously allowed the NAWHC to share space and house the operations of the Association at their offices in Chicago. My role will be to continue in whatever capacity the Board needs as an advisor and a supporter of the process. Larry Boress has agreed to assume the role of Executive Director, with John Neuberger of Quad Graphics serving as the initial Board Chair.
We feel that this organization will need to remain focused on the employers, but that it can also include vendors and suppliers to the industry in a role that will allow them to share credible information and act as a sounding board and source of talent and resources.
I often start presentations by using the catch phrase, "What works, what doesn't, and why?" This is a question that others are also asking, and the answers can generally be found in a nearby region or in the company next door. The problem is that if that company is in a different industry or business sector, there is no platform to share. This can be remedied with a strong association.
Why should we all continue to search for information when all we really need to do is know to whom the question should be directed? I think we'll find that if we all share a little, we'll find out there isn't much that is mysterious about relocating health care and addressing a redefinition of health services and how they fit in a thoughtful and purposeful benefit design.
There is a lot that is going on in the health care field that somehow never gets discussed within the employer community. This association will link with groups and agencies that can springboard on-site programming to the next level. As new programs struggle to get started and expend energy on the simple task of opening a facility and hosting the first patient encounter, some programs are eager to take that next step. There is a difference between being a tourist and an explorer. The difference is the existence of a credible guide or a good map. We want this organization to be able to provide both.
How does one become a member? Just look in your mail or your e-mail for an announcement. You can also contact us through our office or through the companion Web site, www.onsiteclinics.org. The cost for charter membership is being kept at one half of the anticipated standard dues, and in the future the costs for any employer that is already a member of a business coalition will be discounted.
This newsletter will continue to keep everyone, members and non-members, informed and involved. The www.onsiteclinics.org Web site will still offer you access to news that relates to on-site programming and to lists of resources and contact material. The advantage of a membership will be access to a different level of information and a pool of resources that has been developed by and for those implementing and deploying health care that is on-site and at, or near, the workplace.
As always, your ideas are welcome. Contact either Larry Boress (lboress@mbgh.org) or me for additional information and background.
Sincerely,
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ON-SITE CLINIC NEWSLETTER
