Employee Benefits
This Week's 5 Must Read Articles: From the Desk of Mark Head, CSO
Mark Head CSO at Viverae provides a weekly post on his top Health, Health Care, Wellness, Insurance and Benefits articles.
5 big insurers want more clout in Washington
This is not particularly surprising news. However, it is interesting that it’s so explicit. The perennial debate of health insurers as benevolent patrons or venal predators of the citizenry can’t get much more polarized, but this move is particularly interesting since the insurance industry already has a prominent lobbying arm, the AHIP. One thing that strikes me as a likely undercurrent is a desire on these players’ part to be sure that no matter which way the third-party payer system goes – private or single-payer, that they have a hand in its formation.
Apps by themselves can’t change people’s behavior
So is the excitement surrounding mobile health wearing off before it really gets started? Probably not. But the article highlights what we here at Viverae are clear on: devices are tools. People still need to understand what a tool is used for, and perhaps more importantly, how to use it, and why they should use it…. That will continue to highlight the value of employer-based plans that give the distribution and use of mobile healthcare tools some incentivized context.
Christakis founds company to map social-networking research to health care market
Some of you may recall Nicholas Christakis’ groundbreaking study released in 2007 that posed the question, “Is obesity contagious?” Christakis’ study covered 12,000 people over 32 years and discovered startling correlations in obesity levels between spouses, siblings, and friends. His latest effort as co-founder of MedNetworks is to apply his theories of how social influence can be directed to improve health outcomes and healthcare marketing.
Judge rules that individual mandate of health reform is unconstitutional
It was bound to happen – it’s okay to require people to have auto insurance, but to require health insurance is unconstitutional! So said U.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson, setting up a battle that’s likely to head to the Supreme Court.
Health reform worries CEO’s but may boost wellness programs
As we’ve regularly highlighted, the emergent model for healthcare is a shared decisions model. Especially where the employer is the real payer of health care costs, it’s eminently sensible to engage employees in doing their part through self-care, wellness, and taking personal responsibility. While many companies haven’t wanted to “go there,” it seems clear that health reform is nudging at least some reluctant business owners (42% say they are likely to boost wellness efforts).
Contemplations
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Mark Head, CSO at Viverae is a weekly contributor to the Viverae Blog. Do you have a comment, question or article for review? Please leave a comment--you can follow us on twitter at @viveraehealth
This Week's 5 Must Read Articles: From the Desk of Mark Head, CSO
Mark Head CSO at Viverae provides a weekly post on his top Health, Health Care, Wellness, Insurance and Benefits articles.
Aetna, CIGNA execs say repealing health reform a waste of time
CIGNA’s David Cordani notes that “our country expended over a year of sweat equity” on reform. Aetna’s Mark Bertolini observes that Republican plans could lead the healthcare industry to “a bad place.” I agree: what’s done is done, and now it’s time to adapt. Any way you look at things, though, getting people healthier and in less need of medical services is the best kind of reform available.
Mercer says wellness incentives are paying off
Employers with programs are experiencing a 2% lower trend rate than employers without programs. That’s big bucks. With average per employee costs now pushing $10,000 per year and “regular” trend running at 6%, companies without programs are getting a $600 per worker cost increase vs. a $400 cost increase per worker for companies with wellness programs.
In new insurance model, costs are based on value of the treatment
Most of you who read this blog are familiar with the concept of value-based benefit design. This article talks about taking the idea of “value” to another level by not only reducing costs to support clinical compliance, but by increasing costs to the member for higher-priced services that may have inconsistent or unclear clinical utility. 155,000 employees in Oregon public education are getting a real-world dose of this approach…. It’s a fascinating read.
The death of private practice medicine?
If you haven’t really thought about some of the issues addressed in this article, you will probably find this shocking: 75% of 2,400 physicians’ surveyed plan to retire, work part-time, stop taking new patients, become employees, or seek a non-clinical position in the next one to three years. Many of them blame health reform, but even more blame the critically wounded Medicare payment structure.
There are a ton of articles that talk about why incentives help drive improved behavior. Few articles offer such a broad array of creative examples as this one. If you have a wellness program or are just interested in what motivates people to change, click here!
Contemplations
"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid." – Albert Einstein
Mark Head, CSO at Viverae is a weekly contributor to the Viverae Blog. Do you have a comment, question or article for review? Please leave a comment--you can follow us on twitter at @viveraehealth
This Weeks 5 Must Read Articles: From the Desk of Mark Head, CSO
Mark Head CSO at Viverae provides a weekly post on his top Health, Health Care, Wellness, Insurance and Benefits articles.
PCP shortage may put medical home model out of reach
Commenting on key provisions of health reform, University of Michigan lead study author John Hollingsworth observes, “There are too few primary care physicians.” This issue will get even worse if Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates actually get cut as much as the PPACA bill prescribes. The study notes that specialist physicians spend 650,000 collective work weeks on care that could be handled via the medical home model. But that means there have to be enough PCP’s to pick up all that work….
500 million will use mobile health apps by 2015
That is huge growth. There are over 17,000 mobile health aps in the iPhone and Android stores, but 3/4ths are paid apps, and half target healthcare professionals. But over the next 5 years, it is expected that paid apps will drop to about 15% of the total available. Stay tuned to this blog, as we will be keeping a keen eye on this core disruptive innovation.
Out of 17,280 adults, only 2 meet 7 criteria for optimal heart health
I’m not sure I even need to comment on this, just read it. And we wonder why our health insurance costs keep rising. Remember, insurance costs are rising because health care costs are rising. Part of the reason why healthcare costs are rising is that there is more demand for medical services to fix health issues associated with unhealthy lifestyles. Doh!
Exercise “doesn’t work” for some?
Just when we all think we “know” that physical activity improves health, comes a study from Finland that says, “not necessarily.” This is a very interesting read, but noticeably absent from the study was any consideration of other factors such as nutritional habits, stress impacts, and other lifestyle factors. It was also a very small study (175 participants), so it is a stretch to project across large populations. So, while this deserves the time to read, we should still keep in mind that the benefits of increased physical activity across large populations are extremely well-established and not likely to be threatened by this small, if fascinating, study.
Healthcare sector among largest business users of iPads
Whether actually using Apple’s brand, or other tablet technologies, yet another twist on mobile health is making inroads, particularly in hospital settings. Pharmacy, emergency, dietary, home health, hospice, nursing supervisors – all of these areas and users are poised to benefit from tablet computing – and at a fraction of the cost of bulky portable computer stations.
Contemplations
“Nothing is more desirable than to be released from an affliction, but nothing is more frightening than to be divested of a crutch.” -_ James Baldwin_
Mark Head, CSO at Viverae is a weekly contributor to the Viverae Blog. Do you have a comment, question or article for review? Please leave a comment--you can follow us on twitter at @viveraehealth
This Weeks 5 Must Read Articles: From the Desk of Mark Head, CSO
Mark Head CSO at Viverae provides a weekly post on his top Health, Health Care, Wellness, Insurance and Benefits articles.
The road not taken – separating preventive/wellness benefits from the health plan
There is some interesting perspective here about pushing “wellness benefits” through a health plan. A Hewitt consultant makes the point that people perceive health plans as the care and treatment source but not the place to look for wellness. The article goes on to discuss carving out preventive and wellness benefits from the health plan. The argument is that separating “wellness” will give employees better clarity on that dimension of their benefits. While I see some value in the idea, I don’t see it happening on a widespread basis any time soon. But a good read!
Enhance care giving by improving your m-health strategy
This article is targeted towards hospitals and encourages them to do more to support mobile health, or m-health. There are some interesting stats include, like 60% of adults use the internet to find health information, but only 17% of adult cell phone users use their phones to look up health information. It’s clear to me that the only direction is up, and everyone who has a stake in improving employee health can benefit from knowing where m-health in general is headed.
Money is big issue in stress survey
Well, duh. But this article also highlights some direct health-related issues associated with that stress, like skipping meals, missing sleep, and overeating or eating unhealthy foods. As America continues to face structural economic issues, companies have yet another reason to be offering robust health management and wellness programs and to be proactive in helping their people cope.
St. Joseph’s to host fresh farmers market
If you want people to be healthy at your workplace, you need to be sure your organizational practices match your goals – i.e. toss the donuts for the meeting and offer fresh fruit instead. It’s even better if you can offer many support mechanisms for a better work-life balance and a more holistic approach to improving and maintaining health. Want fresh, locally grown foods, yoga, tai chi, cooking classes, and trauma relief exercises? St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix Arizona offers it all.
More on on-site, ER, online clinics
HealthPartners in Minnesota has debuted online diagnosis and treatment site. Staffed by nurse practitioners, members’ costs are capped at $40 per encounter. Innovations like this that actually take costs out of the system are continuing to crop up as technology moves closer and closer to the center stage of American healthcare.
Contemplations
"The search for knowledge implies also a duty; one must never hide what one has found to be the truth." --Albert Einstein
Mark Head, CSO at Viverae is a weekly contributor to the Viverae Blog. Do you have a comment, question or article for review? Please leave a comment--you can follow us on twitter at @viveraehealth
This Weeks 5 Must Read Health and Wellness Articles: From the Desk of Mark Head, CSO
Mark Head CSO at Viverae provides a weekly post on his top Health, Health Care, Wellness, Insurance and Benefits articles.
Hospital ER’s triple use of advanced imaging
It’s a simple concept: price x utilization = cost. If more services are utilized, costs will go up, even if the price per use doesn’t. According to the article, researchers say this rate of increase for CAT scans and MRI’s isn’t sustainable, increases costs, lengthens patient stays, increases radiation-related risks, and hasn’t really improved health outcomes. All the more reason to have workers pay attention to their own health through worksite programs, get and stay healthier, and don’t use the ER except for real emergencies.
Expect more incentives directly from within insurance plans, plus more on-site clinics
I’ve long said that a coming wave in health management is health plans directly incenting responsible patient-consumers with lower co-pays, deductibles, and other enhanced benefits. In this article, Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina shares some of its new ideas, as well as a corollary trend toward more on-site health clinics.
Edington sees continued upswing in wellness
Although this is not particularly big news – most of you have I’m sure heard of Dee Edington – it’s interesting that Crain’s emphasizes Edington’s orientation towards “fixing the environment” before you “fix the worker.” He notes in his book Zero Trends the 5 key steps companies must take on the path towards better health; ROI is last on the list: creating a vision for wellness by senior management; aligning the environment with the vision; training managers and setting health and performance goals; educating employees and rewarding them to encourage sustainability; and developing measurements for return on investment.
John Goodman continues to inject conservative perspective into the ongoing health reform debate
I don’t always agree with John Goodman, but in this regard I do: reform will not “save money,” it will drive up costs. What we really got was insurance reform, not health reform; it amounts to little more than requiring more people to be covered with richer benefits. Slice it any way you want to, costs go up. I believe many of the intentions of reform were and are noble. And, of course, there are those provisions that support wellness – eminently sensible ideas. But the “how’s” of “saving money” just weren’t – and aren’t – based in sustainable economic reality. Goodman highlights three major flaws: more demand built in but no mechanism to ensure expanded supply, a squeeze on already-squeezed Medicare providers, and relegating innovation to pilot programs with no clear path to replicate and scale something that actually works.
The midterm elections — high stakes for health policy
So, will health reform really matter after all? Physician Henry Aaron talks about political polarization and how, if Republicans make the gains many are predicting, they could effectively strangle reform by cutting off funding for implementing key provisions. Are we on the edge of our seats yet?
Contemplations
"There is more to life than increasing its speed." -- Ghandi
Be sure to check back next week for another round of Must Read Articles! If you have an interesting article we should read, or want to discuss then leave a comment or send the link to our twitter handle: @viveraehealth
This Weeks 5 Must Read Health and Wellness Articles: From the Desk of Mark Head, CSO
Mark Head CSO at Viverae provides a weekly post on his top Health, Health Care, Wellness, Insurance and Benefits articles.
I can’t think of health plan I’m aware of that covers a physician prescription for a fitness program. Perhaps health plans should. This article describes an eminently sensible (and, at $100 for the 9-week program, affordable) idea whose time may well have come. As wellness and health management programs continue to proliferate, programming health plan claims adjudication software to recognize more and more codes for wellness-oriented activities as covered procedures, tighter integration can help drive better outcomes, faster.
Long-term antidepressant users more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes
Most antidepressants are prescribed by PCP’s not mental health professionals. So the questions naturally arise, are they prescribing the right anti-depressant, at the right dosage level, and supported with an appropriate mental health intervention? Now come two new studies that make it even more compelling to question the utility and propriety of such widespread usage of antidepressants where there is no linkage to a therapeutic program to address the underlying causes of the depression – I mean, raise your hand if you wouldn’t be more even more depressed to learn you’d developed Type 2 diabetes after taking antidepressants over the years?
The top 10 urban myths about EHR’s
With health reform now beginning to really kick in, we’re already seeing many unintended consequences. The reader can judge for themselves whether the benefits expected to be received are worth such side effects. Either way, Electronic Health Records are so deeply enmeshed in the reform law’s vision that it’s been easy for people to assume that “data integration” will solve everything. While data integration is certainly a central need for creating better health outcomes, EHR’s alone won’t achieve this, as this article intelligently reveals.
Health economist Jane Sarasohn-Kahn speaks to a number of issues associated with mobile health (MH). She highlights how MH can help move more patients into a participatory care model, as well as how lagging EMR adoption by physicians can hinder MH. She also highlights an Edelman study that says 2 in 5 patients feel disempowered to do anything about their own health, or are reactionary and wait until a major event occurs. She speaks to getting more reimbursements to physicians to help the human desire for a “conversation with my doctor.”
Value-based benefit design keeps chugging along
The Center for Health Value Innovation introduces a new piece on Outcomes-Based Contracting, which they put forth as the next wave in value-based benefit design. Certainly it makes sense to align provider compensation with outcomes, as many have tried to do for years. CHVI thinks they have a better mouse trap and they may well be right. You can bypass the press release and go straight to their 20-page paper here
Contemplations
"I never suspected that I would have to learn how to live – that there were specific disciplines and ways of seeing the world I had to master before I could awaken to a simple, happy, uncomplicated life.” - Dan Millman
Be sure to check back next week for another round of Must Read Articles! If you have an interesting article we should read, or want to discuss then leave a comment or send the link to our twitter handle: @viveraehealth
This Weeks 5 Must Read Health and Wellness Articles
Mark Head CSO at Viverae provides a weekly post on his top Health, Health Care, Wellness, Insurance and Benefits articles.
Hewitt: 2011 health insurance cost increases to be the highest in 5 years -and Here
Hewitt expects costs to rise 8.8% in 2011 vs. 6.9% in 2009 and 6.0% in 2000. Towers Watson expects an 8.2% increase. Hewitt’s expected per employee cost for large companies is from $9,028 to $9,821, while Towers expects an increase from $9,917 to $10,730!
Insurers try incentives to improve medication adherence
More good fodder here related to incentives, in this case oriented towards another key aspect of health improvement: medication adherence. To its credit, Aetna is experimenting with incentives from the insurer itself, vs. from the employer. They set up a daily lottery where each day when patients remembered to take their medicine, they had a one-in-five chance of winning $10, or a one-in-100 chance of winning $100. When they missed their medicine, they could still see what they would have won, but didn't, that day.
Teaching doctors about nutrition and diet (you will have to register--it is free)
In Dallas, back in the 70’s, allopathic-turned-holistic physician Dr. Kenneth Cooper founded the Cooper Aerobics Center and, to the derision of many of his colleagues, touted the benefits of exercise and proper nutrition as core to personal health. This article tells us much of what we regular people already know, but that many in the medical community are just beginning to understand pragmatically: in terms of their physician-patient relationship. This is good news; as wellness companies continue in our ascendancy,_ increased collaboration across the spectrum of stakeholders in human health will yield increasingly positive results._
This is a relatively long but fascinating read. Brian Dolan interviews Qualcomm’s VP of Healthcare, Don Jones. Surprised that a mobile phone component manufacturer has a VP of Healthcare? Well, read this to get a rare strategic view from an industry insider. Jones draws us further in with comments like “not all mobile health is wireless, and not all wireless health is mobile….”
Video Feature from TED.com: How web video powers global innovation
Chris Anderson talks about how web videos can draw large numbers of people into an idea, a presentation, something compelling and viral. In this first-ever video vs. article, I invite you to spend just under 20 minutes of your life listening to this particularly intriguing idea, “crowd-accelerated innovation.”
Contemplations
"Who's not sat tense before his own heart's curtain?" - Rainer Maria Wilke
This Weeks 5 Must Read Health and Wellness Articles
Mark Head CSO at Viverae provides a weekly post on his top Health, Health Care, Wellness, Insurance and Benefits articles.
Only 1 in 20 of us will engage in a sweaty workout today
Surprise-Surprise-Surprise! Studies from the Cooper Institute show that the single best thing a sedentary person can do to improve their health is get active. And we’re not even talking moderate or intense activity – just some! The relative health improvement is more than a very active person who moves to world-class athlete status. Clearly, we can do better. Frankly, we must.
Feet don’t fail me now: worksite walking programs grow
Hello. Walking is good for you. As the article above highlights, we Americans need to get more active. Walking is natural, simple, and on the rise. iPhone and Droid apps can help you map out and monitor a route anywhere – including around employer campuses. This article provides a great overview of how workplaces are expanding their emphasis on employees’ striding for it!
Employers up the ante towards better medication adherence
The Benfield Group recently released a study on employer perspectives regarding medication adherence trends that they did on behalf of the National Pharmaceutical Council. This article gives some great perspective on how medication possession ratios are increasingly being looked to as a key factor in chronic condition management.
40 Percent Say Cost Kept Them From Filling A Prescription
I posted another article on this phenomenon several weeks back, and I’ll say it again – this is not good news. This article comes on the heels of a recent New England Healthcare Institute report that $290 Billion a year (13% of total healthcare spending) is due to costs driven by prescription non-adherence. Even among those with health insurance, 34% didn’t fill a prescription because of cost. This points to why more employers should adopt value-based benefit designs where co-pays are reduced or eliminated for key drugs – especially for chronic condition members – and it’s really clear that we really aren’t going to save money by continuing to raise co-pays.
September 23rd marks the 6-month anniversary of health reform; new benefits kick in
The political posturing continues as both parties argue their pros and cons associated with health reform, but the first big round of the law’s provisions kicks in on Thursday, including no lifetime or annual benefit caps, no coverage rescissions due to illness, no extra costs for non-network emergency care, etc. Many plans that are “grandfathered” won’t have to meet these changes, but a Mercer survey says only 53% of employers expect to be able to maintain grandfathered status over time.
Contemplations
I learned to listen to my body with an inner concentration like meditation, to get guidance as to when to exercise and when to rest. I learned that healing and cure are active processes in which I myself needed to participate. – Rollo May
Be sure to check back next week for another round of Must Read Articles! If you have an interesting article we should read, or want to discuss then leave a comment or send the link to our twitter handle: @viveraehealth
Viverae Wall Street Journal Video
For those interested in seeing Viverae in action I have attached a documentary style video that aired on the Wall Street Journal website (wsj.com). We have additional videos available on our YouTube channel
We are in the process of producing and editing videos to add to the website and YouTube channel. Do you have a question about our program or health management topic that would be an interesting video? Let me know and we will see if we can't make it happen!
Cliff
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