Letter from the President
Happy Summer! It is our hope that you, your family and colleagues are well and enjoying this hot, but sunny weather! Please use this newsletter to get up to speed on our latest information and activities.
40
th
Annual Conference goes VIRTUAL! After closely following national and state guidance, including Illinois’ reopening plan regarding the pandemic, we have decided to move our annual conference to a virtual format. It will still be the same leading-edge, vibrant programming with timely topics in health benefits management, health care and payment reform, and include employer experts and industry leaders. This year will also offer unique and impactful networking – see more below.
Restarting the Conversation on Race, Health & Equity
– We applaud the efforts of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions
for taking a fresh look at the influence of race on the health and wellbeing of employees and their families in our organizations, communities, and society.
They are conducting a series of Town Hall meetings targeted to employers.The first one took place on June 25
th
– you can listen
to the recording
here
. Watch for info on upcoming Town Halls in our weekly emails.
|
|
Cheryl Larson
President & CEO
|
|
Here’s what you need to know about our 40
th
Annual Conference:
- It’s virtual, so get ready for fun and great ideas (bonus: no crowded rooms!)
- It’s FREE to all members
- What you can still expect:
- One of the best health benefits conferences in the US
- New and different ways to network with your colleagues
- Opportunities to “meet” the sponsors and check out their services on your own schedule
- Our famous prize drawing
- .....And much more
|
|
WELCOME NEW MBGH BOARD MEMBERS
|
|
|
At the MBGH Board of Directors meeting in May, two new board members were elected. Carole and Kim are both seasoned benefit professionals with diverse experiences making them great assets to the board and to our organization.
Carole Mendoza leads the global benefits function at IBM and has held employee benefit leadership positions in the high tech, biotech, oil and gas industries, as well as a health care benefits consulting role with Hewitt Associates.
Kim Dwyer
is the Vice President of Inspera Health and previously served as the Vice President of Benefit Services for Advocate Health Care, now known as Advocate Aurora Health Care, the largest health system in the Midwest. She is a
previous executive board member and past chair of MBGH.
|
|
 |
Carole Mendoza
Director
Global Health Benefits Strategy
IBM Corporation
I've always been impressed with the creativity and innovation of MBGH and its member companies. MBGH is about both learning and action. I've always worked for employers headquartered on the coasts, so I bring a different perspective to health and well-being conversations that I hope will be valuable.
|
|
|
|
Kim Dwyer
Vice President
Inspera Health
It is a privilege and an honor to be associated with MBGH as a board member. MBGH has national recognition and strong relationships with organizations that shape and influence benefit design for today and the future. It is my passion to support population health and my personal agenda is very aligned with the purpose and mission of MBGH.
|
|
|
|
MBGH’s success is driven by our members and we all benefit from our diverse membership base – sharing best practices and learning from one other is what makes MBGH so valuable. That’s the
Power of MBGH!
|
|
- GE Healthcare
- Kaia Health
- Pactiv Evergreen
- Reynolds Consumer Products
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals
|
|
SUMMER PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE
|
|
|
Mark your calendars for these
three upcoming virtual events!
In July
,
we will address the growing opioid epidemic and what employers can do to reduce opioid exposure post-surgery. We'll also be discussing vulnerable populations, what contributes to their vulnerability and how you can provide better care for them.
In August, we’ve teamed up with our partner, Catalyst for Payment Reform (CPR), to provide an educational webinar that will address what
self-insured employers of any size can do to ensure carrier relationships are productive and ensure accountability for effective cost management and patient outcomes.
|
|
July 14, 2020, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM (CT)
Addressing Your Vulnerable Population
July 30, 2020, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (CT)
August 11, 2020, 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM (CT)
|
|
|
New MBGH Report:
Transforming Pharmacy Benefits: The Role of Biosimilars
If employers are serious about driving down costs, while ensuring their members have access to therapies that treat complex chronic, life threatening and rare medical conditions, this is the time to act on the use of biosimilars. This new report offers a comprehensive overview on the role of biosimilars today, including action steps for adoption that can translate into real cost savings for employers. The report also includes case studies, research and key references to help you build your business case.
|
|
|
New MBGH Report:
Non-Opioid Postoperative Pain Management Alternatives
Most employers are not aware that non-opioid postoperative pain management alternatives are available or currently in development to help patients avoid the use of opioids postoperatively. This is a critical strategy to support people who may become opioid dependent. This report provides action steps employers can take, along with questions to ask carriers/TPAs to ensure innovative treatment options are readily available. In addition, the report provides guidance on how employers can follow Medicare's lead in using these treatment options.
|
|
|
MemberConnect
This online portal connects MBGH members with each other – share resources and post questions to help you and others navigate a variety of HR and benefits topics. Check out recent discussions, set up your profile and join
communities to take full advantage of this resource.
|
|
|
COVID-19 Webpage
Check out the COVID-19 section on the MBGH website to keep up-to-date with employer resources and tools to help manage the ever-changing landscape of COVID-19. You’ll find resources to help employees maintain social connectiveness, tools employers can use for a smooth reopening process, quick links to mental health resources and so much more.
|
|
|
A number of educational programs and webinars were offered this spring, providing members with insights into Centers of Excellence, best in-class specialty drug management, strategies to address today's health issues and more. If you missed any of our recent educational programs, no worries! The recordings and summaries from past programs are available to members on the MBGH website – capture all the learnings at your convenience.
|
|
April 28, 2020 – Employer Case Study: US Foods Center of Excellence (COE) Benefit Helps to Cut Health Care Costs in Age of Coronavirus
This webinar provided a firsthand look at how MBGH member company, US Foods, has been able to lower medical costs and improve quality by implementing a Center of Excellence solution. Through a partnership with Carrum Health, US Foods is paying 45% less for spinal fusions, 35% less for bariatric procedures and 25% less for knee and hip replacements. They’ve seen five times lower readmission rates and 22% of unnecessary surgeries have been avoided. Attendees gained insights into how this COE was launched, including vendor selection, seamless implementation, comprehensive communications and results reporting.
|
|
June 17, 2020 – Employer Forum on Pharmacy Benefits & Specialty Drugs
Over 130 people “attended” this annual event that was one of the highest rated educational events MBGH has conducted!
Alex Jung, Managing Director, EY-Parthenon, kicked off the program with an overview of marketplace challenges/opportunities and what the future will look like. She encouraged employers to act now as we are quickly losing the opportunity to leverage the supply chain around health care and benefits. Attendees learned of the COVID-19 impact on the pharmaceutical value chain and were encouraged to appreciate some of the positive fallout's of this pandemic, including an increased focus and awareness of drug costs and outcomes. With awareness comes action! Plan sponsors need to hold their vendors accountable and be proactive in managing their medical and pharmacy benefit spend, especially around specialty drugs.
The employer panelists provided straightforward recommendations – demand transparency from your vendors, take a proactive role in managing health care and pharmacy costs, tap into an unbiased third party to re-evaluate your PBM contract, use data to drive decision making and shift focus away from the 80% who cost your plan very little while focusing on the 20% where you can make the most impact. Action to reign in PBMs now is critical.
|
|
Weekly Employer Roundtable Discussions on Current Health Issues
Since April 1, MBGH has hosted weekly discussions with employers to address timely and pressing issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These lively roundtable conversations
have been moderated by Tom Sondergeld, MBGH Board Member, and Dr. Jan Berger, MBGH Medical Director, and provided employer members with an opportunity to have safe and open dialogue with peers on how to tackle the many health benefit issues we are facing today.
A wide range of topics have been addressed including leave of absence/furloughs,
return to work strategies and communicating with empathy, among others.
The discussion summaries and related resources are posted on MemberConnect in the “Today's Health Issues" community.
|
|
Benchmarking Reports
At the request of members, MBGH sent out four additional online surveys to gather employer insights into go-forward strategies around existing and planned RFPs, working from home practices, post-pandemic remote-flex changes and return to work policies. Benchmarking surveys are a value-added benefit to your MBGH membership! To request a survey, at no cost, specific to your organization’s needs, contact
Mindy McBee
.
|
|
MBGH joined a consortium of employer groups to issue a letter to congressional leaders requesting they take immediate action to ensure Americans have access to high-quality, affordable health care both now and long after the COVID-19 pandemic ends. This joint letter offered recommendations to ensure employees, their families, and everyone in our country, is able to access high quality, affordable health care. Recommendations include providing affordable coverage in the immediate and longer term, ensuring access to primary care clinicians, stopping price gouging, protecting patients from surprise bills and mitigating risk in the health insurance market.
|
|
MBGH joined The Leapfrog Group and AARP to advocate with House and Senate leaders to require all health care facilities report rates of health care associated infections. This letter, sent to congressional leaders, proposes a mandate that all facility types (ASCs, nursing homes, long-term care facilities, dialysis centers, specialty hospitals, etc.) be required to report health care acquired infection data, including COVID data, to the CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) and that this information be made public.
|
|
In collaboration with other employer coalitions, MBGH encouraged the FDA to prioritize the approval process of non-opioid alternatives while balancing the need to put additional resources behind COVID-19 treatments. This advocacy letter applauded the FDA for keeping the opioid crisis as a top priority and encouraged no delays in the approval process of innovative products that can have an impact on fighting the growing opioid epidemic in our country.
|
|
Over the past few months, MBGH was featured in a number of publications, including Benefits Pro, Employee Benefit News and the American Journal of Managed Care. The reach of these articles extends past the readership of these publications as the stories were picked up by a number of other news outlets. Total visibility for articles published during the second quarter of 2020 exceede
d 1.4 million!
|
|
|
|
This
article
provided an overview of our very own Cheryl Larson’s participation in a panel discussion during the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) Annual Meeting in April. During the “The Employer Perspective: Meeting Employee Needs While Controlling Cancer Care Costs” panel, Cheryl pointed out that despite employers being responsible for about 50% of all coverage with the rest paid by the government, they have little-to-no say about what other health care stakeholders do or what they charge. She emphasized the importance of addressing low-value care and the need to reduce waste and misuse in pharmacy benefit management.
|
|
|
|
Dawn Weddle, MBGH Director of Member Engagement, shared that in order to effectively engage employees in appropriate use of health care, employer provided benefits and health improvement programs, communications must be tailored to an organization’s culture. In this article, published in
Benefits Pro
,
Dawn shared the results of a recent MBGH employer survey that found employers’ top benefit priority for 2020 was providing effective health benefit communications, followed by employee engagement in programs and use of benefits.
|
|
|
|
Denise Giambalvo, MBGH Vice President, authored the article, “Specialty drug conflicts of interest: Employers must act now to control the chaos” that was published in
Employee Benefit News
. She encouraged employers to incorporate an independent review of all specialty drug prior authorizations and reminded plan providers to maximize their fiduciary responsibilities by ensuring PBM contracts have appropriate terms and definitions in place to allow the plan to exercise their right to carve-out prior authorizations.
|
|
|
|
This
publication
featured a conversation with Cheryl Larson, MBGH President and CEO, around potential misaligned incentives and conflicts of interest between plan sponsors and traditional PBMs. In this e-book, Cheryl encouraged employers to think differently about how to manage their pharmacy benefit and take action to address excess costs caused by PBM and other middlemen. She concluded that transparency, truth and collaboration are what’s needed to fix pharmacy benefits today and emphasized that MBGH can help employers get there.
|
|
|
|
This
article
addressed what employers need to know about food as medicine and offered practical steps to reduce barriers for their employee populations. Authored by MBGH team members Jan Berger, MD, Denise Giambalvo and Dawn Weddle, this piece stressed that employers can and should support healthy nutrition both in the corporate space and within the community. Only when the full ecosystem is on board will “food as medicine” help reverse the growing trend of diabetes, which costs employers significantly and diminishes quality of life for more than 34.2 million Americans.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
