2022 annual member-owner meeting recap and what's ahead
Thank you to all our member-owner schools, their benefits advisors, and our business partners who attended our edHEALTH annual meeting on June 22, 2022.
We're so thrilled that everyone who responded to our survey really liked the content shared, and the new format of the edHEALTH annual meeting.
Meeting overview
This year, we hosted an educational session for members before the official meeting kickoff. Members had their choice of learning more about:
- the finance side of edHEALTH, or
- rising prescription drug trends.
One comment received was about: “… [how he] loved the educational session (finance); would have been interested in the Rx as well." Other attendees expressed similar comments.
Both subject matters play an integral part in edHEALTH's success.
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Annual updates provided
We also heard important edHEALTH updates from our President and CEO Tracy Hassett (pictured above), Chair of our boards Stephen Hannabury, Treasurer of our boards John Burke (pictured above), and edHEALTH Vice President Nancy McConaghy.
edHEALTH strategic planning
Members and advisors also participated in a strategic planning session, which created new edHEALTH committees for our members. (We'll reach out to those unable to attend our meeting to ensure that they select a new committee to join.)
This subgroup approach allows our members to zoom in on areas that matter most to them and offer new ideas for our collective entity.
Special thanks to our business partners at AIG Insurance and Spring Consulting Group for their expertise, support, and facilitating sessions throughout the day!
Looking ahead to 2023
In addition to celebrating edHEALTH’s 10th anniversary, we'll be excited to report back on the progress we make during the next year as we continue to find new ways to help reduce the health care trend for our schools.
We had great attendance among our member-owner schools. But, we strive for even more representatives next year.
One comment received about the meeting is a new goal for us: "I think that we should work to see how we get multiple people to attend across organizations (i.e., the HR and Finance reps) for all schools."
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What's trending in health care news?
3 articles worth a read
These three reports, about telehealth popularity with older adults, future benefit trends in a post-pandemic world, and the remaining hesitation to talk about mental health at work, are aligned with what we're thinking too.
Take a read and let us know what you think.
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Understanding the value and costs of cell and gene therapy
Innovation in health care is constant and is marked often by significant breakthrough treatments and cures. Not too long ago, we thought of the idea of altering a gene to cure or treat a disease to be science fiction. But, today, that concept is a reality as cell and gene therapies have quickly emerged as one of the most transformative innovations over the last few years and will continue well into the future.
Cell and gene therapy represent overlapping fields of biomedical treatments with similar therapeutic goals, which target DNA and RNA inside and outside the human body. Both approaches seek to modify genetic material to improve functioning or fight disease. Specifically, gene therapy uses genetic material, or DNA, to manipulate a patient’s cells for the treatment of an inherited or acquired disease. While cell therapy is the introduction of new cells into a patient’s body to grow, replace or repair damaged tissue to treat a disease. In some cases, such as CAR-T, cells are genetically modified before being (re)introduced into the patient. This is the intersection between cell and gene therapy.
The cell and gene therapies available now, and in the development pipeline today, are the result of years of pioneering research. Currently, there are over 20 cell and gene therapies approved for use in the United States alone. The range of diseases that these therapies will eventually address is broad and covers blood disorders, eye disorders, cancer, and infectious diseases, among others. These will create a world with curable diseases like Parkinson’s, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Sickle-Cell, Hemophilia, and Cancers. Deloitte recently published a three-part series about cell and gene therapies. In it, they note that with more than 900 firms globally focused on these advanced therapies and over 1,000 cell and/or gene therapy clinical trials currently underway, the industry will see a regular flow of approvals. Additionally, Deloitte reports that experts predict within 10 years up to 60 new therapies could be launched, treating about 350,000 patients in the United States alone.
Unlike traditional drugs, most cell and gene therapies are given as one-time treatments, fundamentally changing the natural course of the illness, and offering hope to many individuals. However, because of their high development costs and promising clinical outcomes, gene and cell therapies are astronomically expensive, raising significant concerns of access and affordability.
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Looking for wellness tips to share with your employees? Check out these summer safety downloads
Summer is here! While often considered one of the most fun seasons for kids and adults alike, it's important to remind each other to be safe, whether on the ocean, at the pool, or simply in the sun.
We've gathered a few ready-to-use flyers and videos that may be helpful to share on your intranet site or in your employee newsletters. With summer vacations, often away from home and your primary care provider, promoting telehealth in the summertime is always a smart idea. (Member-owner schools will also find flyers about telehealth from our third-party administrators, i.e., health plans for your employees and their families.)
Tips to stay safe in the sun
Telehealth flyers - helpful resources for your employees when deciding on care while on vacation (when visiting an ER isn't needed)
Choose the carrier from your health plan offering:
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Follow-up on our June member survey about edHEALTH and our business partners
Thank you to those who took the time to complete our online assessment. We appreciate it!
The goal of this survey is simple: To get an honest assessment of how we’re all doing – from school staff who we regularly work with – so we can improve our value to you.
Feedback overall was very positive. We did find a few common themes, including researching additional opportunities where our pooled purchasing can have an impact, more discussions around market and global utilization trends, and using new tools during our member-owner meetings.
Missed the survey but still have feedback for us? You can share your thoughts with us, about anything at any time. Just email us at info@educatorshealth.org.
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2022 Walking Challenge is in its final week
After three weeks, participating edHEALTH schools walked 76,557,785 steps!
Are you one of the 380 active walking challenge participants? We hope so! While we wish all our schools joined, more than half of you did accept the challenge! After the third week, here are the five schools with the most steps walked:
- Boston College
- Franklin Olin College of Engineering
- Bentley University
- Brandeis University
- College of the Holy Cross
With under one week left, our participating schools have time to step it up to win!
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Here, we'll share updates related to what's coming soon and what we may need from you, our member-owner schools.
PCORI Due July 31, 2022
The 2021 PCORI (Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute) Fee calculation is now available on the edHEALTH portal/forum. Please note that the 2021 PCORI Fee covers policy period ending on December 31, 2021.
Separately, please also find the enrollment report provided by your carrier supporting the 2021 PCORI Fee calculation. Please make sure to save this for your records as well.
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Rx strategic opportunities in your email box
As edHEALTH member-owner schools begin to plan for 2023 offerings, be sure to review the most recent report you received from our pharmacy benefits manager. There are many programs available to help your school save on rising prescription drug costs. This includes a program that offers savings when employees choose to receive maintenance medications via mail order or at our most popular national chain pharmacy across all edHEALTH schools.
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2023 renewal kick-off is here!
Get ready to start planning for your school's 2023 health plan offerings.
To start the process, you’ll receive an email from Nick Frongillo, one of our actuarial partners at Spring Consulting Group, in the first week of July.
More details to follow soon.
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Machine Readable Files (MRF) coming soon for member-owner schools
As part of the Transparency in Coverage Final Rule, you'll receive your link to your school's Machine Readable File on July 1, 2022.
Your file will include information to more clearly understand in-network rates, out-of-network billing, and historical payments. This helps your school to better understand pricing and the cost of health care services.
What to know about your MRF:
- This new link is exclusive to your school's benefit
- Your MRF is managed by your third-party administrator (i.e., employees' health plan)
- Your file will be updated monthly in accordance with Federal guidelines
You'll receive your school's link within the week!
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Annual Strategic Reviews coming soon for 15 member-owner schools
Keeping our member schools informed on their healthcare trends and savings opportunities for next year is a priority for the edHEALTH team. We do this once we have sufficient data to analyze, which is five years of member utilization.
This summer, we look forward to having thoughtful and interactive conversations with staff from 15 member-owner schools. Scheduling is now underway!
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Summer break: July and August
In recognition of Independence Day on July 4 and so many well-earned vacations, you have one less work read during July and August.
Our edHEALTH newsletter returns in September. Cheers to happy and safe summer months ahead.
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Share this newsletter. Forward the email you received to pass along.
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Interested in learning more about the many benefits of edHEALTH?
Call Nancy McConaghy at 1.866.692.7473 ext. 702 or send her an email.
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Please add lbarnstein@educatorshealth.org and info@educatorshealth.org to your contacts so we're recognized as a safe sender. |
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