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Ten years ago, edHEALTH evolved from a growing need for academic institutions to join forces to help control rising healthcare costs. As edHEALTH continues to grow, our member-owner schools have asked about additional ways we can put the consortium’s purchasing power to good use.
We listened, strategic planning began, and now we have three new member-owner offerings starting January 1, 2024. The following outlines how we ultimately determined which new programs to launch.
Strategic Planning Background
At our June 2022 annual meeting, we officially kicked off our strategic planning initiative to further investigate improved savings and service opportunities for our member-owner schools. After the kickoff, both edHEALTH and our schools, along with many of their advisors, formed three committees to clearly identify school interests and priorities.
Once each committee defined its priorities, we announced the results at our June 2023 annual meeting and shared how we would begin identifying the best business partners. Working with our consulting partners, we also asked for volunteers from our member-owner schools to join the three new committees.
Nancy McConaghy, edHEALTH Vice President, noted: “We were so appreciative of the support, time, and commitment that our member-owners provided. Their direct involvement was key to our success as they provided us with their school-specific needs and shared their previous experiences.”
The Results – Three New Offerings in 2024
After a year of thorough planning with our member-owner schools and their advisors, followed by culling down the offerings and reviewing vendor proposals, we are pleased to offer the following service-centered and cost-effective programs through edHEALTH:
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Administrative Services Vendor Partner: edHEALTH schools can select our new vendor partner for their benefit administration platforms, which includes supporting all of their COBRA/FSA/HSA and other administrative needs. The organization we chose is committed to service, analytics and reporting, technology, and a positive customer experience.
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Dental Insurance Vendor Partner: With robust plan designs, including enhanced preventive benefits, we partnered with a highly respected insurer that offers provider choice to faculty and staff at our member-owner schools. They are also highly respected for their excellent customer service.
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Diabetes Management Program: Diabetes is on the rise at an alarming rate in the United States. According to the CDC, an estimated 37.3 million people, 11.3% of the population, are coping with this serious condition. Fortunately, there are services dedicated to helping people with diabetes better manage their care, which in turn, can lower healthcare costs for our schools. We selected our new diabetes management partner based on their focus on wellness, lifestyle, nutrition, preventive health, and medication adherence – all with a clinical team of pharmacists, nurses, and dieticians behind their personalized plans.
“Supporting our member-owners in new ways is so important to all of us at edHEALTH. Implementing programs that can help our schools contain costs and enhance experiences for their faculty and staff is rewarding. Once the program is up and running, we are optimistic that the data will show how the diabetes program is improving the lives of those coping with the disease,” said Vice President Nancy McConaghy.
Want to learn more about these offerings?
Please contact edHEALTH Vice President Nancy McConaghy.
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