Employers

Michael Abrams, MA, is the co-founder and managing partner of Numerof & Associates, a firm that helps businesses across the health care sector define and implement strategies for winning in dynamic markets.

Health care organizations can help spur growth among physicians through incorporating key experiences, such as out-of-expertise skill building and cross-functional projects, in their physician leadership development programs.

To address rising prices of private health insurance, employers are considering several strategies, including narrow networks and decreased reliance on intermediaries.

As the pandemic contributed to a significant decrease in the use of health care services in 2020, an analysis finds that employer health care benefit costs will likely increase in 2021 to address this deferral in care.

Family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose 4% over the past year, averaging $21,342, according to Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) study findings, with workers contributing $5588 in out-of-pocket costs.

As employers seek to gain a pulse of what the health care benefit cost trend will be for the coming year, the Business Group on Health will be monitoring several factors, including the impact of the pandemic, efficacy of virtual care, and deferral in care delivery.

In working directly with employers on their purchasing strategies amid the COVID-19 pandemic, notable concerns include independent primary care, consolidation, and quality of care.

Amid disruption precipitated by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a survey by the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions shows employers are maintaining or accelerating their health benefit strategies for 2021 and 2022.

This article was written by Maureen Hennessey, PhD, CPCC, CPHQ, senior vice president and director of Value Transformation for PRECISIONvalue.

Based on findings of the Business Group on Health’s 2021 Large Employers' Health Care Strategy and Plan Design Survey, employers have increased funding in virtual care and behavioral health amid the coronavirus disease pandemic.

Jason Shafrin, PhD, serves as the vice president of Health Economics at PRECISIONheor, and Meena Venkatachalam, MSc, is the senior director of Health Economics at PRECISIONheor.

A cost-saving provision made possible by the recent COVID-19 relief CARES Act now allows Americans to leverage pre-tax funds from their flexible spending arrangements [FSAs] or health savings accounts [HSAs] to purchase over-the-counter medicines and menstrual care products.

Karen Kobelski is the vice president and general manager of clinical surveillance, compliance & data solutions at Wolters Kluwer. She brings more than 25 years of experience to her position, which expands her previous leadership role over the Safety & Surveillance group to also include the Health Language portfolio of data normalization solutions.

Expanding traditional value frameworks to include inequality and factors that contribute to this is the first step to addressing disparities in health outcomes. Utilizing multi-criteria decision analysis and distributional cost effect analysis can assist in deriving data and subsequently acting on these issues.

When 40th Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH) Annual Conference meets this week, stakeholder groups will tackle issues within population health and precision medicine, and discuss the influence of employers on these discussions.

In a webinar by the Integrated Benefits Institute, an employer panel discussed perspectives, initiatives, and challenges in their respective caregiving benefits, as well as how the current pandemic has impacted their strategies.

In 2 surveys, employers identified efforts to increase availability of virtual care, support employees undertaking greater caregiving roles, and address social and health inequities as a result of the pandemic.

Beyond telework, some notable strategies that employers should consider when managing back-to-school and other leave related concerns among employees include child care benefits and flexible work options, said David Weisenfeld, JD, legal editor and host of a XpertHR podcast.

Hinge Health announced the expansion of its clinical and technical musculoskeletal (MSK) capabilities to cover the full continuum of MSK care. The move will provide the most complete back and joint health solution to employers and health plans.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines that are leading the pack are utilizing a new vaccine technology that has never been approved for human use by the FDA. As a result, there are a lot of unknowns.

Through GoMo Health’s partnership with the Center for Health Technology and Innovation (CHTI) at the American Heart Association (AHA), GoMo, in collaboration with the AHA, has launched the telehealth care coordination solution, known as Concierge Care, a behaviorally-based, patient-centric care solution that can lead to measurable and sustainable population health, said Patrick Dunn, program director of CHTI at the AHA, and Bob Gold, chief executive officer of GoMo Health.

In beginning the first phase 3 clinical trial to examine a vaccine candidate for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Moderna Inc announced that the Trump administration increased funding to expand the trial to 30,000 US participants; employers have considered and some have made it a requirement for employees to sign a waiver to not sue the organization if they are infected by COVID-19 or suffered any injury while working; study finds 1 flu shot can reduce the risk for Alzheimer disease by 17% and 1 pneumonia vaccine before age 75 can reduce the risk by 25%.

In addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, a more active-based approach is warranted among employers to optimize care. Through detailed databases and a greater focus on population health, Paladina Health has promoted this transition to a more informed, value-based health care delivery system, said Kirk Rosin, chief revenue officer of Paladina Health.