Dear Healthcare Intelligence Network Client,
Feedback from employers indicates that despite uneasiness created by the Patient Protection and Affordability Act, many still plan major changes to employee coverage — from eliminating insurance for retirees to reducing premiums for employees who take a health risk assessment (HRA). Our own research on HRA use found that 56 percent of organizations offer incentives for HRA completion, with cash incentives of up to $100 offered by 63 percent and reduced premiums by 44 percent.
We share more employer insurance trends and more of our research on the top uses of HRA aggregate data by 116 healthcare organizations in this week's issue. You can also download a free e-summary of the June 2010 HRA Survey results.
Your colleague in the business of healthcare,
Patricia Donovan
Editor, Healthcare Business Weekly Update
Please send comments, questions and replies to pdonovan@hin.com.
Associate Editor:
Jessica Papay, jpapay@hin.com
Publisher:
Melanie Matthews, mmatthews@hin.com
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2010 Benchmarks in Health & Wellness Incentives Use
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August 30, 2010
Vol. XII, No. 32
Sponsored by:
Reducing Avoidable Emergency Room Visits: Approaches to Redirect Patients to Cost-Effective Care Settings
This week's industry news:
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Health Coaching in 2010
This week's industry news
1.) Majority of Large Employers Revising Health Benefit Programs for 2011
A majority of large U.S. employers are moving forward with plans to make changes to their 2011 healthcare benefit programs in the wake of both health reform and expected large health benefit cost increases next year, according to a new survey by the National Business Group on Health.
Get the full story.
>>Return to this week's industry news
2.) Real ROI from Health Management: Cost Savings through Coaching and Disease Management
In this resource, industry experts detail the measures to look at when evaluating health coaching and population health programs and provide case studies of how they are using these measures to demonstrate a health management ROI.
Learn more about this resource.
>>Return to this week's industry news
3.) Survey Identifies Top 3 Uses for HRA Data
Aggregate data from health risk assessments (HRAs) provide a roadmap for healthcare organizations to deliver health promotion and disease management interventions to targeted individuals — with the goal of improving clinical and financial outcomes.
Get the full story.
>>Return to this week's industry news
4.) 2010 Performance Benchmarks in Health Risk Assessment Use
This 60-page resource provides metrics and measures on current and planned HRA initiatives as well as lessons learned and results from successful health assessment programs. This industry snapshot is enhanced with guidance from industry thought leaders on the design and implementation of HRAs, the role of an HRA in a population health management program and guidelines for evaluating the effectiveness of HRA programs.
Learn more about this resource.
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5.) Healthcare Business White Paper: Clinical Case Management — A Common Platform for Managing Health and Productivity
As economic connections between employee health and workforce productivity have been more clearly delineated, employers are considering health and productivity management as a business strategy that can increase corporate earnings. Integrating the management of their benefit programs is one option for such strategies, but certainly not the only means of achieving this goal.
Download this complimentary white paper.
>>Return to this week's industry news
6.) New Connection Found Between Yoga and Mood, Anxiety
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that yoga may be superior to other forms of exercise in its positive effect on mood and anxiety.
Get the full story.
>>Return to this week's industry news
7.) New Chart: The 7 Most Critical Care Transitions
Tighter management of transitions in care can help to close care gaps, avoid unnecessary hospitalizations, readmissions and ER visits, reduce medication errors and raise the bar on care quality. We wanted to see which care transitions are being addressed by healthcare organizations.
Click here to view the chart.
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8.) 2010 Healthcare Benchmarks Yearbook: Metrics, Measurements and Innovations
This resource is a comprehensive collection of benchmarks in key areas of healthcare activity and growth: the patient-centered medical home (PCMH), reducing readmissions, health coaching, patient outreach, financial incentives and telehealth to foster behavior change and reverse healthcare spend.
Learn more about this resource.
>>Return to this week's industry news
9.) Social Support Key to Nursing Home Length of Stay Before Death
In a study of elderly Americans who moved to a nursing home for their final months or years of life, 80 percent died there within one year, according to an investigation by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) and the University of California, San Francisco.
Get the full story.
>>Return to this week's industry news
10.) Home Visit Handbook: Structure, Assessments and Protocols for Medically Complex Patients
This resource outlines an innovative home visit pilot for Medicaid and dually eligible patients that reduced unplanned hospital admission days by 71 percent in three months for the pilot population and provides key performance benchmarks on home visit activity in the healthcare industry.
Learn more about this resource.
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11.) New Insurance Finder Web Tool Simplifies Process of Searching for Health Coverage
HHS has released a new HealthCare.gov Web tool for download that makes searching for coverage options easier than before.
Get the full story.
>>Return to this week's industry news
12.) Coordinating a Virtual Medical Home in Your Community: Lessons from the Iowa Collaborative Safety Net Provider Network
After identifying a need in the state of Iowa for access to affordable prescription drugs and access to specialists for underserved populations, as well as medical home development for the safety net providers in the state, the Iowa/Nebraska Primary Care Association was awarded state funding to create and manage a provider network to bring together all of the community resources needed to make a medical home possible. During this webinar, industry experts will share how the primary care providers in this community work with other local, community-based organizations, as part of a virtual medical home, to improve access to and the quality of care.
Learn more about this resource.
>>Return to this week's industry news
13.) HealthSounds Podcast: The 3 Factors That Influence Hospital ER Use
Three key factors influence consumers' use of the hospital emergency room today, according to Dr. Barsam Kasravi, managing medical director for state-sponsored programs for WellPoint. In this podcast, Dr. Kasravi discusses how WellPoint is trying to close critical care gaps and encourage its members to utilize healthcare services more effectively.
Listen to this podcast.
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