edHEALTH’s President and CEO, Tracy Hassett, has been an avid football fan since she was young. It’s a sport she’s shared with her dad over the years. They watched games on television together when she was a child. As an adult, they share it by phone. Every time the New England Patriots score a touchdown, they call each other. “There’s a lot of aspects about football that I apply to our work at edHEALTH,” said Tracy.Keeping it FunOne of Tracy’s favorite football traditions is the buildup to a game. She equates every Sunday to a holiday. “You listen to interviews with the players all week, figure out the food you want to cook and which team clothes you’re going to wear,” she said. Similarly, she likes to keep it fun at work. Even on Zoom, she knows how to keep it light so that the business of work is a pleasure. “It’s a joy to work on a project with our team, member schools, and busine...

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Although it’s cold, walking is a safe exercise option during the pandemic so the edHEALTH team is making a point of getting outside. We’re finding it’s good for our minds and bodies. “Walking has kept me sane,” said edHEALTH President, Tracy Hassett. “Between feeling the fresh air and actually seeing people, it’s been liberating.” Executive Assistant Claire O’Sullivan says walking helps clear out the cobwebs, and Operations Manager, Cindy Bartelson, enjoys feeling the sunshine when it’s out. Marketing Communications Strategist, Cindy McGrath, welcomes the opportunity that walking provides to safely catch up with friends in person. “Exercising is a great distraction from the pandemic,” said Nancy McConaghy, Business Development Executive.Three of the five of us like walking in the late afternoon, although Claire prefers early morning when it’s warm out. Weather permitting, she walks at...

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Dear Colleagues,Finally, it’s 2021!What a challenging year 2020 was for the education industry. COVID-19 placed immense financial burdens on educational institutions as student and on-campus housing enrollments declined, costs associated with COVID testing and online learning increased, and other revenue streams dried up. Finance and Human Resources departments were on the frontline in helping to bring costs down. Furloughs, layoffs, early retirement incentives, and benefit cuts were considered or implemented.Pivoting to Support MembersAppreciating the strain our member institutions were under and that schools interested in joining edHEALTH didn’t have the bandwidth to do so, edHEALTH pivoted from a growth to a member support mode. We strove to support members and their faculty and staff financially, strategically, and emotionally – and the collaboration was a balm for all of us.Colla...

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One of edHEALTH’s strategic initiatives is population health – working together to improve our member schools’ faculty, staff, and family health outcomes to bend the healthcare cost curve. Almost three years ago, we contracted with HCMS, our data warehouse now called Workpartners, to provide a person-centric clinical program for patients with complex healthcare needs. This year, Workpartners began analyzing edHEALTH’s data for plan design purposes. These initiatives are translating into quantifiable results for our member owners and their employees.“What started as a need for data warehouse capabilities has grown into a strategic partnership for making data-driven decisions,” said A. Tracy Hassett, edHEALTH’s president and CEO.2021 Plan Designs Informed by In-Depth AnalysisIn the spring, Workpartners conducted a deep dive into edHEALTH’s suite of plan design options. This analysis com...

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