edHEALTH President Tracy Hassett to Join VCIA Board
VCIA is pleased to announce the addition of t...
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August edHEALTH News
Find out edHEALTH news and insights in the first digital edition of our newsletter. Check out our August Digital Digest!
Read Full ArticleedHEALTH is Beating the Healthcare Cost Curve
edHEALTH is poised for growth. Our healthcare rates are beating the rising healthcare cost curve:Five year average increase is 1.7% compared with the industry average of 8.1%Last year we actually had an average 2.9% decrease in rates!In January 2019, we selected a coast-to-coast healthcare administrator so that we can expand nationally. We’ve added some innovative population health programs to improve quality and control costs. And, we’re expanding our website and social media footprint to improve our communications efforts.
Read Full ArticleNew Benefits Administrator Expands edHEALTH Reach Nationally
edHEALTH is now available throughout the country. For 2019, we entered into an agreement with CoreSource, a subsidiary of Trustmark Mutual Holding Company, is a national employee benefits company. (To better tie the subsidiary to the parent company, CoreSource will be rebranded to Trustmark Health Benefits effective January 1, 2020.) The company has access to over 60 carrier-owned and provider-sponsored networks. These include Aetna, Cigna, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield of New York, Anthem Blue Cross of California, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia.CoreSource uses a customized approach to determine which networks best meets the needs of new clients. They evaluate network panel scope, how strongly the network and types of care align with the client’s utilization patterns, and financial value. These findings are provided to the new member organization, edHEALTH, and Spring Consu...
Read Full ArticleTelehealth Offers Convenience for Non-Emergencies, Skin Concerns, and Behavioral Health - Download the App Today
Take Advantage of a Telehealth visit with a credentialed doctor specializing in internal medicine, family practice, pediatrics, dermatology, psychology, or psychiatry. A virtual care visit enables you to see a provider through real-time, Skype-like technology using a smartphone, tablet, or computer that has a microphone and webcam. Benefits include:Immediate access to doctors 24 hours a day, 365 days a yearNo need to travel from work or homeSecure and private two-way video chats with U.S. board-certified doctors and therapistsPrescriptions sent to your drug store, if needed$25 copay/visitConsider taking advantage of telemedicine benefits if you have any of the following non-emergency needs:AllergiesUpper respiratory infectionFluEaracheSkin rashUrinary tract infectionConjunctivitisSinus infectionUpset stomachBehavioral HealthTelehealth behavioral health benefits are confidential and co...
Read Full ArticleGet to Know Cindy Bartelson, edHEALTH’s Operations Whiz
If you’re a current edHEALTH member school, you’ve probably worked with Cindy Bartelson, edHEALTH’s Operations Manager. Cindy is the “go to” person for edHEALTH’s day-to-day activities:Troubleshooting health insurance-related issuesHR employee orientationPlan Design Committee logisticsNew group implementationTwo years ago, Cindy joined edHEALTH. She previously worked for 15 years in the HR Department at member school Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Cindy’s skills and experience make her uniquely qualified to running edHEALTH’s operations. She’s especially gratified to help member schools troubleshoot health-insurance related issues. “In HR there are a lot of urgent personnel-related issues,” says Cindy. “The school HR staff appreciates having one less item on their plates. And, through investigating member health insurance issues, I identify and find resolutions for larger conc...
Read Full ArticleNew Population Health Initiative Off to Strong Start
It was a pleasure to meet with all of you to discuss the new edHEALTH population health initiative, KnovaSolutions® Clinical Prevention Service. We’ve already heard from many of you that you want to participate in the program that targets the 5% of your population that comprises over 50% of claim costs. It’s a triple-win solution:1) Potential Reduction in High-Cost ClaimsThe program’s clinical staff provides personalized care for high-risk, high-cost employees and covered dependents. Through phone and secure email, participants receive support for medical decisions. Information, education, and decision support helps decrease unnecessary costs and utilization.2) Improves Healthcare Quality and Employee Satisfaction24/7 access to assistance: Questions about diagnosis, treatments, tests, and medicationsSupport for making lifestyle changesMedication review assistanceWork/life balance sup...
Read Full ArticleAward-Winning Optum Rx Program Effectively Tackles Opioid Abuse
Opioid abuse is a national epidemic: every 13 minutes there is an opioid-related death. Between 2015 and 2016 drug overdoses increased 21%, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Our prescription drug vendor, OptumRx, uses an innovative opioid management program that helps members and patients balance the need for powerful medications with the risk of abuse and misuse. Targeted drugs include Oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, hydromorphone, codeine, fentanyl, methadone, tramadol, OxyContin, Percocet, Lorcet, and Vicodin. The program takes a multi-pronged approach to help tackle abuse:Prevention and education: OptumRx provides education to patients and providers about the risks of opioids. Home delivery patients who fill opioid prescriptions through mail order receive education and promotion of proper leftover drug disposal. The drugs our dispensed with label and bottle cap warn...
Read Full Article2019 Annual Meeting
There was lots to celebrate at this year's Annual Meeting: 20 members before 2020; beating healthcare cost trends; financial performance; and $2 million in dividend distributions.Watch our presentation video here
Read Full ArticleNancy McConaghy Named Business Development Executive at edHEALTH
Nancy McConaghy Named Business Development Executive at edHEALTHLong-time Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Account Executive Brings Unique Expertise to the Role NORTHBRIDGE, MA, June 20, 2019 - edHEALTH, the member-owned healthcare purchasing collaborative for colleges, universities, private and charter schools, welcomed Nancy McConaghy, former Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Senior Account Executive, as its Business Development Executive. In this new role, McConaghy will be responsible for membership growth and retention.McConaghy was the account representative for edHEALTH’s Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Administrator and helped to ensure member satisfaction for the colleges, universities, and their employees enrolled in the Harvard Pilgrim health plan option. She served in that capacity since edHEALTH’s inception six years ago. With over 25 years of experience in account management for major ...
Read Full ArticleFuture of Health Care Event
https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2018/10/25/future-of-health-care-event-focuses-on-keeping.html?ana=e_ae_set2&s=article_du&ed=2018-10-25&u=LLzDdLBXhTpdIIhKX3U4jQ074f8000&t=1540495473&j=84639651
Read Full ArticleOlin College of Engineering's Stephen Hannabury Named Distinguished Business Officer of the Year by NACUBO
Stephen Hannabury Named Distinguished Business Officer of the Year by .webarchive
Read Full ArticleCollaborating to Cut Costs in Higher Education: Can It Be Done?
New England Journal of Higher Education: The Journal
Read Full ArticleChristmas comes early at Olin
The faculty and staff at Olin College of Engineering are getting a rare and unexpected holiday treat this month: a break from health insurance.Olin College officials said they’ve made so much progress in curbing health care costs this year that their employees don’t have to pay any premiums in December.For 96 people who work at the small Needham college, that means extra cash they can use for holiday shopping, or anything else.Olin is one of a dozen local colleges and universities that have teamed up to cut health insurance costs. Instead of buying coverage from insurers, they formed their own insurance company, sharing the costs and risks for their combined 10,000 employees.When those employees stay fairly healthy and medical claims are low, the schools save on insurance costs.The consortium, called EdHealth, includes colleges and universities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and is...
Read Full ArticleNACUBO Business Officer Magazine
COST CONTROL Institutions that have joined to form health-care consortia are benefiting from cost savings, while being able to comply with complex and changing ACA regulations.Against the backdrop of mounting criticism over rising higher education costs, college and university business officers are looking for creative ways to cut those costs. For many, the area of escalating employee health-care prices is an ideal place to start. Across the country, several groups of higher education institutions have joined to form health insurance consortia, working together to provide benefits to their employees at a fraction of the cost they once paid individually."With the rising costs of higher education, anything we can do to lower that cost is important," says Tracy Hassett, CEO and president of EdHealth, a health insurance collaborative launched in 2013 by 11 colleges and universities in the...
Read Full ArticleWorcester Business Journal
College collaboration leads to self-insurance savingsWPI Executive Vice President and CFO Jeff Solomon and EdHealth CEO and President Tracy Hassett stand above a basketball court on WPI's campus. Among the many benefits of going self-insured for health insurance is being able to encourage healthy lifestyles among employees and target health needs.One year ago, when Worcester Polytechnic Institute dove into the high-risk, high-reward world of self-insurance, it hoped the gamble would pay off enough to keep tuition in check.Luckily, WPI had friends.WPI joined a new collaborative of colleges and universities – called Educators Health LLC, or EdHealth – that has allowed small- to mid-sized schools to pool their self-insurance efforts and keep potential outlandish costs in check. The result over that first year was less risk and more savings.Ditching full-coverage from insurance companies ...
Read Full ArticleThe Boston Globe
Colleges across region team up to cut health care costsEmployees at Worcester Polytechnic Institute saw something in their paystubs this year that they had not seen in many years: smaller deductions for health insurance.The decline was the result of an initiative that has brought WPI together with 10 other Massachusetts colleges and universities to form their own health insurance company, covering a combined 8,900 employees and their families. The initiative, called Educators Health LLC — or EdHealth — allows the schools to bypass commercial insurers by pooling their risk and money, and paying claims from that pool.If they can keep employees healthy and insurance claims low, the schools can keep the savings. Since the initiative was launched two years ago, the colleges combined have saved at least $10 million from what they were paying before and limited average insurance premium incr...
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