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LEGISLATIVE UPDATES:
TIPS, TOOLS & RESOURCES
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 Plan Your Day at the Summit! View the Agenda...
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Click on the image to view the agenda
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"Compassion is an overlooked, undervalued, essential asset in today's workplace."
Monica Worline, Ph.D., keynote speaker at this year's Summit
Excitement is building for Friday's Summit as speakers, panelists and innovators prepare to offer insights into how best to apply purpose-driven solutions to today's top-of-mind health care issues. Opioids, obesity, new frontiers, bold innovations, physical and mental health and well-being, and compassion at work are among the diverse topics being explored.
"Our Summit speaker lineup and topics are sure to appeal to all attendees," says Carolyn Pare, Action Group president and CEO. "Learning to apply purpose-driven solutions for optimal health in the workplace will help employers address today's health care benefits challenges and provide breakthrough ideas that can be applied in the workplace."
Although this year's Summit is officially sold out, please contact
Sue Jesseman (sjesseman@mnhealthaction group.org) if you would like to attend.
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June Member Meeting to Feature Health Care Policy, Finance Expert, Allan Baumgarten
The Action Group's June member meeting, The Changing Landscape for Health Care in Minnesota: Data and Insights for Employers, offers members the opportunity to hear market insights from Allan Baumgarten, an independent analyst and consultant whose work focuses on health care policy, finance and local market strategies. He is the author of Minnesota Health Market Review, a nationally recognized annual report analyzing key trends and issues in the market since 1990.
This member-exclusive meeting is June 21, 2018, from 8 a.m.-10 a.m., at the Hilton Airport/MOA. Click here for a full description. Registration opens May 15!
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If a friend or colleague is actively considering membership, reach out to Deb Krause ([email protected]) for a guest pass for them to attend a member meeting!
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Educational Resources Support May is Mental Health Month
Mental Health America is calling on employers to challenge themselves to make small changes to create huge gains for overall mental health. They're simplifying the request by providing a robust toolkit for Mental Health Month that includes turnkey employee communications, among other things.
The Action Group's Mental Health Learning Network members recently kicked off 2018 activities, including working on having more data to understand network and payment disparities with the goal of improving mental health parity. We will continue exploring how to engage members and other stakeholders to measurably advance mental health in Minnesota and beyond.
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June is Men's Health Month! Employers Can Help...
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| To learn more about hosting a "Wear Blue" event to promote men's health, click here. |
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Men have a higher death rate from most leading causes of death, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and suicide, making this topic of utmost importance to employers who are committed to advancing employee health and well-being.
June is Men's Health Month, designed to heighten awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.
This month gives employers an opportunity to educate the workforce about the importance of men's health, including preventive care and seeking medical care and early treatment for disease and injury. To find a wealth of information, including turnkey employee communications, please click
here. To view a timely Action Group blog about fighting cancer by increasing colorectal cancer screenings, click
here.
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NQF Playbooks Address Opioids, Shared Decision Making
The National Quality Forum (NQF) recently released playbooks to help providers and health plans address issues of great importance to The Action Group. One focuses on turning the tide on the nation's devastating opioid epidemic; the other aims to make shared decision making a reality for all patients.
"These outstanding new resources will help shape our work in key areas," says Carolyn Pare, Action Group president and CEO and NQF board member. "We'll use the playbooks to help our health plan and provider colleagues make inroads that lead to reversing the opioid epidemic and enhancing shared decision making."
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Keeping Pace with the Specialty Drug Pipeline
With so many new specialty drugs entering the market, it can be difficult to stay up to date on the latest therapies. A new 2018 second quarter Specialty Medication Pipeline Report includes current information on emerging drugs, along with indications, patient population, and approval status, among other things.
The Action Group's Specialty Drug Guiding Coalition members are continuing to meet to advance the 2018 agenda to find solutions that work for all stakeholders. Given the complexity of the topic, separate goals were defined for 2017 and 2018. To learn more about plans for addressing the high cost of specialty drugs, please click here.
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Personal and Professional Growth Opportunities
If you're looking for career inspiration, and/or simply want an enjoyable way to network with your peers, The Action Group makes it easy to take advantage of professional development opportunities.
Member meetings feature timely topics selected by members, and presenters include thought leaders who provide innovative, practical tips and tools for achieving your best work.
Member Meetings:
All member meetings are held at the Hilton Airport/MOA, 3800 American Boulevard East, Bloomington, from 8 a.m.-10 a.m.
Public Meetings and Events:
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With just about two weeks remaining in the 2018 Session, legislators are working diligently to produce their supplemental budget proposals. The Senate passed
Senate File 3656, a comprehensive package that includes all areas of the state budget. The House will work to pass their proposals in similar fashion, with any differences being resolved in a joint conference committee before being sent to Governor Dayton for his approval or veto.
Between the Senate and House bills, a number of issues related to transparency and cost in the health care system are included. Among them are requirements for providers to disclose more information around facility fees, changes to a pharmacist's ability to inform consumers of lower cost options at the counter, reforms to step therapy protocols, and the creation of a new Health Policy Commission tasked with taking a broad, diagnostic look at our state health care system.
These final weeks are sure to be hectic. Additional updates will be provided as the end of Session approaches.
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Member Center a Wealth of Helpful Tools and Resources
Member-exclusive presentations and materials are available through the Member Center from the
homepage. For example:
- Presentations from member meetings, including "ACOs Accelerating Value" and "Surviving and Thriving" Making the Most of the RFP Process" (log into the Member Center from the homepage).
- "Working Well in Minnesota: Insights and Actions for Advancing Mental Health in the Workplace" (click here to view a recent blog by Deb Krause, Action Group vice president, "Mental Health Parity: It's Time to Fulfill the Promise!")
- Comprehensive Member Directory
- Specialty Pharmacy Purchaser's Guides (Phase I and Phase II)
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Express Roundup: Top Stories from The Action Group's Newsletter
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