Member Newsletter

Spring 2020

Message from the President Spring has arrived and although flowers are starting to bloom and warmer days are here, life as we know it has changed. During these uncertain times, we are thinking of all our members and the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on you, both personally and professionally. Our highest priority is the health and wellbeing of our members, including employees and their families, and our MBGH staff. Like many organizations, we’ve needed to make some difficult decisions over the past few weeks, including a date change for our annual conference – see below. We are so appreciative of the support we have received from conference sponsors, board of directors and members as we navigate these unchartered waters. We continue to closely monitor COVID-19 updates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and have adjusted our educational programming accordingly. We will keep you updated through our weekly emails as well as through the MBGH website.

40th Annual Conference Rescheduled We are excited to announce new dates for our 40 th Annual Conference – September 3-4, 2020. These new dates will enable us to stay with the JW Marriott and ensures very little changes with the conference elements and agenda. These are truly unprecedented times. Each day we wake to new challenges and developments but I’m certain we will come out on the other side more resilient than ever. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or another member of the  MBGH staff . We are here for you and welcome your comments and questions.   Thanks again for your ongoing support,

Cheryl Larson President & CEO 

COVID-19 RESOURCES FOR EMPLOYERS

We have added a new section to the MBGH web site to keep employers up-to-date with resources and tools to help manage the ever changing landscape of COVID-19. You’ll find resources to help employees maintain social connectiveness and manage stress and anxiety during these challenging times, as well as a comprehensive Action Guide for Employers that provides guidance to help employers continually evaluate whether prevention and response efforts are sufficient and appropriate based on the latest information available. A search tool to locate available COVID-19 testing sites in your area is also provided.

MBGH COVID-19 EMPLOYER RESOURCES

MBGH 40th ANNUAL CONFERENCE - NEW DATE!

Health Benefits Transformation: Employers Unite to Reduce Waste and Improve Outcomes September 3-4, 2020 JW Marriott, 151 W. Adams St, Chicago Like many organizations, we changed the date of our annual conference to ensure the health and safety of our attendees, speakers and sponsors. Join us for two days of networking, learning and sharing of best practices and to celebrate our 40 th Anniversary! In the coming weeks, we will be sharing updates as we update the agenda, speakers and sponsors. We have extended the early bird registration date to June 15. For employers who are not yet MBGH members, if you join by June 30, you’ll receive two complimentary passes to this event (saving you $1,200).

LEARN MORE

REGISTER

NEWLY ELECTED BOARD MEMBER

At the MBGH Board of Directors meeting in March, the board voted in Ajay Madiah, Senior Director, Global Total Rewards, McDonald's. Ajay is a seasoned health benefits professional, has worked across many different industries, and is very enthusiastic about his new role on the MBGH board of directors! "I am ecstatic I was nominated to a Board with such esteemed members possessing deep knowledge and expertise. I am looking forward to absorbing and learning from all the experiences that the board members have encountered through their respective careers, and also happy I can help shape the future strategy and mission of this amazing team."

Ajay Madiah Senior Director Global Total Rewards McDonald's

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!

MBGH’s success is driven by our members! We all benefit from our diverse membership base – sharing best practices and learning from each other is what makes MBGH one of the leading employer coalitions in the U.S. Thank you for your continued support and participation. VIEW MEMBER LIST

AscellaHealth Huron Consulting IBM Lyra Health McDonald’s One Medical SWORD Health United Airlines UChicago Medicine 2020 Onsite

MBGH RECOGNITION!

In early March, MBGH was honored with the  Excellence Award in the Quality Improvement Category for our Hemophilia Employer Toolkit at the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute’s (PBMI) 25 th  Annual National Conference in Orlando. This award recognizes MBGH for the work we did with the National Hemophilia Foundation and the Hemophilia Alliance to provide employers with education, awareness and turn-key resources to help manage the high cost of hemophilia and improve the lives of covered members who are impacted by this rare but serious disease.

Dawn Weddle (middle), Director of Member Engagement at MBGH, along with Kollet Koulianos (left), Senior Director Payer Relations at the National Hemophilia Foundation, accepting the PBMI Excellence Award from Sharon Glave Frazee (right), Senior Vice President of Research & Data Innovation at PBMI.

PRESS RELEASE

HEMOPHILIA TOOLKIT

SPRING PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE

Mark your calendars for these two upcoming MBGH programs. In June, we will host our annual Employer Forum on Pharmacy Benefits and Specialty Drugs. This year’s forum will focus on critical topics to address specialty drug management and will include: what leading employers are doing to flatten the curve, levers to pull for managing drugs through the medical benefit, determining if biosimilars fit into your strategy, identifying which pharmacogenomic tests to cover, strategies for direct to retail and specialty pharmacy, recommendations on independent prior authorization and formulary management, and preparing for the future drug pipeline. Later in the month, we will offer an in-depth half day workshop that will provide training led by expert corporate facilitators from the National Council on Behavioral Health – they will provide guidance on how to identify, understand and respond to signs of addiction and/or mental illness in the workplace. It is recommended that two persons from an organization complete this course. Thanks to the sponsorship of Lyra Health, we are able to offer this training free of charge to employers.

Employer Forum on Pharmacy Benefits & Specialty Drugs: Thinking Outside the Box to Manage Drug Costs and Vendor Waste   June 17, 2020 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM (CT) In Person or Webinar (TBA) Faegre Drinker, 191 N. Wacker Drive, FL 37, Chicago, IL

REGISTER

Mental Health First Aid Workshop - Employers Only! June 26, 2020 9:00AM to 1:00 PM (CT) Faegre Drinker, 1 91 N. Wacker Drive, FL 37, Chicago, IL

REGISTER

PURCHASING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMPLOYERS

Through the Midwest Health Purchasers Collaborative (MHPC), MBGH members have access to a suite of health benefit services at reduced and competitive prices – typically much lower than what employers receive from individual agreements. MBGH recently expanded this network of purchasing partners; these vendor partners have been extensively vetted by MHPC’s employer board.

Carrum Health is a surgery benefit that includes a value based approach, concierge service and tools to ensure a seamlessly coordinated experience. Through the Carrum Health platform, members get access to the highest quality surgeons and experience better results including lower complications and admissions, with no surprise costs. The plan saves money with the confidence that members are receiving the highest quality care.

Inspera Health focuses on one specific and unique population…those with multiple chronic conditions. Their 18-month program provides a coordinated approach to empower deliberate and long lasting behavior change to help employees, family members and organizations live well and thrive. Employers receive independent measures of impact starting at three months, continuing through program completion. Learn more

EmployeRxEvolution offers employer members innovative pharmacy benefit solutions. Through PBM contract transparency and other creative strategies, employers can improve the effectiveness, efficiency and value of pharmacy benefits to drive affordability for the plan and its members. Solutions include: Health Strategy, LLC , focused on clarifying and removing certain responsibilities from PBMs so employers can achieve transparency, increase flexibility and focus on outcomes at the lowest unit cost, and  RxResults , offers pharmacy risk management solutions to ensure access to medications proven safe and effective while providing cost control, removing specialty drug conflicts of interest, and eliminating misaligned incentives. EmployeRxEvolution is transforming pharmacy benefits!

Shortlister is an affordable alternative for navigating the rapidly changing wellness vendor landscape. As a MBGH member benefit, you can tap into this resource for finding and selecting a wellness vendor - whether you are just launching your wellness program, looking to replace your current vendor, wanting a “market check” to evaluate other options, or exploring specialty vendors such as those with expertise in pre-diabetes and/or financial wellness.

LEARN MORE

WINTER IN REVIEW

A number of educational programs and webinars were offered during the winter, providing members with insights into best in-class well-being strategies, tools to address access and stigma around mental health, tried and true communications strategies and so much more. If you missed any of our recent educational programs, no worries! The recordings and summaries from past programs are available on the MBGH website – capture all the learnings at your convenience.

VIEW PROGRAM SUMMARIES

January 22, 2020 – Employer Forum on Wellness, Well-Being and Engagement On a mild winter day in mid-January, 90 employers gathered to learn about best practice well-being strategies from other employers and leading industry experts. Building a culture of happiness was the overriding theme of the day. Diana Sterling, Chief Operating Officer at the Moment Institute, kicked off the day with an overview of how to build a culture where listening to employees and infecting others with happiness is the norm. Tara Sherman, Well Being Strategy Leader at The Boeing Company, shared their global wellbeing strategy which includes a holistic approach with strong support from business leaders and a vast network of boots on the ground support. In the absence of EEOC rules and with the ACA in limbo, attendees received guidance from our legal partners at Faegre Drinker Biddle who shared important steps employers can take to mitigate risks around wellness program incentives. Employers also received an update on how the everchanging state cannabis laws are impacting employers. Wellness trends (mental/behavioral health and financial wellness are hot…health risk assessments, biometrics and wearable devices are not!), employer best practices and new ways to approach wellness within organizations were also discussed.

WEBINAR RECORDING

PROGRAM SUMMARY

February 19, 2020 – Mental Health in the Workplace: Addressing Access & Stigma Over 80 participants came together for this full day program focused on the impact of mental health in the workplace. Key takeaways included: Although mental health issues effect all employed populations, there is an alarming increase in suicide and drug-related deaths in young persons Depression alone is estimated to cost the American economy $210 billion annually, with 50% of this cost shouldered by employers - costs are probably significantly underestimated because roughly four in ten adults with mental health disorders don’t seek treatment Workplace loneliness impacts quality of life and work/life engagement; it’s linked to poor health outcomes and drives up costs of care (but…there are strategies that employers can implement to address this!) 1 in 3 of us is lonely – loneliness and social isolation are the leading preventable risk factors for mental health issues including depression, addiction and suicide There is a direct correlation between mental health disorders prevalence and income; the less you earn, the more likely you are to have a behavioral health disorder Overcoming the stigma that mental health carries is a big undertaking that will not happen overnight; we have years of conditioning to overcome; employers are addressing this issue with creative solutions that are non-traditional and holistic in nature

WEBINAR RECORDING

PROGRAM SUMMARY

February 25, 2020 – Webinar: Effectively Managing Pharmacy Benefits - 5 Must Haves This webinar was conducted in partnership with MBGH purchasing partner, HealthStrategy LLC. Chris Crawford, Chief Growth Officer, provided helpful insights into how PBMs have influence and control over all facets of the supply chain including dictating which drugs an employer can cover (while often receiving rebate payments from drug manufacturers) and negotiating pharmacy pricing including what the employer and employee pays when a prescription is filled. By negotiating with employers and pharmacies separately, there is limited PBM transparency including actual profit margins. Listen to this webinar to hear five “must haves” to include in your PBM contract to achieve transparency, increase flexibility and focus on achieving best in class outcomes as the lowest unit cost.

WEBINAR RECORDING

VIEW PRESENTATION

March 18, 2020 – Creating Effective Benefit Communications that Improve Engagement and Impact Employee Health   This half day program was scheduled at a time when COVID-19 was spiraling into a national crisis. MBGH did a quick pivot and changed the format of this session to a webinar and it turned out to be a great success! We invited Daniel Prokott, Partner at Faegre Drinker to speak about the employer impact of COVID-19 including how to respond to employees’ fears while addressing layoffs, remote work, travel restrictions and self-imposed as well as required quarantines. Liz Lash, Health and Wellness Consultant at W.W. Grainger Inc., provided the employer keynote and shared an overview of their data-driven Total Rewards communications strategy which includes a self-service portal, online and print collateral, road shows and so much more! Attendees were encouraged to “think like a marketer” when rolling out benefit communications and they participated in an interactive session on using effective communication strategies to get the message out during times of crisis and to get the attention of employees when communicating benefit programs. Employer representatives from three progressive organizations shared their successful communication strategies including using a combination of print and on-line collateral, conducting road shows, keeping the message simple and housing all benefits materials in one place. You can pick up more pearls by listening to the webinar recording!

WEBINAR RECORDING

PROGRAM SUMMARY

March 25, 2020 - Webinar: Tools You Can Use: Prediabetes and Diabetes Management in the Workplace The focus of this one-hour webinar was to showcase tools that employers can use to have a meaningful impact on reversing the trend of diabetes and pre-diabetes in the workplace. Guest speakers shared valuable information on how a Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) can be executed at the workplace, both in person as well as through an online, distance learning platform. Attendees were provided an opportunity to offer a DPP at their organization at a significantly reduced price (your organization can also take advantage of this opportunity – contact Judy Hearn to learn more!). Features of the MBGH Diabetes Management in the Workplace Toolkit were also highlighted, including diabetes prevention videos which are available in both English and Spanish – they are free to use, free to share with others, and can be posted internally at your organization. This MBGH toolkit is continually updated with new resources. Check out the latest addition:  Using Mobile Technology to Manage Diabetes.

WEBINAR RECORDING

VIEW PRESENTATION

DIABETES TOOLKIT

Employer Benchmarking Surveys At the request of MBGH members, three online surveys were recently conducted to gather insights into employer policies and practices related to onsite occupational health services, gender selection and integrated pain management. Aggregate results were provided to employers who completed the survey and posted on the MBGH website as a reference for other members. To request a survey, at no cost, specific to your organization’s needs, contact  Mindy McBee.

BENCHMARKING SURVEYS

LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY

MBGH Urges Congress to Solve Medical Billing Crisis In early February, MBGH sent a letter to Illinois Ways and Means members and published a press release to encourage lawmakers to solve surprise medical billing for patients and employers. MBGH continues to work with stakeholders including the Coalition Against Surprise Medical Billing and the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions to realize a solution that protects patients from financial harm and establishes a mechanism to prevent runaway healthcare costs for employers.

PRESS RELEASE

MBGH IN THE NEWS

Over the past few months, MBGH was featured in a number of publications, including the Chicago Tribune, Benefits Pro and Workforce. The reach of these articles extends past the readership of these publications as the stories were picked up by a number of other news outlets. Total visibility for articles published during the first quarter of 2020 exceeded 48 million!    A few highlights…

This publication shared a summary of the seven healthcare organizations that were recognized on March 3 by the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute for their efforts and contributions in the areas of care management strategies, cost containment, opioid management and quality improvement. Included was MBGH’s commitment to equipping employers with education and resources through the online Hemophilia Toolkit including managing spend and improving the quality of life for those impacted by bleeding disorders.

Denise Giambalvo, MBGH Vice President, authored the article, “Resolving to control drug costs: Your PBM contract really matters” that was published in Benefits Pro .  She outlined five strategies that self-insured employers can use to put controls in place to create savings for their health plan as well as plan members. She encouraged employers to work together and seek out the right experts and independent consultants to demand that middlemen remove waste and provide transparency to better manage pharmacy benefits.

Our very own, Cheryl Larson, MBGH President and CEO, was quoted in a recent Chicago Tribune article that highlighted Chicago-based hospitality company, Hyatt’s latest initiative which offers spa services, fitness classes and activities like cooking classes and guided tours to hotel rewards members. Cheryl shared that new trends in workplace wellness incorporate meditation, sleep management, personal time off, and designated rooms in which employees can take breaks for breathing exercises or meditation. “It’s not just about wellness, it is about the well-being of a person,” Cheryl said.

Cheryl was also featured in a recent online Workforce video . She shared trend data collected by MBGH including the staggering fact that half of employees have, or will in the future, care for a family member or friend while continuing to work. She stressed the importance of supporting caregivers in the workplace including conducting focus groups to better understand employees’ needs. Cheryl stated, “culture eats wellness for breakfast” – if you have a poor culture, employees won’t engage. We can’t ignore the needs of caregivers.

See all coverage here!

‌ ‌ ‌