July Headlines

National redesign could save up to $2.4 trillion over next decade
Benefit from a seamless, integrated approach to biometric screenings
Add dental to your medical to increase satisfaction
Outsource FMLA Administration to remain compliant and protect confidentiality
Additional COBRA subsidy available for Minnesota residents

National redesign could save up to $2.4 trillion over next decade

A new HealthPartners analysis shows that redesigning and improving America’s healthcare delivery system to more reliably deliver evidence-based healthcare could save up to $2.4 trillion in Medicare costs over the next decade.  Furthermore, Dartmouth Atlas researcher Elliott Fisher found that if the entire nation adopted care similar to that in high value Medicare regions such as Minnesota, Medicare costs would decline by between 20 and 30 percent.

HealthPartners Medical Group’s costs are 8 percent lower than the Minnesota average, making them between 28 and 38 percent lower than the national average. HealthPartners uses its electronic medical record and redesigned processes to prompt doctors, nurses and patients to take the steps most supported by medical research for each patient. HealthPartners "BestCare" also better coordinates care across sites, specialties, conditions and times. As a result of improved coordination of care between its clinics and hospital, emergency room visits have been reduced by 39 percent, hospital admissions have been reduced by 24 percent and hospital readmissions for frail elderly patients are 40 percent less than the community norm.

Learn more about the HealthPartners analysis.

Benefit from a seamless, integrated approach to biometric screenings

Many people don’t know their biometric numbers, such as cholesterol levels, blood pressure rates, body mass index (BMI) and blood glucose levels. Offering biometric screenings onsite can be a convenient and effective way to help your employees know their numbers and get engaged in improving their health. Plus, aggregate reporting can help you understand more about your population’s key health issues, which can help in planning an effective wellness strategy. With a seamless, integrated approach, HealthPartners is able to deliver biometric screening services to meet your needs.

We're working with Horizon Health as our new preferred biometric testing and health seminars vendor. With national capabilities in every zip code in the United States and more than 9,000 trained screening professionals, you’ll benefit from both convenience and expertise.

Our support doesn’t end at the onsite screening. A seamless biometric feed can pre-populate HealthPartners nationally recognized health assessment with height, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose levels. This information helps to establish an employee’s risk for disease and contributes to his or her HealthPotential^SM Score. Additionally, it is integrated into the employee’s conversations with health coaches, which leads to actionable steps for lifestyle change.

When combined with a health assessment and wellness programs, biometric screenings are a powerful tool to raise awareness and drive employees into appropriate, effective wellness programs. We will consult with you to help fit biometric screenings into your unique wellness strategy. For more information on biometric screenings or seminars, please contact your HealthPartners sales executive or your broker.

Add dental to your medical to increase satisfaction

Are employers more satisfied with their experience at HealthPartners if they offer both medical and dental plans? The answer is definitely yes.

Recent research conducted by HealthPartners indicates that employers who offer both a HealthPartners medical and dental plan have a significantly higher level of satisfaction than employers that only offer a medical plan.

Specifically, employers who offer both HealthPartners medical and dental were more satisfied because they felt that the benefit design and provider networks more completely met their company’s needs.

In addition, dental members show a high level of satisfaction with their dental plan, with scores ranging from excellent to good for the following:

• 98 percent for experience with their dentists and the care they receive
• 95 percent for satisfaction with their clinics
• 92 percent for satisfaction with overall value of their dental plans
• 89 percent for satisfaction with the dentists in our network

The bottom line for you? If you are currently offering both medical and dental plans through HealthPartners, you and your employees are likely more satisfied with your HealthPartners experience. If not, now is a great time to talk with your HealthPartners sales executive or your broker about a HealthPartners dental plan. It’s a great way to increase your – and your employees’ – satisfaction.

Outsource FMLA Administration to remain compliant and protect confidentiality

According to a recent survey conducted by the National Business Group on Health, employers consistently rank FMLA at the top of the list when asked what federal regulation they find the most burdensome.

Find relief from federal compliance by outsourcing your FMLA Administration with HealthPartners. Not only do you reduce the time and effort you spend on FMLA administration, you also pass your compliance requirements over to HealthPartners. Your staff may also appreciate the distance it provides from the uncomfortable situations that can arise when managing FMLA.

Using multiple vendors to manage your employees’ health and disability results in extra work and disjointed care for your employees. At HealthPartners, we apply our healthcare and integration expertise to FMLA absences. We fairly and consistently administer even the most complex FMLA cases, over any tracking period, across the entire organization. This makes outsourcing easy and results in cost savings, better health outcomes and increased productivity.

Learn more about how HealthPartners can help you with your FMLA administration.

Additional COBRA subsidy available for Minnesota residents

Individuals who are eligible for COBRA or state continuation coverage may also be eligible to have the State of Minnesota subsidize the remainder of their medical and dental premiums for up to nine months.

This subsidy pays the remaining 35 percent of the COBRA premium for eligible individuals beginning on July 1, 2009. To qualify, the individual must:

• Sign up for COBRA medical and/or dental coverage
• Be eligible for the federal 65 percent COBRA premium reduction
• Meet the income and asset limits for a Minnesota healthcare program. In general, the household income and assets must be at or below these amounts:

* Some assets such as a homestead, household goods and retirement funds are not counted toward the limit.
** Pregnant women count as two.
*** Parents with income over $50,000 per year may not be eligible.

If the individual qualifies for the Minnesota subsidy, the State of Minnesota will pay it directly to the employer or COBRA administrator. For more information on the Minnesota subsidy, please visit www.dhs.state.mn.us/healthcare/COBRA.