HealthPartners recently released the results of a study that analyzed the impact of consumer-directed health plans on cost, consumer behavior and quality of care in Minnesota through claims data and other empirical evidence.

The innovative study shows that consumer-directed health plans, including health savings accounts and health reimbursement accounts, can be effective at lowering medical costs and engaging consumers in seeking out cost effective care.

Key Findings:

• Lower medical costs
  The analysis shows that even when adjusted for differences in members’ health status, health care costs are on average 4.4 percent lower for members in consumer-directed health plans compared to members in traditional plans. Researchers found that the decrease in costs is driven by CDHP members using lower cost providers and receiving more cost efficient care that requires fewer resources to treat each particular condition.

• Accessing health information with Web tools
  CDHP members have a 13 percent higher use rate of HealthPartners Web-based tools that compare cost and quality. For example, members were twice as likely to access HealthPartners Medical Cost Calculator. The Medical Cost Calculator has cost information for 93 high frequency procedures or conditions from ear infections to coronary artery bypass surgery.

• Accessing care to improve health
  The study also provided some evidence that CDHP members are getting needed care rather than delaying care that could lead to medical complications.

• Members are younger and healthier
  CDHP members appear to be significantly healthier. Members enrolled in these plans were expected to use 28 percent fewer health care services compared to members enrolled in traditional plans. In addition, CDHP members are slightly younger than members in traditional plans.

Learn more about this study here or contact your Broker or HealthPartners Sales Executive for more information.

Don’t be surprised if you start hearing a lot about biometrics. As one of the latest buzzwords in the industry, “biometrics” is a hot topic among purchasers looking to reduce costs – at any cost. The bottom line, however, is that employers interested in implementing biometrics-based incentive programs should proceed with caution.

In summary, biometric screenings assess an individual’s health status by measuring a variety of health indicators. Typical tests include height, weight, body fat content, body mass index and blood pressure. A blood draw may also be done to measure glucose, cholesterol (total, HDL, LDL) and triglycerides. Based on the results of these tests, some employers are offering incentives to employees in the form of lower premiums, reduced deductibles or other financial rewards. Employees who meet certain biometric levels receive these incentives, while employees who don’t meet the defined biometric levels are not offered financial rewards and could even incur surcharges.

While this concept seems like a straight-forward approach, there are important factors your clients should consider:

1. Margin of error: Each test conducted may have a margin of error that could impact an individual’s ability to qualify for the incentive. The margin of error on biometric screenings can be a result of several factors, including the process used to conduct the test, the quality of the equipment, the individual’s body composition, what they are wearing or even their activity prior to the test. For example, establishing a diagnosis of high blood pressure requires multiple elevated blood pressure readings. Taking only one reading may flag an individual whose blood pressure is elevated simply from the anxiety of the test. Similarly, cholesterol levels might be high due to eating high-fat foods prior to the test. In light of those examples, consider the potential margin of error for the following tests:
   
   

   Body mass index (+/-) 3-5%	Total cholesterol (+/-) 9%
   HDL cholesterol (+/-) 13%	LDL cholesterol (+/-) 12%
   Triglycerides (+/-) 15%	Glucose (+/-) 11%

   
   
2. Federal and State Regulations: Federal and State Regulations: Any wellness program should be designed in consideration of Federal Regulations, including HIPAA nondiscrimination regulations, ADA laws and State regulations. According to a recent article published by Watson Wyatt, “The supplemental benefit provision in the HIPAA regulation is somewhat vague and therefore open to interpretation. And some wellness programs are HIPAA-compliant and may help employees improve their health and help employers reduce their costs. But the penalties for violating HIPAA are severe, so employers that are considering an insured wellness policy should consult with legal counsel first. Violations of HIPAA carry a steep price tag, which may include a government audit, excise taxes, litigation, bad employee relations and bad publicity.”

So what should you do? First, weigh the pros and cons of biometrics-based incentives. Second, investigate alternative approaches that incent employees to actually participate in wellness programs. One great participation-based alternative is HealthPartners Healthy Benefits program.

Healthy Benefits helps employees achieve better health, while their employers achieve a healthier bottom line. This program leverages benefit design to incent employees to complete a Health Assessment and participate in a follow-up wellness program. Easy to implement and administer, Healthy Benefits appeals to and engages employees at any health level – and has average participation rates of over 70 percent.

To learn more about the HealthPartners health improvement programs, please contact your HealthPartners Sales Executive.

According to a new federal report, the list of national health plans that best promote quality and efficiency is short – very short. In fact, only HealthPartners and Kaiser Permanente are even on that list. That means that when it comes to health plans, HealthPartners goes the extra mille to provide high-quality care and coverage at and affordable cost to purchasers and members.

The National Business Coalition on Health released the “eValue8™ Cornerstone Report,” which concluded that “Two of the health plans that consistently get the highest eValue8 scores each year are HealthPartners and Kaiser Permanente.” In the report, HealthPartners President and CEO Mary Brainerd said information technology is one example of how health plans can provide better value.

“We find that our patients like the fact that electronic health information helps them get lab test results quickly and allows them to keep track of their health care issues,” Brainerd said. “When patients have the choice of being able to access and use health care information in person, on the phone, or online, they want to have the choice just as they do in every other aspect of their lives.”

About the Four Cornerstones
The Cornerstone Report is the first-ever comparison of America’s health plans in providing physician and hospital quality and price information. It is part of a commitment by U.S. employers and the federal government to promote transparency and the adoption of information technology by implementing Four Cornerstones:

1. Health Information Technology – Using technology to share medical records securely.
2. Reporting on Quality – Public reporting on the performance of doctors, hospitals and other providers.
3. Reporting on Prices – Public reporting about the prices and costs of medical services.
4. Incentives for Quality and Value – Providing incentives for quality and value in health services.

HealthPartners was among Minnesota businesses that signed support for the initiative in March. The Cornerstone Report can be found at http://www.nbch.org/

When it comes to health care innovation, HealthPartners is a known leader. On September 10, HealthPartners took that one step further by partnering with the state of Minnesota and other large health care organizations to unveil the Minnesota Health Information Exchange initiative.

As one of the largest “e-initiatives” in the nation, this new, integrated electronic initiative will connect doctors, hospitals and clinics across health care systems in real-time, enabling quick access to patient medical records during a medical emergency or for scheduled routine care.

With a targeted launch date of early 2008, initial e-services will allow providers to obtain immediate patient medication histories, lab orders and test results for more than 3 million Minnesotans.

The Minnesota Health Information Exchange is another example of HealthPartners leadership in making health care safer, more effective and more affordable. The system is expected to increase efficiency among health care providers and reduce administrative costs.

Learn more about the Minnesota Health Information Exchange.

You already know that catching the flu means doctor visits and lost workdays for employees, increased health care costs and lost productivity for employers. What you may not know is that there is still time to set up on-site flu shot clinics! HealthPartners Corporate Influenza Prevention Project offers an easy way to stop the flu before it hits your employees. And, we’ll deliver! We’ll work with your clients to schedule a visit that works best for them.

For your HealthPartners members and their covered dependents, the flu shot is a covered benefit. We can also work with you to provide flu shots for employees who are not covered by HealthPartners.

You can register for this program online at healthpartners.com/employer and complete the online Flu Shot Registration Form.

To learn more please contact your HealthPartners Sales Executive.

HealthPartners recently introduced a new pharmacy plan designed to contain costs related to chronic disease states.

Healthpartners’ Value-Based Plan provides a reduced copay or coinsurance for certain drug categories related to chronic disease management. By lowering financial barriers, the patient is more likely to continue using needed medications and avoid more expensive complications.

To learn more about this plan, please contact your HealthPartners Sales Executive or Broker.

Beginning next year, HealthPartners nationally recognized pharmacy benefit management program will contract with MedImpact, a national provider of pharmacy services with 27 million members.

HealthPartners will continue to manage clinical pharmacy and formulary services, including prescription drug management. MedImpact will provide HealthPartners network and pharmacy claims processing services.

After a transition period, HealthPartners will no longer contract with Caremark for these services. There will be virtually no change for members: benefits and formularies will remain the same and if anything, there will be a minimal change to HealthPartners national network.

The contract takes effect January 1, 2008 for Medicare Part D members and May 1, 2008 for commercial members. Members will receive a new ID card before those dates and they will simply need to bring it to their pharmacy the next time they fill a prescription.

Please contact your HealthPartners Sales Executive or Broker with any questions.

The customer satisfaction results are in for the first half of this year for HealthPartners Shared Decision Making (SDM) program -- and they’re overwhelming! From January to June 2007, 219 members participated. Of the 219 members 100 percent where very satisfied or satisfied with the decision making process and 99 percent were very satisfied or satisfied with the decision they made. This service is utilized through inbound calls where members are assessed to be in decisional conflict about an aspect of health care. 

After the SDM process the member’s knowledge of risks and benefits for each care option jumped from 82 to percent to 99 percent. The member’s clarity of risks and benefits mattering most increased from 75 percent to 98 percent. The member’s certainty about their choice jumped an amazing 33 percent from 64 percent to 97 percent.

What this means? Shared Decision Making is helping our members make better, more informed decisions about their health care. Informed health care consumers make more efficient and effective health care choices. Learn more about Shared Decision Making.