forward HR

S p r i n g 2 0 1 8 • forwardHR | 21 Cheryl DeMars is President and CEO of e Alliance, a cooperative of more than 240 employers who self-fund their health benefits and work together to buy health care differently in Wisconsin, northern Illinois and eastern Iowa. DeMars also serves on the Advisory Board of the Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the board of the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality. HEALTH INSURANCE — SELF-FUNDED Be health care proactive How you can make a difference in employer-sponsored benefits By Cheryl DeMars, President and CEO, The Alliance T he health care system costs too much, wastes too much and makes too many mistakes. Beyond paying the bill when employees get care, what can you do to change that? Here are steps you can take to help move health care forward. Band together Look for regional or national organizations that bring employers together to change health care. You can even start your own. For example, Natasha Plank-Ottum of Plank Enterprises in Eau Claire knew double-digit increases in health plan rates were making health care unaffordable for employees. She sought out experts and used innovative strategies to reduce premiums and lower the total cost of care. Her efforts caught the attention of other employers and led to the formation of the Innovations in Healthcare program at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. e program brought employers together to explore health care plan options and cost management. Plank-Ottum won a Health Transformation Award from e Alliance in 2016 for helping create employer-led solutions. Like her, you can change health care by starting in your own community. Promote patient safety "When mistakes happen in the hospital, employers pay the price in lives and dollars," according to e Leapfrog Group, a national patient safety organization. Tell your employees to check Leapfrog Hospital Safety Scores to learn whether hospitals get an "A" or an "F." e Leapfrog Group estimates 33,000 lives could be saved annually if every hospital got an "A." Share your opinion about the importance of quality care if you sit on a hospital board, donate or volunteer. Make it clear: Employers care about patient safety. Get smart Help employees talk to doctors or hospitals about the right care with these five questions from Consumer Reports: 1. Do I really need this test or procedure? 2. What are the risks and side effects? 3. Are there simpler, safer options? 4. What happens if I don't do anything? 5. How much does it cost, and will my insurance pay for it? Choosing Wisely (choosingwisely. org) also promotes conversations between patients and doctors about unnecessary care. eir free resources include a smartphone app. Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa employers can take advantage of free health benefit seminars and webinars from e Alliance that are led by regional and national experts. Go to www.the-alliance.org and click "events" to learn more. Finally, get an overview of health care issues – and what can be done to fix them – by reading "An American Sickness" by Elisabeth Rosenthal. Understand the cost and quality conundrum Say this to yourself over and over until it sticks: High cost does not necessarily mean high quality in health care. In fact, the opposite can be true. High quality health care can cost less! Next, recognize that health care costs vary wildly. For example, in Madison, you pay $4,000 more – or $4,000 less – for knee arthroscopy depending on whether you see a provider by making a right turn or le turn off an elevator. As you explore cost and quality, remember you're seeking high-value care: the right care in the right place at the right time. Consider self funding Self funding can empower you to change the way you buy health care. You get access to data, flexibility to design benefits that meet the unique needs of your workforce and greater control over health spending. e most promising – and underutilized – force for change in health care may be the employer community. Self-funding can bring employers together to use their combined influence as health care purchasers to change health care for the better. ■

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