Workplace Wellness

by RaeAnne Marsh

The landscape of healthcare is in constant flux. This adds an extra element of concern for employers, for whom healthcare benefits are an important part of their operating calculations.

Businesses serving those employers’ needs innovate their programs and services as advances in knowledge and technology open new avenues. In Business Magazine asked some of our local leaders to share what has come — and may be coming — from those advances as they help employers address healthcare and wellness issues throughout the workplace.

Underscoring the tremendous activity taking place in the healthcare sector is the breadth of information in the responses from Frank Molinaro, CEO of Abrazo Community Health Network; Paul D. Barnes, Ph.D., Arizona Plan president of Arizona Complete Health; Thomas J. Grote, CEO of Banner/Aetna; Paige Rothermel, chief growth officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona; Kim Shepard, Arizona market president of Cigna; Allan Allford, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Arizona; Bob Meyer, president and CEO of Phoenix Children’s; David F. Berg, president and co-founder of Redirect Health; David A. Dexter, president and CEO of Sonora Quest Laboratories, LLC; and Wendy Arnone, regional CEO for Employer & Individual of UnitedHealthcare.

Frank Molinaro, CEO of Abrazo Community Health Network and Arizona Group CEO of Tenet Healthcare, speaks for Abrazo Community Health Network, whichencompasses six acute-care hospitals along with freestanding emergency centers, urgent cares, and primary and specialty practices. With a network of physicians and other skilled caregivers, Abrazo Community Health Network is expanding its depth and breadth of resources to shape the future of healthcare in Arizona and remain at the forefront of cardiology, neurology, orthopedics and other highly specialized care.

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Paul D. Barnes, Ph.D., Arizona plan president of Arizona Complete Health, speaks for Arizona Complete Health, a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, which provides and administers health benefits through individual, Medicaid, Medicare and dual eligible programs. Formerly known as Health Net of Arizona and Cenpatico Integrated Care, Arizona Complete Health offers Medicare Advantage coverage through Allwell from Arizona Complete Health and Marketplace (individual and family) coverage through Ambetter.

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Thomas J. Grote, CEO of Banner/Aetna, speaks for Banner/Aetna, a healthcare company focusing on bettering member outcomes at a lower cost, all while improving the overall member experience for employers and consumers in Arizona. The collaboration combines Banner Health’s high quality, local providers and delivery systems with Aetna’s health-plan experience, care management and health-information technology.

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Paige Rothermel, chief growth officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, speaks for BCBSAZ, which offers health insurance and related services to nearly 1.5 million customers across the state. BCBSAZ, a not-for-profit company, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. The company employs more than 1,500 people in its Phoenix, Chandler, Flagstaff and Tucson offices.

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Kim Shepard, Arizona market president of Cigna, speaks for Cigna, a global health service company that delivers choice, predictability, affordability and quality care through integrated capabilities and connected, personalized solutions that advance whole person health. Within Arizona, Cigna Medical Group is one of the Valley’s largest multi-specialty group practices with 20 healthcare centers located throughout metropolitan Phoenix. Most healthcare centers are equipped with several medical services under one roof, so patients can see their doctor, fill prescriptions and get lab work done.

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Allan Allford, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Arizona, speaks for  Delta Dental of Arizona, the leading dental benefits provider in Arizona, serving more than 1.2 million enrollees and more than 3,500 contracted dentists across the state. Passionate about oral health and its importance to generations of families, Delta Dental of Arizona has worked for more than 45 years to improve oral health by emphasizing preventive care and making dental coverage accessible to a wide variety of employers, groups and individuals.

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Bob Meyer, president and CEO of Phoenix Children’s, speaks for Phoenix Children’s, a statewide, interconnected pediatric health system with urgent care centers and specialty offices across Arizona, a wide network of community physicians and specialists, and partnerships with major health and academic institutions throughout the state, providing inpatient, outpatient, trauma and emergency care, and specialty care across more than 75 pediatric subspecialties.

Phoenix Children’s is a destination for clinical research and education with a mission to train the next generation of pediatric experts. It is also home to the nation’s first-ever pediatric clinically integrated network, accredited by URAC.

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David F. Berg, president and co-founder of Redirect Health, speaks forRedirect Health, a low-cost, small-business healthcare solution designed for better employee recruiting, retention and work injury cost reduction. It is exclusively for small businesses and families who feel shut out of the traditional health insurance models by complexity and high prices.

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David A. Dexter, president and CEO of Sonora Quest Laboratories, LLC and president and CEO of Laboratory Sciences of Arizona, LLC, speaks for Sonora Quest Laboratories, the market share leader in clinical laboratory testing in Arizona with 3,200 employees serving more than 23,000 patients every day statewide. We perform more than 60 million diagnostic tests per year and serve the entire continuum of healthcare. We offer a local comprehensive test menu that encompasses routine, molecular, prescription drug monitoring, cytogenetic, pathology and direct-to-consumer testing services.

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Wendy Arnone, regional CEO for Employer & Individual of UnitedHealthcare, speaks for UnitedHealthcare of Arizona, which is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the healthcare experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. UnitedHealthcare offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 30,000 physicians and care professionals, and 90 hospitals and other care facilities statewide.

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