Employers continue to struggle with healthcare costs and how much benefit they can provide for the dollar. It comes down to the quality of the care that's provided to their employees and the ability to easily access high-quality, high-value care. We are seeing a few major trends converging in the healthcare industry today. First is the shift to value-based care (VBC), which … [More]
Make Employees Better Healthcare Consumers in a Holistic Landscape
The past two-plus years have vastly changed the world of healthcare and employee benefits. We’ve had to adopt — and adapt to — new technologies and ways of operating. Specifically related to healthcare, one of the biggest changes has been around education and steerage. Businesses have deployed apps, telehealth services, concierge-type offerings and other solutions to educate … [More]
Innovate with VDPC and Overlay Plans
As a means to reduce rising healthcare costs, innovative solutions are rising to the surface. One such solution is known as virtual direct primary care (VDPC). This has been one of our largest initiatives over the past 12 months as the rules around virtual medicine have expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this model, physicians, pediatricians and internists charge a … [More]
Support the Whole Employee – Including Quality of Life
We’ve seen an almost overnight shift in the way people work and a shift in the balance of power from employers to employees. This is especially true in hard-hit industries like healthcare, retail and hospitality, where the business is the people and without whom there is no ability to meet the customer’s needs. To attract and retain employees, businesses are required to … [More]
How Blue Zones Can Transform a Community
Communities throughout the United States partner with Blue Zones to promote well-being by making lasting changes to policies and infrastructure where people spend the most time so that healthy choices are easier. The term “Blue Zones” comes from areas around the world where people live measurably longer and better-quality lives and is rooted in the explorations and research … [More]
Kim Shepard, Cigna
Healthcare remains a top concern for employers and employees, but the elements involved continue to evolve as healthcare itself advances. The healthcare industry, for instance, is playing an increasingly immense role in working with the business community. The pandemic has demonstrated the importance of prioritizing both the physical and mental health of the nation’s … [More]
Feedback: October 2022
Q: As you prepare to offer healthcare benefits packages to your employees for 2023, what elements of coverage are you finding are most important? Ashley Bowers President HomeSmart International At HomeSmart, we offer four medical plans as well as dental and vision to meet the needs of our employees. Employees can enroll in all benefits as an employee only; … [More]
Healthcare: Technological Advances, Financial Challenges
While I have intimate knowledge of the conversations happening here in Arizona around how changes in healthcare delivery affect the business community, I also have the privilege of learning from my colleagues across the country. Having just stepped down as board chair for America’s Essential Hospitals, an organization dedicated to advocacy for hospitals and health systems … [More]
Partnership Brings New Inpatient Behavioral Health Hospital to Glendale
Kindred Behavioral Health, a business unit of LifePoint Health, and Dignity Health announced the signing of a letter of intent to build and operate a new inpatient behavioral health hospital on the campus of Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Westgate Medical Center in Glendale, Ariz. “This partnership will help meet the growing needs for mental health services in the West … [More]
New Dental Program Offers Gig Workers Discounts on Dental and Vision Care
Arizonans looking for an alternative way to save on health services like dental and vision care have a new option to consider, thanks to Delta Dental of Arizona. “The healthcare industry continues to evolve in ways to give patients and their providers more choice in how they work together to manage the cost of care,” said Michael Jones, president and CEO of Delta Dental of … [More]
