http://www.healthleadersmedia.com HealthLeaders Media is a leading multi-platform media company dedicated to meeting the business information needs of healthcare executives and professionals. en-us Copyright 2013 HealthLeaders Media http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=220589 Healthcare costs are rising, but more slowly than in the past. That slowing might be due, at least in part, to the increase in enrollment in CDHPs. And according to a United Benefit Advisors survey, CDHPs continue to grow, making strides with employers and employees. Meanwhile, transparency moves forward as well, with CMS enhancing its Hospital Compare Web site. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:12:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=220588 Interactions on the Web are transforming how consumers manage their health, and organizations that want to reach consumers need to be tapped in to this relatively new approach. From MySpace pages devoted to health issues to detailed YouTube videos of medical procedures to disease-specific online groups, social media (or Web 2.0) have come to healthcare. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:11:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=220586 An oft-touted advantage of HSAs is the potential for helping cover healthcare expenses in retirement. And although the magic of compound interest can leave retirees with a healthy HSA nest egg, a recent report suggests that the accounts are only a partial solution at best. HSAs play a minor role in savings for healthcare costs in retirement, according to a new study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:10:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=220584 In September, several experts shared their best advice for preparing for open enrollment. Many emphasized adamantly that open enrollment season doesn’t end January 1. So this month, we offer some advice for employers to help them through those first critical weeks after open enrollment. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:09:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=220582 Inside: Early follow-up helps drive CDHP/HSA success New EBRI study questions the value of HSAs as a way for employees to save for retiree health costs Online and engaged: Social media crucial to CDH success CDH roundup: Healthcare inflation slows, CDHPs grow, and CMS enhances transparency Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:07:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=217231 The Department of Treasury has been busy this summer, issuing new HSA guidance and proposed new regulations related to HSAs and comparable contributions. In August, CDH covered recent IRS guidance, including an overview of Notice 2008-59 (available at www. treas.gov/press/releases/reports/notice200859.pdf). This month, we'll explore other issues addressed in 2008-59. Former administration official Roy Ramthun, president of HSA Consulting Services in Washington, DC, discussed several of these issues in a Webinar in late July. We'll also look at the proposed regulations. Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:16:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=217230 The workplace clinic has evolved from a place to treat on-the-job injuries into a center for employee health and wellness. These clinics are part of the larger CDH landscape, and they are growing more popular. Nearly one-third of companies (29%) have or plan to have an on-site health center by 2009, up from 27% in 2006, states Watson Wyatt/National Business Group on Health research released in March, titled Realizing the Potential of Onsite Health Centers. Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:15:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=217229 You've heard it countless times: To drive CDHP enrollment, you have to communicate early, often, and in multiple ways. And you have to engage employees, from the executive suite to the assembly line. But how do you accomplish that? CDH asked several experts to share their strategies and tactics for driving CDHP adoption during open enrollment-and we asked them to go beyond the "educate, engage, and provide tools" advice to something more granular and practical. The following is what they said. Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:13:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=217227 Inside: Open enrollment tips to drive CDHP adoption; On-site clinics gain popularity, morph into wellness centers; More on 2008-59: Expert analyzes guidance Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:11:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=215456 Health management programs are becoming increasingly popular components of health benefit designs. And effective health management programs are generally considered critical to the success of a CDHP. Many employers with and without CDHPs are using incentives to motivate employees to participate in these programs, but some are taking punitive steps. However, whether employers offer carrots or sticks, they may risk crossing the sometimes blurry line between legal and illegal under HIPAA and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). And sometimes, they threaten the health of their wellness program. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:19:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=215455 Are CDHP enrollees so cost-conscious that they aren't buying the medications they need to stay healthy? That's the implication of a new study from Medco in Franklin Lakes, NJ. However, at least one expert on CDHPs raises questions about the nature of this noncompliance. Medco found that CDHP members have significantly lower medication adherence rates when compared to those enrolled in traditional health plans. For Tracy Grunsfeld, vice president of consumer solutions at Medco, the implications are clear. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:18:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=215454 During the past few weeks, the IRS has issued new guidance on HSAs, the most recent being a list of questions and answers (Q&A) addressing assorted issues (Notice 2008-59). Roy Ramthun, president of HSA Consulting Services in Washington, DC, discussed Notices 2008-51 and 2008-52 in a late June Webcast. These two notices clarify the changes made by the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, which is effective for tax years 2007 and beyond. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:16:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=215453 Opinions vary-sometimes dramatically-on how the election will affect the future of HSAs in particular and CDHPs overall, but there seems to be consensus that, regardless of which party controls Congress and the White House in January 2009, there will be no immediate changes. Booz & Company, based in New York City, recently modeled many of the possible election scenarios and tested them in a strategic simulation exercise to understand the reforms that would likely emerge under each and the implications for various stakeholders. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:15:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=215452 Inside: Experts disagree over election's CDHP effect; IRS issues three new sets of HSA guidance; Medco analysis: Compliance lower in CDHPs; Legal and planning errors can weaken wellness efforts Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:13:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=213305 There's no substitute for the personal touch, no matter how good your technology is or how sophisticated your workers are. Just ask the people at A.D.A.M., an Atlanta-based provider of health information and benefits technology. In the first year of its CDHP, A.D.A.M. had a roughly 50% enrollment. And although its tech-savvy workers had access to a suite of tools, one of the most crucial factors to the successful launch was personal communications. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:19:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=213304 The past few months carried a mixed bag of HSArelated news: Georgia made HSAs more attractive, a recent GAO report may provide ammunition for legislators gunning for CDHPs, and the U.S. Treasury Department released its 2009 contribution levels and finalized previously discussed comparability regulations. Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue has signed legislation (HB 977) that encourages small businesses to offer CDHPs. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:15:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=213303 Some of the mystery about the so-called medFICO issue has been resolved. Last month, Connance, Inc., formerly known as Healthcare Analytics, Inc., in Waltham, MA, unveiled its first product for addressing the challenges posed by self-pay patients. Connance is developing Web-based solutions to help hospitals manage the increasing number of insured and uninsured patients who owe balances. Connance's new tool, Agency Manager, lets providers automate the placement to and oversight of collection agencies working on copays, deductibles, and uninsured patient accounts. It's designed to help hospitals achieve higher collection rates and reduce bad debt. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:14:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=213302 Consumers have access to an increasing range of at-home diagnostic tests. The public is embracing them, and, from women's magazines to newspapers and news networks, they are getting extensive media attention. The tests are, for better or worse, an embodiment of CDH: interested consumers with access to sophisticated, personalized tools, taking their health into their own hands. But for these tests to be meaningful, they will have to do more than provide raw data to users; they will need to connect individuals with resources to act on the results and enhance their health. It's a familiar refrain to anyone following CDH issues: the need to connect the dots between information and action. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:10:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=213301 Inside: Consumer diagnostics poised for growth; New FICO-backed tool designed to help hospitals address challenges posed by self-pay and uninsured patients; From Atlanta to DC, HSA activity abounds; Georgia promotes HSAs, but GAO raises questions-and ire; Tech tools can drive CDHP enrollment, but face-to-face contact is still crucial to success Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:08:00 GMT http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=211461 Watson Wyatt's recent study reveals more than just how CDHPs are faring; it offers a guide to successfully deploying consumerism to reduce cost trends. In the May CDH, we shared what the 13th Annual National Business Group on Health/Watson Wyatt Employer Survey On Purchasing Value In Health Care had to say about CDHPs. We also looked at the dramatic difference in cost trends between the top and bottom performers. This month, we'll look at those top performers' best practices. Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:45:00 GMT