How are you holding your benefit programs accountable? To help employers and consultants answer that, we partnered with BenefitsPRO to host a webcast, “Best Practices: Maximizing the Impact of Condition Management Vendors,” featuring panelists MOBE President Tim Lacy, Brooks Deibele, EVP, Employee Benefits Practice Leader at Holmes Murphy, and Heidi Guetzkow, Vice President Health Transformation Team at Aon. Steve Christianson, Senior Director of Client Success at MOBE, moderated the webcast.
Panelists shared actionable strategies for employers to optimize vendor performance including:
Below are key takeaways and video clips from the session—highlighting next steps for HR leaders and employer consultants.
The increase in employees managing more than one chronic condition is reshaping condition management. According to the CDC, more than half of the U.S. adult population is living with multiple chronic conditions. The needs of today’s multi-chronic population are outpacing traditional single-condition solutions.
Tim Lacy emphasized that while single-point solutions have been effective for the individual conditions they were designed for, the rising number of employees managing complex, overlapping conditions has made it challenging for these programs to deliver the necessary outcomes and cost savings.
Watch the clip for more history on the digital solution landscape.
Setting measurable goals and tracking progress are critical when evaluating vendors, especially with the number of single-condition solutions available. Employers must ensure that vendors are held accountable to outcomes and financial return through clear metrics and data-driven insights as their employees manage multiple conditions.
For larger organizations, Tim Lacy explained that randomized controlled trials (RCTs) remain the gold standard for assessing clinical outcomes. These ensure transparency in evaluating total cost of care, engagement levels, and satisfaction among employees and providers.
Hear Tim Lacy explain how to conduct a successful RCT.
Employers often face challenges when vendors fail to collaborate effectively, leading to fragmented care delivery. Brooks Deibele noted that siloed condition management only compounds complexity.
Brooks also discussed how partnering with a vendor that manages multiple conditions will simplify contracting, data integration, and coordination of vendor relationships.
Hear Brooks Deibele explain integration and partnership.
Participation starts with confidence that the employer has the right interests at heart. Without trust, employees are less likely to participate in health programs, undermining their effectiveness. So how can employers build trust?
Employers should ask vendors to demonstrate their track record with similar populations through testimonials, case studies, and measurable improvement in outcomes.
Hear Heidi Guetzkow talk about how employers can prove to their employees that they are bringing the best benefit options to the table—a prerequisite for long-term engagement.
According to our panelists, here are takeaways for an employer looking to maximize vendor performance and ROI:
Heidi Guetzkow: “Start with the end in mind. What is the problem we’re trying to solve? Is it access? Rising risk? You need to find the right vendor that’s going to meet the needs on that spectrum of care necessary as well as what fits in your culture.”
Brooks Deibele: “Focus on choosing vendors who are really transparent about their approach and impact and ultimately align with your organizational goals as well.”
Tim Lacy: “We need to take a whole-person approach. It starts with broad pharmacy competency. We have to add that high human touch, both pharmacy and clinical and non-clinical coaching and provider support. Then there’s the whole-dollar investment and validated ways to measure outcomes.”
Maximizing the potential of condition management vendors starts with choosing the right partner, knowing your population, setting clear expectations, and grounding efforts in evidence-based approaches. For employers determined to implement strategies that improve outcomes while controlling costs, this BenefitsPRO webcast will prove invaluable.
Watch the full webinar below.
