High-Cost Claims Management Opportunity The fear of the next high-cost claim is a constant concern for benefits managers. Most employers do not have a defined process for prevention, early detection, and effective management. Houston employers have a unique opportunity to participate locally and nationally in a workshop that will change the way you think about and manage high-cost claims. HBCH received a grant from the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions to conduct an employer workshop to better understand the challenges and opportunities of potential high-cost claims due to cancer, specialty drugs, and rapidly evolving cell and gene therapy. The workshop will be facilitated by one of the nation’s leading experts in this space. Participating employers will take home a proven playbook that can be used to develop a benefits design process to ensure effective cost management and better patient health outcomes.
Please contact chris.skisak@houstonbch.org for more information or to sign-up. Employers do NOT need to be HBCH members to participate. The total time commitment is less than 7- hours over three sessions from April-June. Participating employers must commit by mid-March.
Harris Health System – A Houston Treasure
Harris Health System is Houston’s safety net hospital system and includes LBJ and Ben Taub hospitals. Dr. Eric Bricker discusses the value of Harris Health in a short A-Healthcare-Z video, Public Safety Net Hospitals... Hidden Subsidy to Other Hospitals (youtube.com). His comments are based on a new book about Ben Taub, The People’s Hospital. The video describes the benefit to the greater community by serving as the primary resource of care for those unable to afford or access health insurance.
Fifty-six (56%) of Harris Health patient admits are uninsured. One of five (20%) of Houston’s uninsured admits go to Harris Health, by far the largest of any health system in Houston. Harris Health is funded in large part, 46%, by local taxes. Dr. Bricker makes the case that Houstonians are subsidizing through their taxes other local health systems. The books author, Dr. Ricardo Naila, emphasizes that “If we go [Ben Taub], the other [not-for-profit & for-profit hospital] will also go”. He points out that all Houstonians and healthcare providers in Houston have reason to be proud of Harris Health. HBCH is proud that that Harris Health is a member of HBCH.
Houston Employer Benchmarking Survey Results Join us at the United Way of Greater Houston on April 17 from 8:30-10:30 as the results of the 2024 Houston Healthcare Employer Benefits survey will be presented and discussed. Participate in a robust dialogue with other attendees about the future on key issues such as threats to affordability, cost-control tactics, high-cost claims mitigation strategies, hospital price transparency, and the Consolidated Appropriations Act and fiduciary responsibility.
HBCH is pleased to announce the availability of its updated Houston Hospital Report Card. This online tool can be used to help in benefits design by including or excluding specific hospitals based on safety and quality. While most health plans still require all hospitals in a system to be in-network, employers can now incentive employees to select higher quality over lower quality facilities. The report card provides a combination of Leapfrog Group Safety Grades, progress on the achievement of key Leapfrog safety standards, and CMS Star ratings.
HBCH has been the Greater Houston Regional Leader for the Leapfrog Group, a national employer-developed organization dedicated to improving hospital safety and quality of care. Leapfrog produces two annual safety grades for each hospital and conducts an annual survey of hospitals to measure progress on achieving safety and quality standards. HBCH applauds the Memorial Hermann System for being the only major system in Houston to fully complete the annual survey. The survey has proven an effective tool for hospitals to improve the safety and quality of services provided.
CMS (Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services) rates all hospitals with a 5-star rating system. The overall star rating for hospitals summarizes quality information on important topics, like readmissions and deaths after heart attacks or pneumonia. It summarizes a variety of measures across 5 areas of quality into a single star rating for each hospital. HBCH applauds Houston Methodist as the only area hospital system to achieve a 5-star rating for all of its hospitals.
Houston Business Coalition on Health, 9550 Spring Green Blvd, Suite 408-433, Katy, Texas 77494, US, 2818096960
