Friday, November 06, 2009
Human Resource Executive Online - Story
Benefits That Strike a ChordIn her first employee-benefits column, Carol Harnett highlights two innovative ways employers can combine imagination with good medical outcomes, decreased costs and increased employee satisfaction. Carol is a highly respected employee benefits consultant, speaker, writer and trendspotter.
By Carol Harnett
I am a Bruce Springsteen fan. Along with my friend, Pete Church, who is an HR executive, I recently ventured to the Apollo Theater to watch the taping of Elvis Costello's interview show, Spectacle, with The Boss.
On the drive home, we found ourselves discussing some of Springsteen's points about how to make linkages with audiences and relating it to our work. Springsteen says music is more than melody and lyrics. If Bruce can't place a fingerprint on our imaginations, can't connect to his listeners, then his songs are simply notes and words.
But how do HR leaders create benefit plans that strike a chord with our employees? For my first column in HREOnline TM , I searched for employers and service providers who combine imagination with good outcomes, decreased costs and increased employee satisfaction.
One innovator is Tom Emerick, who has spent the last 25 years working in benefit design for BP, Burger King and, most recently, Wal-Mart, where he was vice president of global benefit design.
In the 1980s while at BP, Emerick realized that a small percentage of employees drove a large portion of the benefit dollars. He began a multi-phase pilot that incentivized transplant candidates to go to the Mayo or Cleveland Clinics for evaluation and surgery, if deemed appropriate.
And thus was born one of the first employer-sponsored domestic medical-travel programs. Emerick was recently recognized by Healthspottr as one of the top 100 innovators in healthcare for this work.
He has gone on to evolve his approach, saying it's key for employers to first establish a tracking methodology to identify employees at high health risk and then "picking out the right place and getting the employees there."
What makes the places "right?" Emerick believes it's the medical facilities' ability to achieve "desired patient outcomes in the safest and least invasive way." Examples include Intermountain Healthcare, Geisinger Health System, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and Cancer Treatment Centers of America, he says.
Emerick says that if even one high-risk employee participates in a year, the savings can be an immediate 5-percent reduction in benefit costs, so it's probably no surprise that more employers today are actively considering medical travel as part of their health benefit plans.
Another innovator is Dr. Natalie Hodge -- a pediatrician who carries an iPhone and tablet computer in her medical bag.
Four years ago, she made the decision to view her patients and their parents as customers. In addition to their wish for easier communication, including by phone and e-mail, she responded to their desire for house calls instead of office visits.
I don't know about you, but I haven't experienced a house call since Dr. Patrick came to see me when I was around 5 years old. My vague memory before he arrived is of my mom swathing me in blankets despite having a fever. The first thing Dr. Patrick did was strip off the blankets. I don't remember much else, but I loved him ever since.
After taking care of me, my pediatrician went into our kitchen, sorted through the things I could eat and drink, and sent my dad out with a list of items to purchase.
Hodge says that's exactly how it works today. The only difference is that she uses technology to bring her office to the patient. "Babies start with a clean slate of medical records," she says, "so it's easy to create their record electronically and give the parents access to it online."
Hodge now operates an e-commerce business called Personal Medicine International Inc ., to help other physicians follow in her concierge medicine footsteps.
What makes Personal Medicine interesting to employers is that it may be used in conjunction with high-deductible health plans as an option or an add-on. Employers can seed the employee's health-savings account or health-reimbursement account with funds to offset the monthly fee or purchase the service directly for workers. Employees can opt to cover one or several of their children, a dependent older parent or the whole family.
Since physicians see their patients wherever it's convenient, parents can go to work and the doctors will meet them at their offices or the childcare centers. Employees are more productive and satisfied with their benefits. And as the H1N1 flu virus heats up, parents can avoid hospitals and the risk of cross-contamination.
For me, what is interesting about both of these approaches to employer-provided healthcare is that employees received equal -- or better -- care in a way that may be more meaningful to them -- and employers gain cost savings within the first year.
This avenue of connecting employer goals with employee desires reminds me of some thoughts from the man himself, Bruce Springsteen, as quoted in an Oct. 17, 2007 Rolling Stone interview.
"My business ... is trying to connect to you ... . You are involved in an act of the imagination together, imagining the life you want to live, the kind of country you want to live in, the kind of place you want to leave your children. What are the things that bring you ecstasy and bliss, what are the things that bring on the darkness, and what can we do together to combat those things?"
Carol Harnett is a highly respected consultant, speaker, writer and trendspotter in the fields of employee benefits, health and productivity management, health and performance innovation, and value-based health. Follow her on Twitter via @carolharnett.
October 26, 2009
Copyright 2009© LRP Publications
Nice article in HR Executive Featuring Benefits for Personal Medicine Platform for Employers, illustrates creative benefit planning can halt the rise of company HC cost, especilly in high deductible model.
To Your Best Health,
The Personal Medicine Team
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Personal Medicine -- Why House calls?
Co - Founder Natalie Hodge MD FAAP at Mayo Clinic Transform Symposium Answers the Question Why Should Primary Care Physicians Make House Calls?
To Your Best Health,
The Personal Medicine Team
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
CDC Features - Frequently Asked Questions about the Safety of the 2009 H1N1 Influenza Vaccine
Frequently Asked Questions about the Safety of the 2009 H1N1 Influenza Vaccine
The first doses of vaccines that protect against 2009 H1N1 influenza (flu) are now available, and more doses will be shipped in the upcoming weeks. As you are preparing to protect yourself and your family from the 2009 H1N1 flu, you may have questions about the safety of the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccines. Here are the Frequently Asked Questions about the Safety of the 2009 H1N1 Flu Vaccines.
1. Are the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccines safe?
The 2009 H1N1 vaccines have undergone all the safety testing and quality checks that are usually done for other vaccines. We expect the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine to have a similar safety profile as seasonal flu vaccines, which have a very good safety track record. Over the years, hundreds of millions of Americans have received seasonal flu vaccines. The most common side effects following flu vaccinations are mild, such as soreness, redness, tenderness or swelling where the shot was given.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be closely monitoring for any signs that the 2009 H1N1 vaccine is causing unexpected adverse events, and we will work with state and local health officials to investigate any unusual events.
2. How will the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccines be monitored for safety?
CDC and FDA closely monitor the safety of all vaccines licensed for use in the United States in cooperation with state and local health departments, healthcare providers, manufacturers, and other partners.
The purpose of vaccine safety monitoring is to quickly identify significant adverse events following immunization that may be worrisome enough to consider changing vaccine recommendations. Adverse events, or health problems, following immunization may be coincidental to (meaning occurring around the same time but not related to vaccination) or caused by vaccination. CDC and its partners are using multiple systems to monitor the safety of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine. Two of the primary systems are the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which is jointly operated with FDA, and the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) Project.
CDC also is collaborating with partners through the Emerging Infections Program to enhance monitoring of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) during the 2009-10 flu season. For more information on this initiative, see the frequently asked questions http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/basic/safety.htm on CDC's Vaccine Safety Web page.
3. How can adverse events following vaccine administration be reported?
Clinically significant adverse events that follow vaccination should be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which is a US vaccine safety surveillance system co-managed by CDC and the FDA. Reports can be filed securely online at http://vaers.hhs.gov/, by mail, or by fax. Report forms are available online. In addition, report forms or other assistance can be obtained by calling 1-800-822-7967.
4. Is the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine safe for pregnant women?
Flu vaccines have not been shown to cause harm to pregnant women or their babies. The seasonal flu shot has been recommended for pregnant women for many years. The 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine is being made the same way as the seasonal flu vaccine. Studies that test the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine in pregnant women began in September. More information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/pregnancy/
5. Can pregnant women receive the nasal spray vaccine?
The nasal spray vaccine is not recommended for use in pregnant women. Pregnant women should not receive nasal spray vaccine for either seasonal flu or 2009 H1N1 flu. After delivery, women can receive the nasal spray vaccine, even if they are breastfeeding. More information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/pregnancy/
6. What is thimerosal and does the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine contain thimerosal?
Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative that has been used for decades in the United States and internationally in multi-dose vials (vials containing more than one dose) of some vaccines to prevent the growth of microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, which may contaminate them.
The 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccines that FDA licensed are manufactured in several formulations. Some are produced in multi-dose vials and contain thimerosal as a preservative. Some 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccines are also produced in single-dose units and do not contain thimerosal. In addition, nasal spray, is produced in single-dose units and does not contain thimerosal. More information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/thimerosal_qa.htm
7. What is a vaccine adjuvant and will the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccines that are currently recommended contain adjuvants?
A vaccine adjuvant is a substance that is added to the vaccine to increase the body's immune response to the vaccine.
Vaccine adjuvants will not be used in the United States during the 2009-10 flu season. This includes all of the 2009 H1N1 and seasonal influenza vaccines that will be available for children and adults in both the injectable and nasal spray formulations.
8. How will the federal government determine whether people who receive the 2009 H1N1 vaccine have an increased risk for Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)?
CDC, FDA, and other federal agencies are tracking GBS through VAERS and several other safety monitoring other systems. In VAERS, scientists will assess whether reports of GBS are more common among reports received for H1N1 vaccine compared to seasonal flu vaccine or other vaccines. At the same time, CDC and others are working with neurologists, the medical specialists who see most GBS cases, to encourage reporting of GBS cases through VAERS.
Another system tracking GBS is the Vaccine Safety Datalink project, or VSD. Analysis of VSD information will determine if GBS is more common among people who have received H1N1 vaccine than among people that have not received it. CDC, in collaboration with neurologists, academic centers and state health departments, is also tracking GBS disease among persons in 10 states who are part of CDC 's Emerging Infections Program.
If there is an increase in the number of reported cases, public health officials will conduct intensive investigations. If any problems are detected with this 2009 H1N1 vaccine, they will be reported to health officials, healthcare providers, and the public, and health officials will take needed action to ensure the public's health and safety.
9. Are there some people who should not receive 2009 H1N1 vaccine?
There are some people who should not get a flu vaccine without first consulting a physician. These include:
- People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs.
- People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination.
- People who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) within 6 weeks of getting an influenza vaccine.
- Children less than 6 months of age (influenza vaccine is not approved for this age group).
- People who have a moderate-to-severe illness with a fever (they should wait until they recover to get vaccinated).
10. I am allergic to eggs. Can I get the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine?
People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs are among certain groups of people who should not get any flu vaccine (regular seasonal flu vaccine or 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine) without first consulting a physician. This is because both regular seasonal flu vaccine and 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine are made using eggs and each type of vaccine contains tiny amounts of egg protein. Your doctor can best decide if the potential risks of receiving the flu vaccine outweigh the benefits of protection against the flu.
For more information on the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine
- General Questions and Answers on 2009 H1N1 Influenza Vaccine Safety
- H1N1 Flu Vaccination Resources
- 2009 H1N1 Influenza Shots and Pregnant Women: Questions and Answers for Patients
- General Questions and Answers on Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)
- General Questions and Answers on Thimerosal
- H1N1 Clinicians Questions and Answers
- Information concerning the safety of vaccines
Here is the FAQ page from CDC on H1N1 vaccine for review.
To Your Best Health,
The Personal Medicine Team
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