Four Things You Can Do to Avoid Overpaying for Prescription Drugs

We recently hosted a number of sessions to help staff learn more about prescription drug benefits. There is a delicate balance to having discussions like this with our staff. I don’t want anyone to feel bad about getting what they need, but we don’t want people to be taken advantage of either. We focused in on four things we can do as consumers to avoid overpaying for prescription drugs.

How We Think About Stress Matters

What Doesn't Kill Us Makes Us Stronger

I've never been a fan of stress management programs in the workplace. For a long time, I've believed that stress comes from how we respond to events at work, not the actually events themselves. Instead of managing stress, I've tried to focus on helping people build resilience so that we can better withstand the stressful events when they occur. 

Recently, I read an article in the Economist that expanded my thinking. It suggests that stress makes us stronger in the same way weight baring exercise makes our bones stronger. How we think about stress matters. And, knowing this gives us a few more ounces of control. 

The Student Debt Crisis: What Role Should Employers and Professional Associations Play?

Generations of Americans have been raised to think that money spent on education is always a good investment. If you study hard and get decent grades, the rest is supposed to work itself out. You'll get job, pay off your loans and live the American dream. Unfortunately, many students are lent more than they can pay back in the years after graduation. The rule of thumb I've read is that you shouldn't borrow more than what you expect to earn annually when you graduate. Years after earning their degrees, today's graduates can't buy a home or start a family because they can't dig out from under their student loan debt. The statistics are startling:  

Ten Takeaways from Health & Benefits Conferences [#BenefitsConf & #WHCC]

I recently attended the HRE Health and Benefits Leadership Conference in Las Vegas and the World Heath Care Congress in DC. I sat down after the two events and made some notes about what stood out for me. Here are ten takeaways.

Bob Merberg, Fran Melmed and I at the HRE Conference.

One: We Need to Agree on What Matters

There was lots of agreement that we need one set of measures about what creates value and indicates quality. And, agreement that we need good functional level measures for patients too. This is the discussion that kicked off the Health Care Congress and Rajiv Leventhal captured it well in this post, so I won’t try to recap it again here.

10 Behaviors of An Engaged Healthcare Consumer Infographic

Just in time for my presentation at the HRE Conference in Las Vegas, I'm introducing my first infographic -- Ten Behaviors of An Engaged Healthcare Consumer. Practicing these ten behaviors will assure you receive the best and safest medical care. 

Unfortunately, few people have the knowledge necessary to successfully navigate the healthcare system and get themselves and their loved ones quality care when they need it. In most organizations, healthcare is the second-largest expense — second only to salaries — yet most employers don’t teach people how to get the most out of their investment. Employers implement consumer-driven health plans to encourage employees to behave as consumers, but until now no one had defined the behaviors an engaged healthcare consumer demonstrates, so employees don’t understand what they’re being asked to do. I've been on a journey to educate people to be more healthcare savvy and I hope to inspire other employers to do the same. 

You can view my presentation on Haiku Deck. I'm still putting the finishing touches on the slide notes, but they'll done before my presentation on Wednesday. I've included links to some useful studies and resources. 

Many thanks to Samantha Allen for developing this infographic with me. And, many thanks to all those who contributed to defining the behaviors. I'm eternally grateful. 

A Clear View of Our Own Data

The first time I loaded the Moves app onto my iPhone and looked at it, it creeped me out. I promptly deleted it from my phone. Then, I realized the app was just allowing me to see data that already existed and could be accessible to others. I thought, "Why shouldn't I have a clear view of my own data?" I downloaded Moves again. Maybe it's more cool than creepy. 

This seems to be a trend as our society moves toward greater data transparency. Now I can log onto my electronic medical record at my doctor's website and see her notes about my visit. I can log onto UMR and see information about all my health claims. I can create an account on Magellan RX and see every prescription I've filled. My credit union account shows every banking transaction I've made. And, the Fairfax County Government site shows all my tax payments right down to the $10 licenses for our dogs.

This week we rolled out a new human resources information system that integrates payroll. Staff can now see their salary, social security numbers, date of birth etc... ASHA has always had this information that's required to employ us, but now we can see it too. I think this fits with our organizational value of being transparent and I like that each staff has a clear view of their own data. Some folks were concerned about security, but once our IT Director assured us that our information is appropriately protected calmer heads prevailed. 

Our staff will have the same experience when they log into Health Advocate for the first time and see their personal health dashboard. It includes key information about benefits use and specific health indicators. Will they find it cool or creepy?

---

Related Reading:

• Customer Data: Designing for Transparency and Trust from Harvard Business Review, May 2015
• The Challenges of Data Privacy, health engagement, and employee benefits from Jen Benz at Benz Communication, February 23, 2016

The Dark Art of Prescription Drug Pricing

Have you wondered how prescription drug prices are set? I attended a pharmacy seminar with Mike Zucarelli, a pharmacist and the National Pharmacy Practice Leader for CBIZ, to learn more this morning. Mike shared the chart in this image that illustrates how the money flows between drug manufactures, pharmacy benefit management companies, employers as plan sponsors and us as consumers or beneficiaries. No wonder I'm confused!

The incentives are crazy and unknown to most of us. Drug manufactures pushing off-label drug use -- doctor's prescribing medications for uses that have not been approved or proven to work. Insurance companies providing incentives for doctors to prescribe certain classes of drugs. Pharmacy benefit management companies negotiating rebates (aka kick backs) from drug manufactures not just based of the volume they purchase, but to take a competitors drug off the formulary. 

More Commonly Used Medications (PPIs) Linked to Dementia

See PPIs listed by NIH

We're bombarded with news about drug safety issues and it's easy to tune out. The last thing I read could impact a lot of folks I know--and a lot of ASHA staff--so I want to point it out. There was a study published in JAMA on February 15 linking dementia in older adults to the use of proton pump inhibitors like Nexium which is now available over the counter. Last year, it was anticholinergic drugs, including popular non-prescription sleep aids and the antihistamine Benadryl, and increased risk of developing dementia. This is scary stuff. 

10 Behaviors of an Engaged Healthcare Consumer

In the health and wellness arena, everyone talks about engaging consumers, but are we clear about what we're asking people to do? As far as I am aware, no one had defined the specific behaviors an engaged healthcare consumer demonstrates, so I crowd sourced a definition. This has been months in the making. Many thanks to everyone who contributed. Now, drum roll please... 

10 Behaviors of an Engaged Healthcare Consumer

An engaged healthcare consumer...

1. Has a primary care physician who is a partner in managing his or her health—with scheduled visits as recommended, whether for regular follow-ups for existing conditions or according to the age-related recommendations for prevention by sources such as NIH. 
2. Asks the 5 questions recommended in the Choosing Wisely campaign before getting any test, treatment (including taking a medication), or procedure and carefully considers all options before deciding among them:

► Do I really need this test or procedure?

► What are the risks?

► Are there simpler, safer options? 

► What happens if I don't do anything? 

► How much does it cost?

3. Reviews hospital safety data—from sources such as Hospital Compare - Leapfrog, Hospital Quality Ratings - CareChex, and Surgeon Scorecard—before deciding where to seek care.
4. Actively monitors and tracks personal health indicators like weight, as well as any indicators related to existing conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
5. Maintains a list of medications taken and shows it to medical providers when seeking care, and keeps the list up to date in electronic medical records. 
6. Makes day-to-day decisions that support good health and takes any medications as prescribed and instructed.
7. Develops a personal/family budget to manage healthcare expenses.
8. Uses available tools to make cost-conscious decisions.
9. Has an income-protection plan (e.g., short-term and long-term disability coverage) to rely on in case of an injury or illness that makes working impossible or limited. 
10. Has an advanced healthcare directive that has been discussed with family members.

How to Clean Your Dryer Vent

Snowzilla 2016

Snowed in? Use the time at home to clean your dryer vent. When we got a new washer and dryer, I was shocked at how much lint was in the vent tubing. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 15,000 fires are sparked every year by clothes dryers. 

First, make sure your vent to the outside is clear and not blocked by snow. Then, follow this step-by-step guide for cleaning out your dryer vent.

And, just in case, don't forget to clear the snow from around the fire hydrant in your neighborhood. 

The Tax Favored Status of Employee Benefits (Enjoy it while you can.)

Image from cagle.com

The real impact of the Cadillac Tax is that it begins to chip away at the tax favored status of employee benefits Most of the news coverage I've read seems to have missed this point; and I'm a bit bewildered that this isn't the focus. I know it's been delayed until 2020, but it's still worth pausing now to consider the impact. First, a bit of background...