At the BHCG, we’re always on the lookout for the best companies and services to help our members manage health costs and bring value to their benefit offerings. Asset Health, a health and wellness education management company based in Troy, Michigan, is the most recent company to be added to BHCG’s list of highly regarded partners. Our partnership agreement with Asset Health offers BHCG member companies preferential pricing for Asset Health’s products and services. Read More

by Dianne Kiehl

It seems every month we hear or read about the further consolidation of the medical provider community in southeast Wisconsin. Whether it’s a hospital system buying a physician practice or a multi-specialty clinic or hospital systems combining, the drumbeat of consolidation is constant.

When any business buys or merges with another, we usually hear the decision to merge was made with several goals in mind including: gaining economies of scale in purchasing; eliminating duplication of functions to gain efficiencies; and identifying the best practices and newest technologies of each organization and adopting them corporate-wide. In turn, the result should be improved products and services at competitive prices and, ultimately, an increase in shareholder value. Read More

Health care purchasers in southeastern Wisconsin
will judge the success of these mergers as any
investor would – did the merger increase “community value?"

As part of the recently enacted $700 billion Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 was enacted into law on October 3. The law expands on a law initially passed in 1996 that banned health plans from setting lower annual and lifetime spending limits for mental health treatments. The new law requires that health plans provide equivalent benefits for the treatment of mental illness and substance abuse as they do for other medical conditions. Read More

• BHCG employers see cost decrease BHCG self-funded companies saw a 2-year aggregate decrease of 9% per health plan member compared with 2005 base year costs, resulting in $32 million of savings. Results for 2008 will be available in May.
• Service unit receives high marks. Humana’s Wisconsin-based, BHCG-dedicated service unit exceeded all its 2008 performance goals.
• Network utilization increases Utilization of network providers increased to 92.9% from 91.7% for self- funded employers and increased to 96.1% from 93.8% for fully-insured employers for the first six months of 2008 compared to the first six months of 2007.
• Generic drug substitution improves Use of generic drugs improved to 92.8% from 92.2% for self-funded employers and improved to 93.5% from 92.3% for fully-insured employers for the first six months of 2008 compared to the first six of 2007.

• New providers in Sheboygan & West Bend Read More
• Humana Wisconsin achieves Excellent accreditation status Read More
• Spanish language option Read More
• Expanded outpatient pricing information at myhumana.com Read More
• Website enhancement Read More

One of the keys to controlling health care costs and improving quality is engaging consumers to take an active role in their health care. How do employers engage their employees and their families to take an active role in managing their health and health care? Read More