The information that integrated health care delivers helps providers see the broader picture, allowing them to better prevent, diagnose and treat illness. (Photo: Getty)
“Integration” has become a buzzword in health care. It sounds good, but what does it really mean? Quite simply, integration in health care is all about connecting otherwise separate parts of the health care system to drive better outcomes, lower costs and improve the customer experience. The evidence shows connected patient care, in which the patient's whole health is considered, leads to the best health outcomes. To support and complement this approach, insurance companies are designing innovative integrated health care benefits packages.
When medical, pharmacy, dental, vision and disability care are seamlessly connected and the full power of integrated data is unlocked — including member claims, population insights and employers' health management programs — health care providers have access to a complete picture of employees' health and well-being in a format that is easy for multiple providers to access and interpret. Instead of walling these services off in a silo, they are integrated into one system, allowing for the optimized collection and sharing of key, actionable information.
The information that integrated health care delivers helps providers see the broader picture, allowing them to better prevent, diagnose and treat illness while also giving them the ability to identify minor issues that can become serious health problems if not addressed early.
As the popularity of connected health care grows, studies have shown that it increases employee engagement in well-being programs and improves health outcomes. As employees and their employers become aware of how integrated health care benefits programs can help them, interest in providing such coordination is on the rise.
Anthem, Inc. enlisted TRC Insights, an independent research firm, to study employer's attitudes towards and perceived benefits of integrated health care programs. For the 2018 integrated health care report, the researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 222 employers, ranging from small businesses with a handful of workers to large companies with over 1,000 employees in multiple states.
The report revealed that 71 percent of employers with 100-plus employees are in the process of integrating their benefits programs or are considering doing so. This represents a substantial increase from the 60 percent reported in 2016.
|A shift in why employers offer IHC
A competitive edge
Understandably, employers have historically placed greater emphasis on the financial incentives of an integrated health care approach. While this remains a key factor in choosing to offer integrated benefits, employers are becoming increasingly focused on offering them as a means of helping to improve employee happiness in the workplace. Happier employers, after all, have been shown to be more productive.
A positive environment in which employees are happy also offers employers a competitive advantage when attracting and retaining skilled workers. According to the report, 88 percent of employers with 100-plus employees felt that integrated benefits make organizations a place where people want to work.
Provider collaboration
In addition to employee happiness, provider collaboration is a key outcome of integrated health care. According to the report, 90 percent of employers agree that collaboration between employees' nurse care managers and disability case managers is vital to integrated health care. Another 89 percent think collaboration between doctor and vision care specialist is vital, and 85 percent think automatically identifying and notifying employees who would benefit from extra care, such as more frequent dental cleanings, is vital. All of this is more easily achieved through integrated health care.
For example, all 25 of the top 25 most utilized prescription medications have vision and/or dental side effects. With an integrated health care benefits plan, vision care and dental specialists can be notified when their patients have been prescribed one of these medications and can modify their management as needed.
Ease of use
No one likes extra paperwork. That is why the streamlined administration of an integrated program is another attractive advantage. It's easier to work with one insurance carrier rather than several, and the coordination of care simplifies the administration, is more cost effective and provides better service for employees, which translates to better health outcomes.
The right choice
Increasingly, employers are choosing to offer their employees integrated health care benefits because “it's the right thing to do,” which was mentioned by 19 percent of employers in the report, up from 8 percent in 2016.
|Challenges to implementing integrated health care
Understanding the challenges that employers face and their priorities allows benefits professionals the opportunity to better provide support and guidance where needed, and develop specific plans that help address the needs and concerns of their organization.
According to the report, 52 percent of employers find it somewhat challenging, and 12 percent report it is very challenging to implement integrated health care. Some of the reasons given include the perceived time-consuming aspects of the process, employees' resistance to change and variable costs that can make forecasting challenging.
The report also found that the most active movement toward benefits integration is currently occurring in larger companies, although it is happening in smaller companies as well. For larger companies, the need to compete for skilled workers and report outcomes as a measure of success are major drivers of integration.
In small groups, the slower migration toward integration lies in the ability to adequately educate employees about the relative ease and benefits of integrating.
For help with these challenges, employers reported that they have turned to employee polls, questionnaires and discussions; advice from similar companies; online research; and the development of internal task forces. Importantly, some see insurance brokers as providing expertise that can help with a transition.
Additionally, some insurers offer solutions that help meet these challenges. For instance, mobile apps increase employee engagement and collect valuable data about outcomes.
Integrated health care benefits plans are poised to meet the evolving needs of employers and their employees, offering compelling advantages to each. Understanding an organization's priorities can help benefits professionals select the right integrated health care benefits programs and assist in overcoming real or perceived challenges to implementing this increasingly sought-after offering.
Nick Brecker is president of specialty business at Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to BenefitsPRO, part of your ALM digital membership.
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