Lehigh Valley Business Coalition on Healthcare Q2 2023 Employer Meeting
Thank you to those who were able to attend the Coalition’s Employer Group meeting on June 13th . For those who could not attend or would benefit from a recap, here are some important takeaways from the meeting.
Annual Claims Review
Dr. Robert Muscalus, Capital’s Medical Director for Client Analytics, provided more than two years’ worth of Coalition member claims utilization. Generally, his findings and analysis included the following points:
- Many key performance indicators, including total medical paid figures, indicated a utilization rate increase from 2019 to 2022. Tracking this increase in spending before, during and through the COVID-19 pandemic years appears to indicate that the trend may largely be due to members impacted by COVID-19 and those receiving care that was previously delayed by the pandemic.
- In looking at 2021-2022, inpatient admissions did decrease, but the average length of stay for those who did receive inpatient care increased.
- In-network utilization was +98%, with more than $1.2B in Blue contractual savings.
- Nearly 58% of the membership is attributed to a provider in a value-based care arrangement.
- Provider distribution (i.e., top utilized providers) has continued to remain steady.
- Use of ambulatory surgical centers (ASC) was dominated by gastrointestinal (GI) services and ophthalmology.
- Other key areas of focus include maternity, mental health and wellness, preventive services and utilization management.
Save the Date!
The next Capital/Coalition quarterly employer meeting will be on Tuesday, September 19th at 9am. More details in an invitation to follow, later this summer.
For more information on Capital Blue Cross programs and services, please contact your Capital Blue Cross account executive.