Lehigh Valley Business Coalition on Healthcare Q1 2024 Employer Meeting

Thank you to those who were able to attend the Coalition’s Employer Group meeting on March 12th. This was our first Capital Blue Cross employer meeting for 2024!

For those who could not attend or would benefit from a recap, here are some important takeaways from the meeting.

Population Health Program Update

Mary Elizabeth Myers, a Capital Blue Cross Population Health Sales Consultant, highlighted Strive, the new renal care management program that has become available to Capital members this year. This program focuses on members who have kidney disease, a condition that carries significant cost burdens and impacts thousands of members, many of whom don’t realize that they have it.

Capital is working with Thrive to positively impact kidney care for members with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) stages 3, 4 and 5, and members with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). The new program’s benefits include improved quality outcomes, a better member experience and an improvement to impacted members’ total cost of care. Additional goals for engaged members are to delay CKD progression, avoid dialysis crashes, promote home dialysis and reduce hospital admissions/readmissions.

Capital and Strive will collaborate to exchange claims information and ultimately use that data to identify members who are eligible for the program. Strive will then send co-branded mailers to those members, informing them of the program’s availability and their eligibility. Additional telephonic outreach will be made, if necessary. Once enrolled, members will receive comprehensive care management, one-on-one support from a team of professionals and care coordination between providers.

For employers, there is an automatic opt-in process in place and the program will bring about no additional member cost share. Monthly claims are billed to the group based on engaged membership.

If employers have any additional questions about the program, they are welcome to contact their Capital Blue Cross account executive.

Capital Blue Cross multi-session coaching programs

Nicole Cassel, a Capital Blue Cross Senior Health Coach, provided an overview of Capital’s four multi-session health coaching programs:

  • EMPOWER, a six-session weight management program that focuses on nutrition, fitness and mindfulness.
  • Take Charge, a six-session diabetes information and nutrition class, facilitated by a Capital Blue Cross registered dietician.
  • Transform, a four-session goal setting skill development program.
  • Balance, a six-session mindfulness and stress management program.

Nicole closed by sharing the benefits that both employers and employees can realize by engaging with the programs:

  • Employers
    • Establish the organization as an advocate for supporting the mental health and wellness needs of their workforce.
    • Gain valuable information on the successes and continued needs of their employees via each program’s evaluation process.
  • Employees
    • Build new knowledge and skills in areas that impact their day-to-day lives.
    • Enhance an employee’s engagement at the workplace by reducing stress and increasing morale and energy.

All of the programs discussed are available onsite, virtually or a combination of the two. Across all of the coaching programs, each of the individual sessions are one hour in length.

For more information, please contact your Capital Blue Cross account executive.

Fostering diversity, equity and inclusion

Finally, Capital Blue Cross DE & I Specialist, Rhonda Laing and VP of Learning & Belonging, Brooke Holland, provided a comprehensive look at Capital’s DE & I efforts as both an employer and an organization whose goals are focused on the health and well-being of the communities they serve.

Rhonda and Brooke discussed Capital’s creation of an internal DE & I Council and multiple Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) whose goals are to reduce health disparities and focus on DE & I initiatives across the organization.

The team also took time to explain the ongoing importance of understanding health equity, health disparities and social determinants of health as key drivers of community health.

Ultimately, the work being carried out through these efforts are intended to benefit Capital’s members, partners, employees and communities.

Capital offers many DE & I focused resources through available educational sessions, its Capital Blue Cross Connect health and wellness centers and regular HR Broadcast events.

As always, for more information on this and other topics, please contact your Capital Blue Cross account executive.

Our next Capital Blue Cross / LVBCH quarterly employer meeting is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, June 9th. We look forward to seeing you then!