Business Group: Conferences and Meetings - National Forum on Employee Health, Productivity and Absence Management 2006

2006 Joint Forum on Health, Productivity & Absence Management

November 28th, 2006 through November 30th, 2006

Grand Hyatt, Washington DC

presented by:

National Business Group on Health &
The Integrated Benefits Institute

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Tuesday, November 28, 2006

10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Pre-Conference Workshop
EMPAQ^SM Training Workshop
Note: This is a PowerPoint file.

The Training Track provides employers and suppliers with a solid overview of the EMPAQSM standardized health-related lost time metrics contained in these EMPAQ SM training modules:Workers' Compensation, STD, LTD, and Family and Medical Leave. Learning objectives also include the importance of the EMPAQ ^SM metrics to your organization, how to become certified in their use, and how these metrics are reported within the industry. CEU's are available for this track.

11:15 am to 12:30 pm
Pre-Conference Workshop
Sponsor: Reed Group, Ltd.
Days and Dollars: A Health and Productivity Approach to Changing the Total Cost of Occupational Health and Disability Absence in the Workplace

Global competitive intensity is placing employers under more pressure to deliver integrated Health and Productivity solutions that address the total cost of health in the workplace. Reed Group and Ethicon Endo-Surgery have teamed up to provide large employers with a Total Health and Productivity Cost Calculator for fully costing the impact of new treatment and disability management strategies. This financial value assessment tool allows employers to personalize the total cost assessment to their workplace and population. A demonstration of how a major U.S. employer used these tools to gain support for health and productivity management strategies will be reviewed.

1:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Pre-Conference Workshop Session A-1
Sponsor: Standard Insurance Company
Building a Return-To-Work Culture

This session explores the intricacies of designing an employer-based, non-occupational return-to-work (RTW) program. It outlines a series of strategies that employers need to consider and the workplace consequences of ignoring them. The program's educational objectives will help you:

Appreciate the consequences of not implementing a transitional RTW program - how to avoid the "nobody is in charge" syndrome; what to expect from the "we don't have light duties" attitude
Learn the importance of a defined, thoughtful RTW philosophy and how to get RTW buy-in from top management
Understand the criticality of case management in generating successful RTW outcomes.

Michael Klachefshy, Standard Insurance Company

1:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Pre-Conference Workshop Session A-2
Sponsor: Inamed Health, a Division of Allergan
A Safer, Economical and Effective Treatment of Morbid Obesity and Related Conditions

Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding (LAP-BANDŽ), manufactured by INAMED Health, a division of Allergan, is a minimally invasive solution for morbid obesity. LAP-BAND is the most commonly performed bariatric procedure outside the United States. A short hospital stay and shortened recovery time allows quicker return to work and employee productivity. The elimination of stomach stapling or intestinal rerouting makes LAP-BAND 10 times safer and less costly than gastric bypass. LAP-BAND adjustment visits in the first year or two are performed to fine tune food restriction and satiety, and also permit behavioral and physiological issues to be effectively addressed.

Paul O'Brien MD, National Medical Director, American Institute of Gastric Banding, and Director, Centre for Obesity Research and Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

2:30 pm - 3:45 pm
Pre-Conference Workshop Session B-1
Sponsor: Weight Watchers
Managing Obesity in the Workplace

Since employees spend most waking hours at work, the workplace offers an ideal forum and opportunity for reducing obesity's impact on productivity. Weight Watchers International presents a cardiologist's view of the power of at-work weight-management programs to improve employees' health and productivity while lowering healthcare costs for such obesity-related conditions as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. Hear first-hand from an employer whose robust wellness/weight-management program has helped reduce total healthcare claims by 10% and prescription costs by 32.3% in three plan years. Attendees will receive a copy of a Guide to Starting a Weight-Management Program in Your Company.

Doug Layman

James Rippe MD

2:30 pm - 3:45 pm
Pre-Conference Workshop Session B-2
Sponsor: Hewitt Associates
The Next Generation of Health Risk Management

The health of an employee population, or lack thereof, impacts health care costs but also impacts employee productivity. These two points combined directly influence a company's financial statement and has created concern among top leadership, turning it into a business issue and no longer just a benefits concern. During this session you will learn practical steps your organization can take to address these areas of opportunity. You will hear how one employer, Texas Health Resources, has made a significant impact on the health and productivity of their workforce by implementing a strategy that supports healthy choices and shared responsibility.

Robin Davis

Joint presentation by Kathy Harte and Kim Stattner of Hewitt Associates

Presidents' Welcome

Helen Darling, National Business Group on Health

4:15 pm - 5:00 pm
Welcome Address

Dr. Mahoney welcomes Joint Forum attendees by highlighting the importance of our program theme, "Making Health-related Productivity Your Business Focus." He relates the theme to actual program implementation initiatives at Pitney Bowes that have "pushed the edge of the envelope," yet have been very successful.

Dr. Mahoney also presents a follow-up to the 2004 Wall Street Journal feature story on Pitney Bowes' health & productivity programs, outlining the many challenges Pitney Bowes has navigated the last two years. He also explains the evolutionary process that involves many Pitney Bowes functional areas working together to manage health and productivity programs —and their related costs—in a tough economic environment. To set the stage for the rest of the program, Dr. Mahoney previews the innovative solutions and ideas to be offered throughout the conference.

John J. Mahoney MD, Corporate Medical Director and Global Health Care Management Director, Pitney Bowes

NBGH 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Plenary Session #1
National Business Group on Health Council on Employee Health and Productivity
Promoting Employee Health and Productivity through Prevention: The Role of Clinical Preventive Services

The panel discusses A Purchaser's Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, developed by the National Business Group on Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a unique tool to promote employee health and productivity through clinical preventive service benefit design. The panel identifies the scientific evidence and detailed benefit language included in the Purchaser's Guide that employers need to design, prioritize, and implement a comprehensive and structured clinical preventive services program within their medical benefit plan. The panelists also outline the value to employers of implementing the preventive measures outlined in the guide.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

8:15 am - 9:15 am
Keynote Address

General Electric Company (GE) is the nation's seventh largest corporation and has been named "World's Most Admired" Company by FORTUNE magazine. GE people worldwide are dedicated to turning imaginative ideas into leading products and services that help solve some of the world's toughest problems. GE has outlined, as one of its key strategic imperatives for creating shareowner value, a plan to use their size to develop great people in a strong culture.

Dr. Galvin will speak frankly about the challenges GE faces in carrying out this plan and managing the health and productivity of one of our country's largest workforces. In today's business environment, more companies need to understand the role of human capital management in their overall success. Attendees will be guided on how to: meet the demands of rising costs, provide competitive and effective benefit programs, and develop innovative solutions to keep employees healthy and productive at work.

Global Health Care, General Electric Company

IBI 9:45 am - 10:45 am
Plenary Session #3
The Business Case for the Right Pharmaceutical Plan Design

With burgeoning growth in healthcare costs, many employers focus cost-control efforts on their pharmaceutical benefit. IBI's research reveals that most CFOs believe the prescription drug benefit can reduce total health-related costs, including absence and lost productivity. Little evidence is available, however, to guide pharmaceutical-benefits interventions around business-relevant integrated outcomes, such as cost, absence and disability. New IBI research puts a business case behind those CFO opinions and analyzes pharmaceutical plan design effects on medical costs, disability and lost workdays. The panel discusses compliance and cost considerations around connecting pharmaceutical plan design to their bottom line.

Research Presenter: Thomas Parry PhD, President, Integrated Benefits Institute

Response Panel:

Brian Wilson, Senior Vice President - Global Benefits, Bank of America
Joe Marlowe, Health & Productivity Practice Leader, Aon Consulting
Joe V. Selby MD, Director - Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California

11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Plenary Session #4
Sponsor: Pfizer
Investments in Employee Health and their Impact on Productivity

Three employers discuss their health and productivity initiatives and share the results of their interventions. ConAgra explains how early-detection programs and self-reported HRA data improve employee health and reduce health disparities.Wells Fargo describes implementation of its employee healthy-behavior incentive program and the resulting productivity improvement. Pfizer Inc. reviews its Healthy Directions launch, a comprehensive program resulting in 83% employee participation. Attendees learn why these employers commit to health and productivity management; what the challenges are; and, how they measure and evaluate their programs' success.

Sally S. Welborn

Alberto Colombi

Jennifer Arcure

1:30 pm to 2:30 pm Breakout Session #1
I-A.
Employer Healthcare and Productivity Integrated-data Initiatives:
What's in it for the Employer?

Thought leaders discuss the benefits and costs of building and using integrated databases that push the frontier of knowledge about employers' direct and hidden burden of illness. Employers have learned much about the cost of illness and impact of treatment using healthcare claims data. Additional tools, however, can help them answer a much broader set of questions and better understand their potential exposure and options. These tools comprise comprehensive, integrated databases that also include work-loss and productivity data, as well as employee-response/clinical data on their medical conditions and health status.

I-B.
Integrating Medical and Lost-productivity Management

Waste Management's strategic partnership with CIGNA has integrated Waste Management's health, disability, workers'compensation and general liability claims and achieved significant cost and productivity improvements. Previously discussed at the 2004 and 2005 joint IBI/NBGH conferences, Drs. Hoffman and Woolf present additional program results and new insights on ways to decrease program redundancies and increase savings. Presenters also profile the role of impaired health in motor vehicle accidents, property damage and general liability claims.

I-C.
Ethical Considerations in Health and Productivity Management

With the focus on cost containment in health and productivity, how do we ensure that our program designs and resolution of an individual's escalated issues meet the fundamental principles of ethical behavior? Ensuring compliance with governmental regulations is a good start, but is it enough? Does your organization suffer from periodic bouts of "managerial mischief?" Join this thought-provoking session sponsored by the Certification of Disability Management Specialist Commission to learn how to establish a framework for ethical decision making within your organization. Case studies and materials to supplement Code of Conduct training are provided.

I-D.
We Sell (More) Soda through Healthy Living at Pepsi Bottling Group

"We Sell Soda" is Pepsi Bottling Group's mission statement. Investing in the Health Living Program was PBG's answer to creating a culture of health that would help sell more soda and improve profit margins. This session reviews the design of the highly successful program, with success defined by various PBG stakeholder's perspectives. This discussion explores the collaboration of internal departments and integration with external vendor partners. Additionally, specific emphasis is placed on the methodology used to measure program financial impact.

2:45 pm to 3:45 pm Breakout Session #2

II-A.
"Well at Dell" - An Overview of Program Design and Evaluation Strategy

In the fall of 2004, Dell Inc. implemented a comprehensive health improvement program. The program is unique in a number of aspects, including the types of programs offered, vendor/partner relationships, alignment with Dell's strategic objectives, incentives, and the overall program evaluation (ROI) strategy. The presentation covers an overview of the program and details on the evaluation design and recent study results measuring the program's impact on overall population health risk and health and productivity bottom-line results.

II-B.
Lessons Learned: Designing and Optimizing a Program to Manage Casual Absence

Part of the legacy of FMLA administration has been the increasing realization that, beyond record-keeping, employers can actually manage employee leave to help achieve strategic business goals. This session is an examination of how a provider and employer teamed up to take these lessons learned and adapt them to understand and begin to manage casual absence in the workplace.

II-C.
Recapturing Lost Productivity - the Impact of Health-related Lost Time

C-Suite says not enough ROI projected for your benefits interventions? Maybe it's time to take credit for all your savings! Expand your ROI from benefits-delivery interventions simply by knowing the possible lost-productivity savings. Discover the reality of health-related lost productivity. Learn how employers and suppliers make so-called "soft costs" real for corporate decision makers. Discover how absence and presenteeism result in lost productivity, and learn the true costs of doing nothing. We'll discuss:

What lost productivity means to employers in today's costs and tomorrow's savings.
Techniques to quantify it.
Effectively presenting the results to your P&L leaders.

II-D.
Driving Up Health, Driving Down Risk!

Plan members in a 550,000-member state health plan experienced considerable increases in annual claim costs. Mining the health plan's database showed that between 2001 and 2002 the annual rate of increase was 28% PMPY. Further analysis identified big average cost differences between healthy individuals ($911 PMPY) and those with chronic illness ($13,000 PMPY). This session describes the data that supported the integrated health management effort—North Carolina Health Smart—as well as the health promotion and care management model that was put in place. The panel shares preliminary data on the effectiveness of the effort and goals for future program refinement.

4:15 pm to 5:15 pm
Plenary Session #5
Sponsor: CIGNA
Impacting Disability Results through Consumer-driven Health

Consumer-driven health plans and health-advocacy assistance are fast-growing programs among employers and employees. Studies show that greater choice and control, the right incentives, and actionable decision-support tools allow more healthcare involvement for members and deliver medical cost savings for employers. The logical next question for employers with integrated health and absence management programs: will CDHPs have the same positive impact on disability results?

CIGNA's Bart Margoshes reviews preliminary results on the healthcare/disability dynamic. Mary Bradley, Director of Healthcare Planning for Pitney Bowes, discusses the employer's perspective and what Pitney Bowes is doing to monitor results.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

8:15 am to 9:15 am
Plenary Session #6
Sponsor: Sedgwick CMS
Partnering with Organized Labor for Improvements in Health-related Productivity

Organizations are driven to deliver process efficiencies and cost savings for optimal bottom-line performance. A strategy seldom utilized for potential savings is partnering with organized labor to improve a company's health-related productivity without major changes to the collective bargaining agreement. This presentation brings together, in an interactive panel, two well-known employers and their union representatives. The panel discusses and shares results about how each company, their union(s), and their strategic supplier partners have successfully collaborated to achieve quality, process, and even cost-savings improvements via the effective management of human capital, related benefits programs, and organizational productivity.

9:45 am to 10:45 am
Plenary Session #7
Sponsor: Aetna
Integrating Benefits to Improve Health and Productivity, Reduce Lost Time and Achieve Real Returns

A panel of employer benefits-integration leaders discusses the advantages and results from their integration strategies. The panel, joined by Aetna, shows how partnering in integration with their health care provider can help prevent poor health and disability events from becoming long-term problems. These employers view the integration of medical case management and disability management as an opportunity to improve employees' health and productivity. Aetna shows the value and results realized through these integrated programs and discusses benefits integration as a significant piece of how it works with clients to deliver effective disability and leave-management solutions.

11:00 am to 12:00 pm Breakout Session #3

III-A.
An Active, Data-driven Approach to Managing Health Benefits
and Employee Productivity

Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Thomson Medstat present the Novartis approach to improving its employees' health and productivity while identifying key areas necessary to managing health-related costs. Novartis can address these key areas and take action as a result of investing in the information-gathering and analysis solutions identified in partnership with Thomson Medstat through a comprehensive claims database that includes costs of benefits, absence and presenteeism. Novartis shares its results to date with other employers who may be considering an integrated approach to managing their total health-related benefits costs in the drive to compete in the global marketplace.

III-B.
Does Employee Population Size Matter? How Varying-sized Employers Approach Employee Health to Achieve Improved Productivity

Health and productivity is a business issue for all companies. How it affects the company and what is done to impact the organization, however, varies greatly. Learn through three case studies how these companies are making health a competitive advantage for their organizations.

III-C.
Development and Implementation of Effective Tools for Global Health & Productivity Management

International HPM programs often need "country-specific" data from which to plan and prioritize programs and services and evaluate effectiveness of health and productivity interventions. Some goals transcend borders - minimizing health-related lost time and resulting lost productivity - but the means and measures needed to support investment in employee health and workforce productivity may be different. Two international employer leaders share steps they use to set country-specific goals and strategies. Learn how they've "moved the dial" in responding to challenges around measurement, health assessment, appropriate treatment, lack of data and common metrics for true global measures and management.

Gary Billotti

Steve Ohman

III-D.
Blueprint for a Better SAW/RTW Process:
ACOEM's new Disability Prevention Guideline & the "60 Summits" Project

ACOEM's newest guideline, "Preventing Needless Work Disability by Helping People Stay Employed," is a clear blueprint for a better stay-at-work and return-to-work process. The easy-to-read Guideline explains what works and doesn't, and makes 16 common-sense and powerful recommendations. The 60 Summits Project now underway promotes adoption of the Guideline's principles across North America. In Summit workshops, local employers, doctors and insurers look for concrete ways to improve how they work together to prevent needless work disability. Come learn what the Guideline says, hear stories about the first three Summits, and explore the potential benefits of a Summit in your area. Jennifer Christian MD, Webility Corporation (Chair of the ACOEM committee that wrote the guideline)
Barbara Smisko, National Environmental Health & Safety Manager, Kaiser Permanente
Brian K Konowalchuk MD, St Mary's Duluth Medical Center

1:15 pm to 2:15 pm
Plenary Session #8
Sponsor: MetLife
The Benefits Reconstruction Era: Recalibrating Health and Welfare
Note: This file is 17 MG

Where do you spend your benefits dollars, and what do you get for your money? Antiquated health-delivery infrastructures reward acute-care transactions and preempt chronic-condition care, prevention and wellness. Rising costs force tough decisions. This presentation takes on the tough questions facing benefits professionals and examines how employers think about the future of benefits. Employers need to see more relevance for their benefits dollar: Survival requires realigning benefits strategies with business realities. Sharing costs, incentives and accountability with individual employees is the new mantra. Employers are disassembling their legacy benefits structures and rebuilding new configurations to reinvent the industry.

2:30 pm to 3:30 pm
Plenary Session #9
Sponsor: Free and Clear
Improved Health-related Productivity via Planning for a Tobacco-free Campus

Governmental smoking bans aim to reduce the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and encourage smokers to quit. As employers work to comply, HR departments face both the positive and negative productivity-related outcomes that can come from mandated and voluntary tobacco-cessation programs. This moderated panel explores issues surrounding compliance with tobacco-free legislated bans, internal cessation programs, the most effective use of participation incentives, proper promotion/communication, improved health and productivity, and policy implementation. Group Health Cooperative discusses the opportunities and challenges of going tobacco-free on Jan. 1, 2007 and how the program fits its orientation toward employee health promotion and preventive care.