Healthcare on the Rocks - Employee Benefits with a Twist

In this episode of "Healthcare on the Rocks: Employee Benefits with a Twist," David and new co-host Nicole Belles cover the world of musculoskeletal (MSK) health with Aaryn Pure, Chief Commercial Officer at Hinge Health. The episode kicks off with Aaryn joining from Chicago amidst Hinge Health's bustling annual conference, Movement, providing a “man on the street” backdrop to the discussion. 

Aaryn shares his extensive background in healthcare, emphasizing his personal and professional commitment to improving MSK care. He recounts his journey from working with health systems on electronic medical records to his current role at Hinge Health, highlighting his personal experiences with MSK issues that add a relatable touch to his professional insights.

The conversation covers the substantial economic and personal impacts of MSK conditions, which affect one in two Americans annually and account for significant healthcare spending. Aaryn discusses Hinge Health's approach, which emphasizes preventive care and non-invasive treatments like the innovative Enso device—a nerve stimulation tool that helps manage pain without surgery or drugs. This approach not only alleviates pain but also significantly reduces healthcare costs and improves quality of life. The episode is packed with information about the challenges of traditional MSK treatments and how digital health innovations can transform care delivery.

Key Takeaways:

• MSK conditions are a top cost driver in healthcare, impacting half of the American population each year.
• Preventive and non-invasive treatments can significantly reduce healthcare costs and improve patient outcomes.
• Digital health tools like Hinge Health's Enso device offer effective alternatives to traditional care methods, providing immediate and long-term pain relief.

Stay in Touch!

• Connect with Aaryn Pure on LinkedIn
• Visit Hinge Health
• Learn more about the Springbuk Activate Partner Marketplace and get other related resources
• Get the complete 2024 Employee Health Trends report and other related resources
• Connect with our co-hosts Nicole Belles and David Pittman

Have feedback, questions, or suggestions for show ideas? Send them to us at [email protected].

Please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, and share it with your friends and colleagues. We appreciate you and thank you for listening!

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In this episode of "Healthcare on the Rocks: Employee Benefits with a Twist," hosts Jennifer Jones and David Pittman talk with Naomi Levinthal, the Chief Growth Officer at Reperio Health, about the innovative world of biometric screenings. 

Naomi, a self-professed tech nerd with a rich background in health IT, shares her journey to Reperio and discusses the transformative impact of the company's at-home screening kits. These kits are designed to provide instant results and a seamless user experience, setting a new standard in the health and wellness industry. 

Throughout the episode, Naomi explains how Reperio's approach to biometric screenings significantly differs from traditional methods by offering convenience, immediacy, and comprehensive health data directly to users’ homes.

The conversation highlights the crucial role of biometric screenings in modern wellness programs and how Reperio's kits contribute to strategic health management within organizations. Naomi elaborates on the benefits of this innovative approach, particularly its ability to provide quick, actionable health insights that empower both employers and employees. By moving screenings from clinical settings to the comfort of one's home, Reperio not only enhances participant engagement but also provides employers with valuable data to tailor their health initiatives effectively. 

The episode wraps up with insights into the future of Reperio, including the integration of new health tests and virtual care options that promise to further revolutionize preventative healthcare.

Key Takeaways:

• Innovation in Health Screenings: Reperio Health's at-home kits offer a complete biometric screening process that is fast, efficient, and user-friendly, allowing participants to perform the screenings at their convenience.
• Strategic Health Insights: The data collected from these screenings provide employers with critical insights, helping them make informed decisions about health and wellness programs tailored to their workforce's needs.
• Future Developments: Naomi shared exciting future enhancements, including the addition of A1C testing and virtual care sessions, which will further integrate comprehensive care into the screening process.

Stay in Touch!

• Connect with Naomi Levinthal on LinkedIn
• Visit Reperio Health
• Learn more about the Springbuk Activate Partner Marketplace and get other related resources
• Get the complete 2024 Employee Health Trends report and other related resources

Connect with our co-hosts Jennifer Jones and David Pittman

Have feedback, questions, or suggestions for show ideas? Send them to us at [email protected].

Please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, and share it with your friends and colleagues. We appreciate you and thank you for listening!

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In this episode of "Healthcare on the Rocks: Employee Benefits with a Twist," Scott Vold, the Chief Commercial Officer at Renalogic, describes the complexities of kidney disease, its treatment, and the economic impact on employers and their health plans. Scott talks about the critical and often overlooked public health crisis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the intricacies of the dialysis market. 

With a background in health technology and actuary, Scott explains Renalogic's mission to manage both the human and financial costs of CKD for self-funded health plans. He shares eye-opening statistics, such as the fact that about 37 million adult Americans have CKD, with a staggering 90% unaware of their condition, highlighting the disease's silent proliferation and its ranking as the ninth-leading cause of death in the U.S., projected to rise to fifth by 2040.

The discussion also covers the evolution of the dialysis market into a duopoly, which has led to inflated costs for treatments, emphasizing the need for a strategic approach to healthcare management within self-funded health plans.

Key takeaways from the episode include:

• The severe underdiagnosis of CKD and its correlation with other chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension, underlining the necessity for better awareness and early detection.
• The economic burden of dialysis treatment on employers, with costs often being a top health plan expense, and how Renalogic helps reduce these costs through unit cost reduction and disease management.
• An in-depth look at the dialysis market's evolution into a duopoly, with Scott detailing how this market structure leads to inflated costs for health plans and limited options for patients.
• Practical advice for employers on tackling CKD, including leveraging data for early detection, rejecting complacency in accepting high dialysis costs, and engaging with specialized care management programs like Renalogic's to prevent disease progression and reduce expenses.

The episode provides an insightful perspective on the challenges of managing CKD and the strategies employers can adopt to address this growing concern, emphasizing the importance of proactive healthcare management and specialized care programs in improving patient outcomes and achieving cost savings.

Stay in Touch!

• Connect with Scott Vold on LinkedIn
• Visit Renalogic
• Learn more about the Springbuk Activate Partner Marketplace and get other related resources
• Get the complete 2024 Employee Health Trends report and other related resources

Connect with our co-hosts Jennifer Jones and David Pittman

Have feedback, questions, or suggestions for show ideas? Send them to us at [email protected].

Please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, and share it with your friends and colleagues. We appreciate you and thank you for listening!

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In this engaging episode of "Healthcare on the Rocks: Employee Benefits with a Twist," hosts Jennifer and David invite two guests from PHM, Natalya Gertsik and Tommy Axford, to discuss innovative strategies for managing employee benefits, with a particular focus on cancer care. 

Natalya, specializing in population health risk management and biopharmaceuticals, sheds light on the actionable guidance PHM provides for optimizing cancer care. Tommy, with his actuarial background, emphasizes the importance of focusing on the small subset of cases that drive a significant portion of healthcare spending.

The conversation delves into the complexities of cancer treatment, including the challenges of adopting precision medicine and the necessity of personalized care plans that consider the unique needs and preferences of each patient.

Key takeaways from this discussion include:

• The importance of striving for precision medicine in targeting cancer treatment.
• The vital role of personalized medicine, considering the patient's personal preferences, cultural background, and socioeconomic factors, highlighting the need for a more holistic treatment plan.
• Innovative solutions like PHM's Clear Cancer Care Management Solution, part of the Springbuk Activate Marketplace, which offers employers and their advisors data-driven ways to connect with partners who can address specific healthcare needs, particularly in managing high-cost cancer treatments.
• Real-life success stories that illustrate the life-changing impact of creative and personalized cancer treatment strategies, emphasizing the potential for significant improvements in patient outcomes.

Stay in Touch!

• Connect with Natalya Gertsik and Tommy Axford on LinkedIn
• Visit PHM
• Learn more about the Springbuk Activate Partner Marketplace and get other related resources
• Get the complete 2024 Employee Health Trends report and other related resources

Connect with our co-hosts Jennifer Jones and David Pittman

Have feedback, questions, or suggestions for show ideas? Send them to us at [email protected].

Please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, and share it with your friends and colleagues. We appreciate you and thank you for listening!

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In this episode, we delve into the mission of Summus, a healthcare company that aims to revolutionize the way patients access top medical expertise. Nick Razzi, Chief Revenue Officer at Summus Global, describes how their platform provides a quicker route for patients to connect with leading specialists, ensuring that critical healthcare decisions are informed by the best possible advice. The narrative explores the importance of specialty care, particularly for patients navigating complex health conditions, and how Summus plays a crucial role in guiding them through these challenges.

The episode also highlights the benefits of Summus's ability to rapidly connect its members with a network of esteemed doctors. This capability is not only about speed but also about the seamless integration with local healthcare systems, ensuring that patients receive comprehensive care. Additionally, the discussion touches upon how Summus has adapted to the healthcare landscape transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic, including their strategies for engaging with physicians and the trends they have observed in how their services are utilized.

Looking towards the future, Summus is focusing on developing condition-specific pathways that promise to further streamline the patient experience, potentially reducing healthcare costs and improving outcomes. The narrative provides insights into these upcoming initiatives and the positive implications they may have for the healthcare industry.

Key take-aways from the episode include:

• Summus' mission is instrumental in providing faster access to top medical experts, which is crucial for making informed healthcare decisions and improving patient outcomes.
• Specialty care is a key component of the healthcare journey for patients with complex conditions, and Summus facilitates this by connecting patients with the right specialists.
• The ability of Summus to quickly link members with leading doctors and integrate with local healthcare providers is a significant advantage for patients.
• Summus is actively adapting to the evolving healthcare environment post-pandemic and is planning future initiatives aimed at creating condition-specific pathways to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare delivery.

Stay in Touch!

• Connect with Nick Razzi on LinkedIn
• Visit Summus Global
• Learn more about the Springbuk Activate Partner Marketplace and get other related resources
• Get the complete 2024 Employee Health Trends report and other related resources
• Connect with our co-hosts Jennifer Jones and David Pittman 

Have feedback, questions, or suggestions for show ideas? Send them to us at [email protected].

Please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, and share it with your friends and colleagues. We appreciate you and thank you for listening!

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In this episode, Justin Holland, CEO and co-founder of HealthJoy, shares his international upbringing, entrepreneurial ventures, and the personal healthcare challenge that led to the creation of HealthJoy, a platform designed to simplify healthcare choices for employees and employers alike.

With a focus on enhancing healthcare navigation and reducing costs, HealthJoy emerges as a critical partner for employers seeking to offer better healthcare solutions to their employees. Holland's journey from a skiing accident to the inception of HealthJoy highlights the universal struggle with navigating healthcare options, underscoring the platform's mission to make quality care more accessible and understandable.

Key takeaways from the episode include:

• The inspiration behind HealthJoy rooted in personal experience, emphasizing the need for simplified healthcare navigation.
• HealthJoy's approach to cost containment and personalized healthcare guidance, aiming to deliver savings to employers and improve employee health outcomes.
• The significant impact of virtual care and telemedicine, especially highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and HealthJoy's adaptation to offer a comprehensive range of virtual healthcare services.
• Holland's perspective on current and emerging challenges within the healthcare industry, including pharmacy costs, high-cost claimants, and the obesity epidemic, and HealthJoy's commitment to addressing these issues through innovative solutions.
• The importance of a seamless user experience in healthcare platforms, combining digital efficiency with human support to meet the diverse needs of users.
• The need for a platform to deliver a healthcare cost containment strategy on the back of a challenging macroeconomic environment.

Stay in Touch!

• Connect with Justin Holland on LinkedIn
• Visit HealthJoy
• Learn more about Springbuk Activate
• Get the complete 2024 Employee Health Trends report and other related resources

Connect with our co-hosts Jennifer Jones and David Pittman 

Have feedback, questions, or suggestions for show ideas? Send them to us at [email protected].

Please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, and share it with your friends and colleagues. We appreciate you and thank you for listening!

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Dive into an episode that's all about the big issues hitting our health and wallets: skyrocketing prescription costs and the obesity epidemic. Two co-authors of the 2024 Employee Health Trends report from Springbuk take you through the ins and outs of how these challenges are reshaping the landscape of employer healthcare spending and what it means for all of us. 

Janet Young, MD, Clinical Analytics Advisor at Springbuk, and co-host Jennifer Jones, Population Health Practice Leader, explore the tangled web of drug pricing, unravel why your medicine costs keep going up, and discuss steps employers can take to reduce costs. Plus, we're not shying away from the weighty issue of obesity. Jennifer takes a deep dive into how it's impacting healthcare costs in ways you might not expect.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone involved in employee health benefits, offering actionable strategies and a comprehensive understanding of the current landscape.

What You Will Learn:

• The significant role of prescription drug pricing in increasing employer healthcare costs, with a particular focus on brand name and specialty drugs.
• Insights into the obesity epidemic and its direct and indirect impacts on healthcare spending and employee well-being.
• Strategies for employers to manage rising healthcare costs, including the adoption of generics, biosimilars, and comprehensive health programs.
• The importance of a data-driven approach to health benefits planning, leveraging insights from healthcare analytics to inform strategies.
• Emerging treatments and approaches for managing obesity, highlighting the role of GLP-1 agonists and the need for multifaceted treatment strategies.

Stay in Touch!

• Connect with Janet Young on LinkedIn
• Get the complete 2024 Employee Health Trends report and other related resources
• Connect with our co-hosts Jennifer Jones and David Pittman 

Have feedback, questions, or suggestions for show ideas? Send them to us at [email protected].

Please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, and share it with your friends and colleagues. We appreciate you and thank you for listening!

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Dive into the world of high-cost claimants trends with Janet Young, MD, Clinical Analytics Advisor at Springbuk and one of the authors of the 2024 Employee Health Trends report.  The report sheds light on managing those hefty healthcare expenses. Janet describes the journey through the world of healthcare economics, beginning with a breakdown of high-cost claimants into distinct segments, then explaining how those groups differ in their influence on overall healthcare spending. The conversation then turns to the diverse health conditions within these categories, underlining the critical need to grasp these differences for crafting impactful management strategies. 

You'll hear about innovative approaches like encouraging regular cancer screenings and leveraging Centers of Excellence for top-notch care and advice, particularly vital in the priciest categories dominated by facility expenses.

What You Will Learn:

• The segmentation of high-cost claimants in healthcare and their impact on total spending
• The importance of understanding the variation in health conditions across different cost categories
• Strategies for managing high-cost claims, including early cancer screenings and leveraging Centers of Excellence

Catch the full conversation.

• Connect with Janet Young on LinkedIn
• Get the complete 2024 Employee Health Trends report and other related resources
• Connect with our co-hosts Jennifer Jones and David Pittman 

Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other popular podcast players. 

Have feedback, questions, or suggestions for show ideas? Send them to us at [email protected].

Please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, and share it with your friends and colleagues. We appreciate you and thank you for listening!

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In this engaging and informative podcast, hosts Mike Pattengale and Jennifer Jones chat with Alex Frommeyer, the co-founder and CEO of Beam Benefits. Alex shares his journey from being an engineer to founding Beam, a digitally native employee benefits company that's transforming dental insurance and more.

Key takeaways:

1. Digitally Native Benefits: Beam's success lies in being a native digital company, leveraging AI-powered underwriting and a wellness program to offer flexible and innovative benefits for small and medium-sized businesses. This digital approach differentiates Beam from traditional insurers and creates a memorable experience for employees.
2. Dental Wellness Program: Beam's unique dental wellness program gamifies dental care, allowing users to accumulate points by brushing their teeth with the connected Beam toothbrush. These points can be redeemed for various products and gift cards, promoting better dental health while engaging users passively.
3. The Future of Employee Benefits: Alex envisions a more integrated and comprehensive approach to employee benefits, where data-driven solutions unify various health-related coverages and experiences. He believes tech and entrepreneurial innovation will be the driving force behind this future.

The next time you brush your teeth, remember that you can make dental health more fun and rewarding with Beam!

Catch the full conversation.

• Connect with Alex Frommeyer on LinkedIn
• Visit Beam Benefits' website
• Connect with our co-hosts Jennifer Jones and Mike Pattengale 

Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other popular podcast players. 

Have feedback, questions, or suggestions for show ideas? Send them to us at [email protected].

Please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, and share it with your friends and colleagues. We appreciate you and thank you for listening!

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Brian Whorley, founder of Paytient, explained how the company's health payment accounts provide interest-free credit lines for out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, aiming to bridge the gap between existing healthcare savings accounts (HSAs), flexible spending accounts (FSAs), and the financial burden of healthcare costs. Whorley stated, "Credit is what we use in our lives to turn large, unexpected, or infrequent expenses into affordable things."

Paytient's health payment accounts, unlike HSAs and FSAs, do not require employer or employee funding and do not perform credit checks on the account holders. Whorley emphasized that there's "no interest to the actual members" and "no credit check to the actual members." The goal is to enable more people to access healthcare and reduce financial stress around medical expenses.

Whorley said Paytient can be used with existing HSAs and FSAs to create more equitable access to healthcare, particularly for lower-income employees who may struggle with high-deductible health plans. Whorley explained that Paytient is a flexible product that can be tailored to the needs of different employers and their workforce demographics. This allows employers to ensure that their health plans are more accessible and equitable for all employees, regardless of their income level or job position.

Whorley also talked about how Paytient can help address deferred healthcare, which has been more prevalent since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. By providing individuals with a way to afford healthcare without incurring additional financial burden, Paytient aims to encourage more people to seek medical care when they need it, rather than delaying or avoiding treatment due to financial concerns.

Whorley acknowledged the need to address the root cause of high healthcare costs, but emphasized that Paytient offers a practical solution for individuals and employers in the meantime. He said, "As long as you have your phone, you have a way to pay for care," demonstrating how Paytient can help make healthcare more accessible and affordable for everyone.

Key Take-aways: 

• Paytient provides interest-free credit lines to help people afford healthcare expenses.
• Paytient can sit alongside HSAs and FSAs, making all benefits more effective.
• Deferred care is a pervasive issue that can be addressed by providing more affordable healthcare options.
• Paytient can be deployed at any time throughout the year for employers.
• Paytient recently closed a $40 million Series B funding round to support its growth plans.

• Connect with Brian Whorley on LinkedIn
• Visit Paytient’s website
• Connect with our co-hosts Jennifer Jones and Mike Pattengale 

Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other popular podcast players. 

Have feedback, questions, or suggestions for show ideas? Send them to us at [email protected].

Please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, and share it with your friends and colleagues. We appreciate you and thank you for listening!

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