Past Events – 2023

Early detection of cancer saves lives and can identify disease when it is most treatable, and least costly. In this presentation from the team at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health we learned more about the decline in screening rates that resulted from the pandemic, inequities in screening, the health and economic benefits of early detection, and strategies to promote screening in your population. We were also introduced to a new partnership between GPBCH and Jefferson to bring mobile cancer screening and education to employer worksites in the GPBCH service region.

Speakers included:

• Andrew E. Chapman DO, FACP | Director, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center
• Kaitlyn Kennard, MD | Associate Professor of Surgery Breast Surgical Oncology
• Jason Shames, MD | Interim Director, Breast Imaging
• Kristine Pham, MPH | Program Manager, SKCC Mobile Screening Van

ATTENTION GPBCH MEMBERS! Take a break from open enrollment or other work stressors and join us on Wednesday, October 11th for the GPBCH fall social, featuring wine and beer, and assorted hors d’ouevres. DEADLINE TO REGISTER IS OCTOBER 6th, reach out to Eric Croft (Ecroft@gpbch.org) for more information. You do not want to miss this premier networking event!

During our 2023 Wellness Summit, just under 200 registrants joined us for a great day of education and networking! Thank you to all of our speakers, sponsors and attendees for making this event possible and spending the day with us.

PDF Presentations are available and can be accessed below:

• 8:45 – 9:15 | KEYNOTE SPEAKER: What Do We Know about the Impact of Long COVID?: James A. Mansi, Ph.D., Vice President Medical Affairs – Americas, Moderna, Inc. (Click Here for James’ Presentation)
• 9:15 – 9:45 | Driving Health Equity in Population Health Programs: Seun Ross, PhD, Independence Blue Cross (Click Here for Seun’s Presentation)
• 9:45 – 10:10 | Advancing Health Equity as Part of an Employer’s DE&I Strategy: Vikki Walton, Health Equity Leader, Mercer (Click Here for Vikki’s Presentation)
• 10:10 – 10:30 | Love Them or Lose Them: How Much Are Your Employees Worth? Talent Retention, Resiliency and the Hidden Impact of Mental Health: Hal Rosenbluth, CEO and Chairman, New Ocean Health Solutions (Click Here for Hal’s Presentation)
• 11:00 – 11:40 | Sleep Is Essential to Health & Well-being: Karl Doghramji, MD, Director, Sleep Disorders Center, Thomas Jefferson University (Click Here for Karl’s Presentation)
• 11:40 – 11:55 | Overview of GPBCH Resources to Support Population Health Improvement: GPBCH Staff (Click Here for GPBCH’s Presentation)
• 1:00 – 1:45 | Advancing Cultures of Health with a Structured Methodology: first year project findings: Michele Bildner, CDC Foundation; Ray Fabius, HealthNEXT; Bette Francis, YMCA of Delaware; Samantha Boyd, Five Below; Marsha Greene-Jones, City of Philadelphia (Click Here for the group’s Presentation)
• 1:45 – 2:15 | What Employers Should Know about Adolescent Health: Brian Jenssen, MD, MSPH, Faculty/Researcher, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Click Here for Brian’s Presentation)
• 2:40 – 3:00 | Distressed with Diabetes? Learn the Positive Impact Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support Programs Can Make: Sarah Downs, Director, Health Programming and Delivery, WellSpark, Elise Spalla, Supervisor of Commercial Accounts, WellSpark, and April Rich, Manager of Health Coaching, WellSpark (Click Here for WellSpark’s Presentation)
• 3:00 – 4:00 | Innovation in Improving Workforce Mental Health: David Kraus, PhD, President, Outcome Referrals (Click Here for David’s Presentation), Amy Federer, Director of Operations, NAMI Philadelphia, and Nicole McNeal, Director of Well-being, Virtua Health (Click Here for Nicole’s Presentation)

Team registration for our third annual Inter-Corporate Walking Challenge (ICWC) is now open! This program is open to ALL GPBCH Employer and affiliate member organizations. The three-week challenge begins on September 12th and concludes on October 3rd, and prizes will be awarded to the top three individuals who log the most miles as well as to the team that logs the highest average mileage per participant. Any GPBCH member organizations that would like to register a team (or have any questions) should reach out to Eric Croft (Ecroft@gpbch.org) from GPBCH to learn how to do so. We look forward to breaking our previous record from 2022 – 300+ participants from 15 total teams – so let’s make that happen, GPBCH members!

Thank You to our Sponsor! We’d like to thank our sponsor, United Concordia Dental, for sponsoring this program and joining us in supporting physical activity in the workforce!

During our September 7th educational webinar, Science is Finally Catching up to Chronic Pain, we heard from Jennifer Shulkin, JD, CEO Override and The Honorable David J. Shulkin, M.D.., Ninth Secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, on how:

• pain neuroscience research shows that chronic pain is a central nervous system issue, not a purely body part problem to be treated with body parts solutions. It explains why many chronic pain patients continue to fail traditional treatment approaches.
• interdisciplinary care is the most effective approach for people with chronic pain since chronic pain affects the mind and the body, yet the United States has extremely few interdisciplinary programs for chronic pain – making access almost nonexistent.
• utilizing a combination of a virtual, team-based approach to care (with licensed pain management doctors, pain trained physical therapist, pain psychologists, and certified pain coaches), neuroplasticity principles, and digital engagement helps turn passive cure seekers into self-managers.

Click here for the PDF Presentation and Click here for the webinar recording.

Our quarterly employers only forum is a great time for employers to ask burning questions of other employer members. We always have great discussions at these meetings, so bring topics of interest with you! Outlook invitations have been distributed to GPBCH employer members.

In partnership with the CDC Foundation, GPBCH has been working on two projects to advance employer understanding of the health and economic impact of hypertension, and to identify benefit design strategies to promote healthy blood pressure. In this session GPBCH members learned about the economics of hypertension, from an employer perspective, and learned of benefit design recommendations for employers and their care management partners.

Click Here for the PDF Presentation. Click here for the webinar recording and enter passcode iDi$B2

During our June 14th Annual Member Meeting, Neil Goldfarb, President & CEO of GPBCH, presented an overview of coalition accomplishments over the last year and explained plans for the coming year while asking for member input. The newly-elected members of the Board of Directors were also announced!

Click here to access the meeting recording and Click Here for the PDF Presentation.

GPBCH has helped to develop a curriculum offered by the Jefferson College of Population Health specifically for employers and professionals who work with employers. As previously announced, a three course Advanced Practice Certificate and a Master’s of Population Health are both available, and GPBCH members are eligible for a 15% tuition discount. All classes are virtual and asynchronous, specifically designed for busy professionals. This information session reviewed why population health science is important to employers, the certificate and degree curricula, and application process. More information on the Jefferson programs also is available here or by contacting Dr. Mitch Kaminski, Program Director, Mitchell.Kaminski@jefferson.edu.

Click here to access the meeting recording and Click Here for the PDF Presentation

During our June 6th webinar, we learned best practices and action steps to address diabetes and obesity in the workforce to improve health and reduce costs. Speakers discussed how diabetes and obesity are major health issues and cost drivers in the workforce and community in Delaware and the nation. Among U.S. adults, 37 million have diabetes and 96 million have prediabetes, at an annual combined cost of $403 billion. Among Delaware adults, 12% have diabetes and 13% have prediabetes, at an annual cost of $1.1 billion. Among U.S. and Delaware adults, 34% report having obesity. The nationwide cost of obesity, a condition associated with prediabetes, diabetes, and other health issues, is $173 billion. Addressing these conditions in the workforce is vital!

The program featured subject matter experts and open discussion. Attendees 1) Learned how addressing diabetes and obesity can improve workforce health, productivity and retention, and reduce costs, 2) Gained insight and best practices from an employer case study, and 3) Accessed resources to take action to implement evidence-based programs and medical interventions.

To access the meeting recording, CLICK HERE. To review the PDF slide deck CLICK HERE.

The portion of the program presented by Lydia Wang of Novo Nordisk is proprietary and not included in the recording for distribution. However, other approved content is included in the presentation slides that can be accessed here.

Our 2023 Annual Conference had a GREAT turnout with nearly 250 attendees! Thank you to all of our speakers, sponsors and attendees for making this event possible and spending the day with us.

PDF Presentations are available and can be accessed below:

• 8:45 – 9:30 | KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Driving Value and Equity through Benefit Design: Mark Fendrick, Director, V-BID Center, University of Michigan (Click Here for Mark’s Presentation)
• 9:30 – 10:00 | What Does Research Tell Us about Benefit Design Impact on Utilization and Cost: Paul Fronstin, Director, Health Benefits Research, Employee Benefits Research Institute (Click Here for Paul’s Presentation)
• 10:00 – 10:20 | Driving Health and Engagement Leads to Proven Results: A National Shipping and Logistics Firm’s Experience: Rich Krutsch, Vice President of People Services, ArcBest and Mike Cook, Senior Regional Director, apree health (Click Here for Rich & Mike’s Presentation)
• 10:40 – 11:30 | Is Fostering Access to and Use of Primary Care the Key to Value?: Larry Boress, CEO, National Association of Worksite Health Centers (Click Here for Larry’s Presentation), Kevin Fosnocht, Chief Medical Officer, Tandigm Health (Click Here for Kevin’s Presentation), and Dave Osterndorf, Chief Actuary, Centivo (Click Here for Dave’s Presentation)
• 11:30 – 12:00 | Fostering Effective Partnerships Between Employers and Providers: Mark Whalen, Enterprise Chief Strategy Officer, Thomas Jefferson University (Click Here for Mark’s Presentation)
• 12:00 – 12:20 | Fostering an Employer and Health Plan Partnership Centered on Value: Rodrigo Cerda, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Independence Blue Cross (Click Here for Rodrigo’s Presentation)
• 1:00 – 1:20 | Debunking Myths about Pain and Pain Management: Claire Morrow PT, DPT, Manager, Physical Therapy Consultants, Hinge Health (Click Here for Claire’s Presentation)
• 1:20 – 2:00 | GPBCH Health Benefits Innovation Awards: Victoria Roth, Employee Benefits Operations Administrator, City of Wilmington (Click Here for Victoria’s Presentation) and Joani Schmeling, Program Manager Training and Capacity Building, Health Promotion Council (Click Here for Joani’s Presentation)
• 2:00 – 3:00 | Changing the Way You Think about Pharmacy Benefits Management: Cheryl Larson, CEO, Midwest Business Group on Health (Click Here for Cheryl’s Presentation), Pramod John, CEO, Vivio (Click Here for Pramod’s Presentation), Josh Golden, Senior VP, Strategy, CapitalRx (Click Here for Josh’s Presentation), and Jessica Lea, CEO, Tria Health (Click Here for Jessica’s Presentation)
• 3:00 – 4:00 | Driving Toward Value at the Local and National Levels: What Should YOU Do Next?: Mike Thompson, CEO, National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions (Click Here for Mike’s Presentation), Neil Goldfarb, President and CEO, GPBCH, Marsha Greene-Jones, Deputy Director of Human Resources, City of Philadelphia; James Startare, Vice President, Benefits, Aramark, and Maureen Clancy, Senior Director, Total Rewards, Comcast NBCUniversal

Hosted by the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH) and the Health Care Improvement Foundation at the Museum of the American Revolution, this program recognized excellence in quality and safety performance of hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers in southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware based on results from the 2022 Leapfrog Hospital Survey and Safety Grades and the 2022 Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey. The program also featured a panel discussion on performance measures and patient safety with participation from hospital, ASC and employer leaders. The Awards Program was preceded by a special session led by the Leapfrog Group about the 2023 Leapfrog Hospital Survey details. As Regional Leader for the Leapfrog Group, GPBCH represents the interests of employer and consumer purchasers to drive improvement in healthcare transparency. We thank hospitals and ASCs in our region for their ongoing commitment to achieve a safer, higher-quality and more transparent healthcare system for all.

PDF presentations can be accessed below.

Leapfrog 2023 Hospital Survey Presentation

2022 GPBCH Leapfrog Quality and Safety Awards Presentation

Our all-day program on April 4th focused on cancer care from the employer perspective, across the continuum of prevention, care management, caregiving, and survivorship. The objective – to provide GPBCH members with employer-focused information and resources to help manage health and cost. Additional areas of discussion included specific tools developed with the needs of employers in mind, and also covers important topics such as genomics/personalized care, use of biosimilars, and how to identify high-quality providers.

PDF Presentations are available and can be accessed below:

• 9:00 – 9:30 | State of Cancer and Screening in the US: Natasha Coleman, Vice President, Community Impact, American Cancer Society (Click Here for Natasha Coleman’s Presentation)
• 9:30 – 10:20 | What employers need to know about Guideline-concordant care: James McCanney, Director, Business Development, National Comprehensive Cancer Network and Patrick Delaney, Executive Director, NCCN Foundation (Click Here for their combined presentation)
• 10:35 – 11:15 | Advancing the Care Delivery Model for Value: Andrew Chapman, Director, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Ronda Bowman, Senior Director, Certification Programs, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Stephen Grubbs, Vice President, Care Delivery, American Society of Clinical Oncology, and Bo Gamble, Director, Quality and Value, Community Oncology Alliance (Click Here for their combined presentation)
• 11:15 – 12:00 | Getting Employees to Great Care: Spencer Bradley, Cancer Study Group (Click Here for Spencer Bradley’s presentation) and Allen Terzian, President, Alliance Cancer Specialists (Click Here for Allen Terzian’s presentation)
• 12:45 – 1:45 | Implications of Technologic Innovation in Cancer Detection and Treatment: Victoria Raymond, Senior Director, Medical Affairs, Guardant (Click Here for Victoria Raymond’s presentation), Robert Baird, President, National Cancer Treatment Alliance (Click Here for Robert Baird’s presentation), and Kristy Pellicano, Biomarker Testing Specialist, Genentech
• 1:45 – 2:30 | Alternative models of payment: Bo Gamble, Director, Quality and Value, Community Oncology Alliance and Brian Bourbeau, Division Director, Practice Health Initiatives, American Society of Clinical Oncology (Click Here for their presentation)
• 2:45 – 4:00 | Putting it Together: Employer Strategies to Achieve Value: Karen van Caulil, President and CEO, Florida Alliance for Healthcare Value (Click Here for Karen van Caulil’s presentation) and Brian Kehan, Director, Benefits, Merck (Click Here for Brian Kehan’s presentation)

GPBCH welcomed back Mike Stull, Chief Strategy Officer for Employers Health, for an update on key trends shaping the pharmaceutical and PBM market, and implications for employer strategy and cost management. During the webinar, Mike’s discussion topics included:

• Current trends in pharmacy benefits management
• Innovative strategies for employers to consider
• Specialty drugs and cost management

During this program we also highlighted a Q&A segment with GPBCH employer member, Essity, around important questions employers should be asking their PBMs. This educational session provided insight to the latest pharmacy trends and focused on preparing you for your next PBM RFP.

The program was recorded and can be accessed here along with the PDF presentations.

Our annual legal update on the major legal and regulatory issues affecting employer-sponsored health plans, presented by Ed Leeds, Counsel in the Employee Benefits/Executive Compensation, Health Law, and Privacy and Data Security Practice Groups at Ballard Spahr, provided great detail as to what employers should anticipate moving forward.

Several topics that were discussed included:

• Consolidated Appropriations Act employer fiduciary obligations
• Transparency in Coverage implementation and regulatory oversight
• Status of EEOC guidance on wellness program incentives
• Expiration of COVID-19 emergency declarations
• Travel benefits in a post-Dobbs world
• Proposed rules on contraception coverage
• Continued turbulence surrounding “surprise billing” legislation
• Air ambulance reporting requirement
• Potential implications of final CMA RADV audit rules for Medicare Advantage plans

The program was recorded and can be accessed here along with their PDF presentations.

February is Heart Month, and this year the American Heart Association (AHA) is focusing on expanding CPR awareness and training. Each year, 350,000 Americans die from cardiac arrest. About 90 percent of people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital will die, but immediate CPR and AED intervention can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival. If you are called to give CPR in an emergency, you will most likely be trying to save the life of someone you know or love. So, AHA is challenging America with the task to Be the Beat for their family, friends, coworkers, and community. At the suggestion of the Employee Health and Well-being Interest Group, we arranged for Jennifer Litchman, Executive Director of our Regional AHA, and Jeff Salvatore, Community Program Director, Health Equity, to provide GPBCH members with an overview of CPR and AED training resources available to employers. Webinar attendees learned about the importance of CPR training for the workforce, options for providing training, including developing a worksite train-the-trainer program, educational kits available through the AHA, and other resources to help learn the latest in life-saving CPR technique.

The program was recorded and can be accessed here along with their PDF presentations.

With nearly 15% of working-age adults identified as current smokers, Ryan Coffman, Tobacco Policy and Control Manager for the City of Philadelphia, and Lauren Higgins, Managing Director for Client Success at the Truth Initiative, discussed how employers could implement an effective, evidence-based approach to smoking cessation.