Join us for our last program of the year, when we will spotlight key accomplishments in 2018 and share results of employer-relevant studies completed during the year. Registration and a networking breakfast will begin at 8am and the program will start promptly at 9am.

Presentations will focus on four topics:

• Migraine: More prevalent and more costly to employers than previously thought (results of GPBCH claims analysis funded by Amgen)
• Does the health of an employee’s community of residence influence their use of health services and total claims cost? (results of project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)
• National Diabetes Prevention Program: summary of GPBCH employer experience in addressing obesity and diabetes risk
• The Leapfrog Hospital Survey: are we moving the needle on hospital safety?

We’ll also preview our plans for 2019 and seek your input.

PDF Presentation:

Join us in an informal setting with other GPBCH employer members to discuss challenges, best practices, and trends on topics of your choice. Employers who have attended previous sessions found them very valuable. Please send me an email with particular topics you want to be included in the discussions.

An Employers Only Forum will also be scheduled in the Philadelphia Suburbs at a later date.

Our October GPBCH educational program will be focusing on how to manage mental health in the workplace. Our host for the event will be GPBCH Affiliate Member, Archetype Solutions Group located at 2124 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103. This program will provide attendees with broad ideas and specific innovative solutions to address mental health needs in the workforce.

An expert panel will include:

• Chetan Bagga, Managing Director of Archetype Solutions Group (moderator)
• Ryan Picarella, President of WELCOA
• Hazel Wheldon, CEO of Multi-Health Systems
• Jake Coniglio, CCO of Sibly
• Tom Tegler, President of WellWorksForYou

Program Agenda:

• 8:00 - 9:00 – Registration and Networking
• 9:00 - 10:30 – Panel
• 10:30 - 11:00 - Q&A/discussion
• 11:00 - 11:30 – Adjournment/Additional Networking and Discussion

In this webinar, presenters Kevin Fyock and Dan Dotzert of Willis Towers Watson will review Willis Towers Watson’s Health Care Financial Benchmarks Survey providing insight into key drivers in employer health plan spend and benchmarks plan performance. GPBCH employer members were invited to participate, and 10 did complete the 2018 survey. In this webinar, we’ll also review the aggregate findings for the GPBCH population in relation to benchmarks and discuss implications for the region’s employers, whether or not they participated in the survey.

Please be sure to login to the webinar 5 minutes prior to the event. You may use the following link to access the webinar: https://gpbch.webex.com/gpbch/onstage/g.php?MTID=e56724d53395601d574ea161de1797ccd

You will be prompted to provide your first/last names along with your email address before attending the webinar; a password is not required. The Dial-in phone number is +1-415-655-0002 and your Attendee ID number is provided after you login by clicking the “I Will Call-in” tab. The event number/access code is 663 021 082.

The theme of this year’s Annual Wellness Summit is “Best Practices for Engaging Consumers.” Dr. Kevin Volpp, Director of Penn’s Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics will kick off the day with a keynote presentation discussing “Behavioral Economics as a Guide to Consumer Engagement.” Subsequent sessions will address the role of price and quality transparency in engaging consumers in seeking high-value care, engaging consumers in the Choosing Wisely campaign to reduce use of low-value services, and the role of apps, trackers and other technologies in engaging and empowering consumers. During lunch, we’ll demo “The Hello Game” as a strategy to engage in discussions about care preferences, and the day will conclude with an employer round robin, where we ask attendees to reflect on the day’s presentations and discuss their successes and frustrations in seeking to engage consumers.

PDF Presentations:

• Kevin Volpp, MD, PhD - University of Pennsylvania: , , , and visit -
• Daniel Wolfson - ABIM Foundation:
• Al Charbonneau - Rhode Island Business Group on Health:
• Anand Iyer - WellDoc:
• Ofer Leidner - Happify Health:
• Rob Schwietzer - 98point6:
and visit for slide 8 video
• Hal Rosenbluth - New Ocean:
• John Rentz - Workforce Wellness Solutions:
• Rakesh Mathew - HSX MarketStreet:

Presenter: Jane Meier Hamilton, MSN, RN. Contact - O: 215-646-6177, C: 215-802-9341, or

A nurse for over 40 years, and a family caregiver for 20 years, Jane is the Founder of Partners on the Path, LLC, (www.PartnersonthePath.com), a certified Women’s Business Enterprise which provides caregiver support programs to businesses and non-profits, health-care and faith-based organizations. Jane has partnered with the non-profit Caregiver Action Network (www.caregiveraction.org), to create the Assisting Caregiving Employees (ACE) Program (http://www.workingfamilycaregivers.org/), a turn-key, online tool for promoting the well-being of working family caregivers. A content expert on managing caregiver stress, building resilience and preventing compassion fatigue, Jane has created research-based resources that help professional and family caregivers remain healthy and compassionate, effective and productive. Her book, The Caregiver’s Guide to Self-Care is available in print, 1-hour audio, and e-book formats.

PDF Presentation:

Did you know? Nearly 20% of all employees in your workplace have a “second-job.” That’s right, during “off-work” hours, they’re family caregivers, helping loved ones who are ill, disabled, elderly or special-needs children.

Providing this care for others is important, but isn’t easy. That’s especially true after a long day at work. Over time, giving care often takes a toll on health, finances, family and work-life.

Are you, or is someone you know a caregiver? Would you like to learn more about how to help employees stay healthy when juggling work and caregiving? Please join us for Caregivers in the Workplace, a lunchtime webinar for GPBCH members. During this 45-minute webinar, we’ll focus on three objectives:

• What you need to know about caregivers
• Why it matters if caregiving employees are stressed
• How best to support caregivers in the workplace

You’ll receive helpful handout materials and answers to your questions during the closing Q & A portion of the program.

As the cost for specialty pharmacy therapies for rare, chronic conditions continues to rise, balancing benefit designs and care coordination strategies is becoming more complex for employers.

To help you navigate these challenges, the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health, in conjunction with the National Hemophilia Foundation, invites you to attend Opportunities for Managing High-Cost Claimants. This meeting is open to employers, benefit consultants, and health plans and will demonstrate how you can maximize your health care brainpower to lower costs while ensuring your employees receive the quality care they require and deserve.

• PDF Presentation:
• Employer Fact Sheet:
• Cost Savings Worksheet:
• Copay Accumulator Handout:

We have lined up a GREAT agenda. Keynote speakers include Jim Klein, President of the American Benefits Council, discussing the impact of federal policy and politics on employers, and Dr. Jaan Sidorov, President of the Care-Centered Collaborative of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, discussing best practices for promoting high-quality primary care. Leapfrog Group President & CEO Leah Binder, the Healthcare Improvement Foundation and Capital Blue Cross will share advances on driving improvement in patient safety. Other sessions will focus on the latest advances in direct contracting from Boeing and other employers, and value-based pricing of pharmaceuticals from Aetna. We’ll also have presentations from regional and national employers who are demonstrating success in implementing innovative approaches to benefits management, and reversing or slowing cost trends. PLUS, we will recognize GPBCH employer and affiliate members for their successes with the Healthcare Innovation Award.

PDF Presentations:

• James Klein - American Benefits Council:
• Gaye Fortner - HealthCare 21 Business Coalition:
• Rosanne Braslow - Capital Blue Cross:
• Pam Braun - The Health Care Improvement Foundation:
• Michele Wentworth - The Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.):
• Jacquelyn Ajose - The City of Philadelphia:
• Ben Hackett - Accolade:
• Lynne Pyne - Vanguard: Presentation coming soon!
• Jaan Sidirov, MD - The Care Centered Collaborative at the Pennsylvania Medical Society:
• Annual Member Meeting Presentation:

Co-hosted by GPBCH and the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, the Delaware Employer Summit is being convened to discuss the challenges facing employers and the State of Delaware in lowering healthcare costs, improving healthcare quality and safety, and increasing the overall value of health benefits. Join us as we discuss the role of employers as change agents in helping to drive healthcare transformation in Delaware. We will discuss where we are, where we need to be, and how we can get there, working with providers, health plans, government, and other key stakeholders. For Summit highlights click here:

• PDF Presentation: Neil Goldfarb -
• PDF Presentation: Kara Odom Walker, MD -

Migraine is the third most prevalent chronic disease in the world. In the US, 12% of the population suffers from migraine, with prevalence greatest in working age women. Employers typically do not address migraine in their disease management strategies because it doesn’t show up in claims review as a significant cost driver. However, migraine is vastly under-diagnosed, and much of the economic impact is on indirect cost (lost productivity), especially presenteeism – employees showing up for work but not performing to their typical standard due poor health.

In this session, we’ll discuss the epidemiology and economics of migraine, and how workplace management programs can measure and address presenteeism for migraine and for other common chronic conditions that significantly impact productivity. Our speakers include:

• Wayne Burton, MD, Former Chief Medical Officer for American Express
• Maureen McCluskey Health/Wellness Disease Education Specialist
• Carole Mendoza, Executive Director of Benefits, Amgen

With a new generation of migraine prevention specialty drugs on the horizon, it’s crucial that employers and consultants take a fresh look at migraine as a prevalent chronic condition. This program is made possible through a sponsorship from Amgen.

• PDF Presentation:

At this GPBCH educational program hosted by Ballard Spahr you will learn the latest on changes to the ACA and related federal legislation and regulation, and what these changes mean to employer sponsored health plans and wellness program offerings. We’ll also take a look at fiduciary responsibility for ERISA plans, and best practices for vendor audits to ensure appropriate utilization and maximize recovery.

Speakers include: Edward Leeds, Counsel, Ballard Spahr; Phil Yannella, Co-Practice Leader, Privacy and Data Security Group, Ballard Spahr; Pieter van Hoeven, Principal, TFG Partners.

• PDF Presentation: Pieter van Hoeven (TFG Partners) & John Cratin (Consova) -
• PDF Presentation: Phil Yanella (Ballard Spahr) -
• PDF Presentation: Edward Leeds (Ballard Spahr) -

In an informal setting, get together with other employer members and GPBCH staff to discuss challenges, best practices, and trends on topics of your choice. Attend one or both sessions. Outlook invitations were sent. Contact Eric Croft with questions.

In this session, open to all GPBCH members, Mike Stull, Chief Marketing Officer for Employers Health, will review the latest trends in drug utilization and cost, and management practices. The session will cover:

• Market forces impacting pharmacy trend
• Strategies to manage specialty pharmacy
• Insights into transparent pricing models
• Changes in the supply chain affecting plan sponsors
• Benchmarking data to compare the performance of your plan

This program will immediately follow the April 12th Employers Only Forum in the same conference room. It will also be simultaneously broadcast as a live webinar for those who cannot join us in person.

• PDF Presentation: Mike Stull (Employer's Health) -
• Video Recording: Mike Stull (Employer's Health) -

In an informal setting, get together with other employer members and GPBCH staff to discuss challenges, best practices, and trends on topics of your choice. Attend one or both sessions. Outlook invitations were sent. Contact Eric Croft with questions.

Convene Conference Center, Commerce Square, 2001 Market Street, Suite 201, Philadelphia This program will examine Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, and Hemophilia as examples of relatively rare, but very high-cost, high-impact conditions. We’ll review the epidemiology and functional and economic impact of these conditions and discuss the employer’s role in supporting the employee (or dependent) with the condition, as well as best practices for ensuring that care is appropriate and that resources are being managed efficiently. Speakers will include Gina Ross Murdoch, President and CEO, Multiple Sclerosis Association of America, Erich Fasnacht, Vice President of Development, Multiple Sclerosis Association of America, Michelle Rice, Sr. VP, External Affairs, National Hemophilia Foundation, Holly Maddams, Executive Director, Arthritis Foundation of Eastern PA, and Lauren Ruffalo, Community Engagement Director, Arthritis Foundation of Eastern PA. Outlook invitations were sent. Contact Eric Croft with questions or to RSVP.

• PDF Presentations: Gina Ross Murdoch (MSAA) - , Michelle Rice (NHF) - , Holly Maddams (AF) -
• Video Recordings: Gina Ross Murdoch (MSAA) - , Michelle Rice (NHF) - , Holly Maddams (AF) -
• Concluding Remarks: Neil Goldfarb (GPBCH) -

With the US unemployment rate at its lowest in two decades, companies are looking for innovative ways to stand out in the race for talent. Offering a fertility benefit is quickly becoming one of the ways companies are differentiating their total rewards programs from the competition. In this presentation, you will learn: the prevalence, psychosocial and economic impact of infertility; market trends and how to stay competitive; unintended consequences of the conventional approach to fertility coverage; and best practices in implementing a fertility and family-building benefit to attract and retain talent, support diversity and inclusion, and the overall culture of health initiatives.

This webinar is sponsored by Progyny.

The Leadership Summits will feature sessions on Healthy Minds, Obesity, Caregiving, and Culture and Community. Experts and thought leaders from across the U.S. are on the agenda, including GPBCH CEO Neil Goldfarb, who will moderate a panel in the Obesity Summit – “National Diabetes Prevention Program - Learnings from the Front Line”- which includes Melissa Hohenberger, Health and Productivity Manager, VWR Scientific Products, a GPBCH employer member. The Caregiver Summit includes a panel – “Supporting Caregivers across the Spectrum” – featuring GPBCH Affiliate members Jane Hamilton and John Schall of Caregiver Action Network. GPBCH Consulting Medical Director Dr. Ray Fabius will speak at the Culture and Community Summit about an “Evidence Based Model for a Culture of Health and Performance”.

Start your day right with breakfast and a side of innovation! Connect with Philadelphia’s most progressive HR executives as we explore ways to maximize engagement of digital solutions and employer-sponsored health care programs.

Please join benefits leaders from top, local employers including Andy Rosa, Director HR, Benefits & Workforce Health, AmeriGas and John Lasky, CHRO, Temple University Health System, as well as leaders from Limeade, Livongo, Ovia Health, and Teladoc, as they discuss strategies to increase employee engagement, satisfaction, and well-being while reducing trend.

Agenda:

• 8:00 – 9:00 Networking Breakfast
• 9:00 – 10:00 Panel Discussions
• 10:00 – 11:00 Visit Healthcare Ecosystem Pavillion Stations

At this event, sponsored by Accolade and co-hosted by the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH), you'll learn more about Accolade’s integrated platform, connect with leaders transforming the healthcare experience and network with GPBCH’s members and leadership – all while enjoying breakfast in the heart of the City of Brotherly Love!

At our January program, we’ll examine the proliferating field of genomic testing and personalized medicine, and discuss how testing, when used appropriately, can help to potentially improve outcomes and lower net costs of care. After a general introduction of the subject, we’ll hear from vendors working in this space, including: Color Genomics, which offers genetic testing to identify risk; Genomic Health, which offers genomic tests to help guide selection of appropriate chemotherapy for oncology care; and Genomind, a company specializing in personalized medicine for mental healthcare (a fourth vendor in the maternity care space also has been invited). Through presentations and discussions we’ll consider whether, when, and how employers should cover genomic testing, and how to ensure appropriate use.

Thank you to Color Genomics, Genomind, and Genomic Health for their presentations. You may view the presentations below by logging into your GPBCH Member account.

• Color Genomics:
• Genomind:
• Genomic Health: