We hope you can join us for the last program of 2019 where we will spotlight GPBCH accomplishments, products, and projects we’ve been working on throughout the year, and preview and seek member input on the 2020 agenda. We also will distribute copies of the 2019 Annual Report. Registration and a networking breakfast will begin at 8:30am and the program will start promptly at 9:00am.

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The GPBCH Annual Wellness Summit addressed the growing body of evidence that social determinants of health such as financial well-being, social activity, health literacy, community health, housing, and access to healthy food options affect workforce health, well-being and costs. Presentations emphasized how employers can address social determinants in their health & well-being program offerings.

Review the PDF Presentations below:

PDF Presentations:

• Mary Jane Osmick, MD, Population Health and Social Determinants of Health Consultant:
• Cheryl Bettigole, MD, Director, Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Philadelphia Department of Public Health:
• Martha Romney, JD, RN, MPH, Associate Professor, Jefferson College of Population Health:
• Stephen Linder, PhD, University of Texas School of Public Health:
• Diana Harris, PhD, Research Scientist, The Research & Evaluation Group at PHMC:
• Jeremy Nobel, MD, MPH, Founder, The UnLonely Project; Faculty, Harvard Medical School:
• Susan Cosgrove, MPA, Director, Health Literacy, Health Care Improvement Foundation:
• David B. Muhlestein, PhD, JD, Chief Research Officer, Leavitt Partners:
• Jeanne Griffin, RN, MPH, Principal, Health Intelligence Practice Lead, Buck:
• Jessica Wyckoff, Deputy Director, Programs, Philabundance:

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At this program, we discussed GPBCH's diabetes initiative and the potential for a new member interest group, and how it relates to the Cities Changing Diabetes initiative now launching in Philadelphia. We also distributed copies of the new GPBCH employer resource guide on diabetes management and heard from selected vendors featured in the guide.

PDF Presentations:

• Introduction:
• Livongo:
• One Drop:
• Virta Health:
• Roche Diabetes:
• Welldoc:

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Employers are invited to join us in an informal setting to discuss challenges, best practices, and trends on topics of your choice. Contact Eric Croft (ecroft@gpbch.org) with questions.

The theme of the 2019 Annual Conference was "Moving Toward a 2020 Vision of Health Benefits Best Practices".

PDF Presentations:

• Stuart Clark, Managing Director, The Advisory Board Company:
• Roger Francoline, Executive Vice President, Remedy Partners:
• Karen van Caulil, President and CEO, Florida Health for Healthcare Value:
• Jill Personett, Senior Director, Benefit Design & Strategy, Comcast
• George Murphy, Vice President, Total Rewards, Lincoln Financial Group
• Kate Farley, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Employee Benefits Trust Fund
• David Blumenthal, MD, President, The Commonwealth Fund:
• Bill Green, CEO, Homestead Smart Health Plans:
• Dave Kelleher, Past President and CEO, Employers Forum of Indiana:
• John George, Senior Reporter, Philadelphia Business Journal
• Maiken Scott, Host and Creative Director of The Pulse, WHYY
• Charlotte Sutton, Health and Science Editor, Philadelphia Inquirer
• Melissa Hutchinson, System Director, Employee Benefits, Main Line Health System:
• Lynn Haney, Manager, Benefits, AmeriGas:
• John Tate, Director, Transportation/Mental Health Diplomat, Johnson & Johnson
• Peter M. Shubiak, Executive Vice President/Chief Culture and Integration Officer (CCIO), Woods Services:

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Like most employers, American Airlines was struggling with the effect of obesity and its related health conditions on their employee population. Tim Church, MD, MPH, PhD, Chief Medical Officer at Naturally Slim, and Susan Campbell, Wellness Strategy Leader at American Airlines, discussed how building healthy habits, and learning when and how to eat, instead of what to eat, has helped American Airline employees not only improve their health but boost their overall quality of life. Dr. Church discussed the clinical evidence behind behavioral counseling as the most effective means for reversing metabolic syndrome and reducing diabetes risk. Susan Campbell, PhD, explained how American Airlines addressed this complex issue using a simple concept guided by behavioral science to generate significant clinical outcomes.

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GPBCH, in partnership with the Health Care Improvement Foundation and WHYY, scheduled a screening of the patient safety documentary To Err Is Human. 1.7 million Americans experience a preventable mistake during care, and these errors lead to as many as 440,000 deaths annually. To Err is Human takes an in-depth look at this silent epidemic and those working behind the scenes to create a new age of patient safety.

Following the screening of the one-hour film, a stakeholder panel, moderated by Maiken Scott, Host and Creative Director of The Pulse, WHYY, reflected on the documentary’s content, and how local efforts can enhance efforts to improve patient safety. If you would like to view the film, please visit the .

To view the program Introduction and Panel discussions please click on the links below.

Introduction Recording: & Panel Discussion Recording:

On March 26th, GPBCH convened a small group education program and discussion on umbilical cord blood and tissue harvesting and storage as a potential voluntary employee benefit offering. The meeting sponsor, ViaCord, a division of PerkinElmer, presented an overview of the emerging science on stem cell therapy, including new treatment for diseases such as cerebral palsy and autism. A select group of employer and benefit consultant members of GPBCH attended the presentation and offered their thoughts on how ViaCord could structure a family benefit offering that would appeal to millennials. To learn more, contact Neil Goldfarb.

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In this webinar, we celebrated National Nutrition Month during the month of March by learning which work-based nutrition interventions are most effective and have the greatest ROI for companies, including evidence-based methods for increasing participation rates.

GPBCH Affiliate Member, Family Food Corporate Wellness Nutrition, led the discussion by Executive Director and registered dietitian, Krista Yoder Latortue, MPH, RD, PMP, PBA, FAND, and included case studies presented by Faith Simmons, MS, CHES, Corporate Wellness Coordinator at Holman Enterprises and Joseph Kolakowski, CEBS, CBP, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, ChFC, CLU, Director of Benefits at Community College of Philadelphia.

PDF Presentation: and

Primary Care continues to be viewed as the keystone for achieving quality and value in healthcare and health benefits management. In this program, through individual presentations and panel discussion, we’ll look at the latest evidence of the impact of high-quality primary care on population health, explore different modes of driving consumer access to the primary care system, and identify best practices for employers in promoting, paying for, and measuring the impact of primary care.

Speakers include:

• Jed Constantz, DBA, Healthcare Strategy Consultant, Member Primary Care Innovators Network (session moderator):
• Dawn Tice, RN, BSN MS-HA, Division Vice President, Clinic Operations, Main Line Health/DVACO:
• Mason Reiner, Co-founder and CEO, R-Health:
• Steve Rainstein, VP, National Sales Leader, 98point6:
• Lee Buttz, MD, Vice President, Utilization Management and Care Coordination, Tandigm Health:
• Clay Elder, Senior Vice President, Strategy, Premise Health:

To review the recording, please use the following link. The audio is choppy so be sure to turn your volume up.

In preparation for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March, Wendy Nickel, Vice President of Prevention at the Colorectal Cancer Alliance offered our members a webinar focused on how you can improve colorectal cancer screening in your workforce.

This webinar reviewed the epidemiology and economics of colorectal cancer, benefits of screening and early detection, and strategies that employers can implement to raise awareness and improve screening rates. Kim Newcomer, a cancer survivor, and Barb Colaizzi, an employer who has implemented a colorectal cancer screening initiative, presented as well.

PDF Presentation: and

GPBCH, in partnership with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, MedWorks, and the Health Promotion Council, is launching an initiative to help employers offer the “Walk With Ease” CDC-endorsed evidence-based program from the Arthritis Foundation to their work force. Walk With Ease is a low-cost, highly-effective intervention shown to lower pain and improve function, with implications for improved workplace safety and productivity.

In this webinar, Art Taft and Chris Lovell from MedWorks provided an overview of the widespread presence of arthritis and related conditions in the older workforce, how these conditions impact on function, cost, and productivity loss, and how the Walk With Ease program has been shown to significantly improve outcomes. We also reviewed the costs and logistics for GPBCH members who are interested in implementing the program.

PDF Presentation: and

Employers are invited to join us in an informal setting to discuss challenges, best practices, and trends on topics of your choice. Contact Eric Croft (ecroft@gpbch.org) with questions.

The speakers for the day included: Brenda Motheral, BPharm, MBA, PhD, CEO and Co-Founder, Archimedes, Heather Sundar, PharmD, Senior VP, Consulting and Employer Solutions, Archimedes, and Robin Kahn, Associate Director, Employer Marketing, Abbvie.

A brief overview of the morning agenda:

Part 1: The Big Picture: Specialty Drugs and Your Benefit Plan – A Call to Action, Brenda Motheral

Part 2: Going Deeper: Specialty Drugs and Biosimilars – What You Need to Do Now, Heather Sundar

Part 3: Co-Pay Accumulators – What Are They and How Could They Impact Adherence? Robin Kahn, Abbvie

PDF Presentations: