The COVID-19 pandemic has once again reminded us of the significant health consequences of obesity, and the importance of helping employees achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Angela Fitch, MD, Associate Director of the Weight Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, and faculty member at Harvard Medical School, shared her thoughts on medical management of obesity. Dr. Fitch discussed growing recognition that obesity is a serious medical disease, driven largely by genes and biology, and explained why diets and lifestyle modification don’t work for everyone. Dr. Fitch also offered her thoughts on how employers can implement comprehensive strategies to address obesity.

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As several pharmaceutical manufacturers appear to be crossing the finish line in developing vaccines for COVID-19, many questions are arising about how vaccines are developed, how safety and effectiveness are confirmed, what the timetable is for FDA approval and for mass production and distribution, and what the employer’s role will be in the various stages of dissemination and vaccination. This webinar included a presentation from Arsalan Kahn, PharmD, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson on the vaccine development and testing process. We then held a panel discussion addressing employer strategy which included Dr. Kahn, David Swerdlow, COVID vaccine Global Medical Lead at Pfizer; and Amber Tirmal, MPH, Immunization Program Manager for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

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Keynote speaker, retired Navy Vice Admiral Raquel C. Bono, former director of the Defense Health Agency and COVID-19 recovery lead in Washington state, will discuss what she has learned about hospital preparedness in a public health emergency and the implications for patient safety. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2020-leapfrog-group-virtual-annual-meeting-tickets-122725365873.

Our presenter, Quinn Dufurrena, DDS, JD, is the Chief Dental Officer of United Concordia Companies, Inc. With more than 30 years of clinical and management experience, Dr. Dufurrena is responsible for providing clinical oversight of United Concordia’s quality assurance/grievance, utilization review/special investigations unit, dental directors/dentist advisors, and dental policy.

During this webinar, we learned:

• How the combination of the novel coronavirus, artificial intelligence and medical/dental integration has created a new normal for dentistry
• Why employees and their families, especially those with comorbidities, should not delay dental care during the pandemic

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GPBCH has been partnering with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, the Health Promotion Council, and MedWorks to promote Walk With Ease, a low-cost, self-guided program designed by the Arthritis Foundation to increase physical activity and health in more sedentary populations. Resources for Human Development (RHD) was the first GPBCH employer member to implement the program. Over 200 employees completed the program. In this educational webinar, we recapped the Walk With Ease program features, discussed implementation options, and presented the very positive results achieved by RHD. Speakers included: Neil Goldfarb, President and CEO, GPBCH, Gina Trignani, Director, Training and Capacity Building, Health Promotion Council, Art Taft, Managing Partner, MedWorks, and Teneka Williams, Benefits Director, Resources for Human Development.

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Be sure to register today for the National Alliance’s 2020 Virtual Annual Forum! This event brings together over 400 people from across the country (employers, coalition leaders, and other healthcare stakeholders) to learn and network with one another and discover effective approaches to managing their overall healthcare strategy. Complimentary registrations are available for GPBCH employer members. Contact Eric Croft (ecroft@gpbch.org) for details. To view the conference speakers, agenda and register, click here: https://nationalalliancehealth.swoogo.com/2020annualforum/549707.

Employees are relying on their employers to be a resource as they work remote, are faced with stress and anxiety, and learning to navigate new ways to access care, like virtual health. In this webinar, Cerner Chief Medical Officer David Nill, MD will discuss how organizations can plan for employees who are returning to work, execute testing and vaccination strategies, address delays in care and navigate the future of virtual health care. You’ll also hear about Cerner’s approach and results with its own workforce.

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Co-sponsored by the Central Penn Business Group on Health, the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health, the Lehigh Valley Business Coalition on Health and the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health, this program provided information about the new Pennsylvania State Health Insurance Exchange for individuals seeking to buy health insurance for the 2021 plan year.

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Multiple Sclerosis is increasingly prevalent in the workforce, and a recent study showed that the population prevalence was much higher than was previously believed. In this webinar we'll review the epidemiology and economics of MS and discuss practical strategies for employers to consider in order to support workers who have MS or serve as care partners for people with MS, and to manage productivity, disability, and costs of care. The webinar will include a case study from a large employer and one of their employees with MS.

Speakers include:

• Gina Murdoch, President and CEO, Multiple Sclerosis Association of America
• Ron Lachell, Vice President & Process Improvement Director and President of Enable ERG, PNC
• Mike Hoffman, Senior Wealth Advisor, First Commonwealth Bank

PDF Presentation: Also, for more information check out the case study report, "".

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The GPBCH 2020 Annual Conference, “Driving Toward Value: The Employer Roadmap”, was held September 22, 23, 24, 2:00pm-4:30pm each day. Local and national experts spoke on topics about health policy, high deductible health plans, building cultures of well-being, driving waste from medical and pharma spend, hospital quality and safety, and impact of climate change on employers. HRCI and CEBS credits were made available. Contact Eric Croft (Ecroft@gpbch.org) with questions.

Conference Materials:

For our 2020 Virtual Annual Conference, we produced a Program Guide where you will find the conference agenda, speaker bios, and conference sponsor listings. Please be sure to take a moment to review the sponsor listings section.

DAY 1 Presentations & Recording:

• Welcome and Introductory Remarks - Neil Goldfarb, President and CEO, GPBCH:
• What Does a Turbulent Health Policy Environment Mean for Employers? - James Gelfand, Senior Vice President, Health Policy, The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC):
• Emerging Evidence on High Deductible Health Plans: What’s an Employer to Do? Paul Fronstin, Ph.D., Director, Health Research and Education Program, Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI):
• . Due to technical issues, we suggest you begin at minute 1:09 and skip minutes 46:55 – 54:40.

DAY 2 Presentations & Recording:

• Welcome and Reconvening - Jill Hutt, Vice President of Member Services, GPBCH:
• Building Cultures of Well-being in the Age of COVID-19 - Ray Fabius, M.D., Co-Founder/President, HealthNEXT; Consulting Medical Director, GPBCH: , Cathryn Gunther, Vice President, Global Population Health at Merck & Co Inc: , and Karen Personett, Manager of Wellness & Health Promotion at DTE Energy:
• Driving Waste from Your Medical and Pharmacy Benefits Spend - Lauren Vela, MBA, Senior Director, Pacific Business Group on Health:

DAY 3 Presentations & Recording:

• Welcome and Reconvening - Neil Goldfarb, President and CEO, GPBCH:
• Putting Hospital Quality and Safety Data to Work for Your Workforce - Jill Berger, Director, Employer and Payor Engagement, The Leapfrog Group, The Leapfrog Group (Moderator): , Jason Parrott, Senior Manager, Global Healthcare and Well-being Strategy, Boeing, Samuel Peik, MD, Corporate Medical Director, Comcast NBCUniversal, and Aaron Schrader, Human Resources Manager, State of Delaware:
• Stormy Weather Ahead: Impact of Climate Change on Employers - Mark Goldberg, CEO, The Climate Institute:

Did you know?

• Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States (U.S.)
• 250,000-440,000 people are estimated to die in the U.S. each year from medical errors
• Only 34% of Americans had heard of medical error and could actually identify the common definition of the term, according to an April, 2020 Patient Safety Movement Foundation survey

In this era of heightened concern about safety and in advance of World Patient Safety Day on September 17th, GPBCH is presenting a webinar on September 1st, 12:00pm-1:00pm, on “How to Lower Your Risk of Receiving Harmful Health Care”. Presented by GPBCH President and CEO Neil Goldfarb, the session will include a range of resources to help consumers identify care providers who deliver higher-quality care, and engage in more effective conversations with providers. Highlighted tools include the Leapfrog Hospital Survey and Hospital Safety Grade, CMS’ Compare websites for hospitals, physicians and nursing homes, the Choosing Wisely Campaign to reduce unnecessary care, and the Joint Commission’s Speak Up Campaign.

GPBCH employer members also can request a customized version of this session to offer to their employees, or can share a recorded version of the session, so be sure to check it out on September 1st.

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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 and WebEx information.

The EX Program by Truth Initiative, built in partnership with Mayo Clinic, offers digital support through live chat coaching, tailored text messaging, the largest active online community, and more to help more tobacco users quit for good, which is especially important right now. The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 attacks the lungs, and could be a particularly serious threat to tobacco users, both smokers and vapers.

In this webinar, we learned about the high costs of nicotine addiction on your organization and employees. We also heard new research on the surprising impact of vaping on your workforce—even if just a few employees vape. And finally, we saw how the EX Program works to help your organization inspire more tobacco-free lives, and find out what's involved in making the program available to your workforce.

The EX Program has demonstrated high rates of user engagement and a 34% long-term quit rate. GPBCH members receive a negotiated discount program rate to offer the EX Program to employees. To learn more about this program and see if it fits with your organization please contact Jenn Gendron, Head of Development, Innovations, Truth Initiative (jgendron@truthinitiative.org) and/or Lauren Higgins, Managing Director, Partnerships & Strategic Accounts, Innovations, Truth Initiative (lhiggins@truthinitiative.org).

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Multiple Sclerosis is increasingly prevalent in the workforce, and a recent study showed that the population prevalence was much higher than was previously believed. In this webinar, we'll review the epidemiology and economics of MS and discuss practical strategies for employers to consider in order to support workers who have MS or serve as care partners for people with MS, and to manage productivity, disability, and costs of care. The webinar will include a case study from a large employer, and one of their employees with MS.

Speakers include:

• Gina Murdoch, President and CEO, Multiple Sclerosis Association of America
• Ron Lachell, Vice President & Process Improvement Director and President of Enable ERG, PNC
• Mike Hoffman, Senior Wealth Advisor, First Commonwealth Bank

Increasingly, concerns are being raised that the ongoing pandemic has not only curbed consumer demand for elective procedures, but also reduced care-seeking for important preventive, acute care, and chronic disease management services. In this webinar, our panel of clinical experts will discuss what is known about changing patterns of care-seeking, potential short and long term impacts on health outcomes and costs of care, and what employers can do to monitor utilization data, and to promote "return to care" for high-value services such as immunizations, cancer screenings, and diabetes care. Our speakers will include:

• Mark Angelo, MD, MHA, FACP, Interim CEO and President, Delaware Valley ACO:
• Abbie Leibowitz, MD, FAAP, Executive VP, Chief Medical Officer, and Cofounder, HealthAdvocate:
• Ray Fabius, MD, Co-Founder and Vice Chairman, HealthNEXT, Consulting Medical Director, GPBCH:

Click HERE for a video recording of the webinar.

In this program, we heard hear from a leading physician and actuarial teams on the current and future financial/human impact of COVID-19 on employer sponsored health plans.

Our speakers included:

• Dr. Neal Mills, Chief Medical Officer, Aon
• Bob Tate, Senior Vice President, Aon
• Mark Scarafone, Senior Vice President, Aon

Please contact Eric Croft (Ecroft@gpbch.org) with questions.

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Employers often struggle with getting too much data from their health plans, consultants, and vendors, and/or not enough meaningful or actionable data. In this webinar, viewers gained a basic understanding of:

• How to define unique value
• How to create a list of objective and comprehensive measures
• Data sources and interpretative considerations
• How to present data that makes the “so what? And “now what?” evident
• Examples were be shared to further make objectives and processes relevant

Our guest speaker was Leah Malof, Principal in Mercer's Data, Technology and Analytics practice. Leah brings practicality to her consulting, engaging all influential parties within the health care ecosystem toward common goals that center around her clients. She has more than 30 years of experience within the health care industry.

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The virtual National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalition Leadership Summits 2020 was a success! This event showcased unique, actionable solutions to addressing today's toughest challenges and offered exclusive opportunities to learn from distinguished subject-matter experts. David Blumenthal, MD, President of The Commonwealth Fund, offered the keynote address: Getting Back to Business in the COVID-19 Era.

Copies of the presentations program book are available for attendees by following: https://nationalalliancehealth.swoogo.com/2020LeadershipSummits

During the meeting we discussed accomplishments over the past year, plans for the coming year, and Coalition finance and administration. We also addressed how we are adapting educational programming and project activities to the COVID-19 environment. If you would like to access the recording

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Dr. Ray Fabius, GPBCH's Consulting Medical Director, provided updates on topics including: advancing knowledge about the virus, preventing its spread, and treatment; best practices for return to work planning; and effectiveness of masks in reducing spread.

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In partnership with the Health Care Improvement Foundation, the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health hosted this webinar for members to learn more about efforts in Philadelphia to address COVID-19. Attendees heard about what the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, HealthShare Exchange (our regional health information organization), and two of our largest provider organizations -- Temple and Jefferson -- are facing and doing in response to the pandemic. Featured speakers included:

• Steven Alles, MD, MS, MFA, Director, Division of Disease Control, Philadelphia Department of Public Health
• Bill Marella, Director, Data Analytics and Quality, HealthShare Exchange
• Jonathan Gleason, MD, Chief Quality Officer and Executive Vice President, Jefferson Health
• Tony Reed, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer, Temple University Hospital

PDF Presentation:

• HealthShare Exchange -

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During our May 7th webinar, we examined employer considerations in managing musculoskeletal health. Our three presentations and presenters were:

• Data driven approaches to managing MSK health, Pam Owen, Principal, Health & Productivity Consultant, Buck
• Clinical and financial benefits of worksite therapy, Jeanne Griffin, Principal, National Health Intelligence Practice Lead, Buck
• Advancing musculoskeletal health strategy: lessons from COVID-19, Mark Mulray, Vice President, HealthWell Solutions

PDF Presentations:

• Buck -
• Healthwell Solutions -

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Large employers are battling rising healthcare costs and dangerous gaps in the quality of care. Todd Wilkinson, Regional Sales Lead, Healthcare Bluebook & Stephanie Capaccio, Director, People Team Operations, Wawa, discussed the challenge of engaging thousands of members across multiple locations with a transparency tool designed to improve care, curb upward trend, and reduce employee out-of-pocket spending by teaching benefit plan members to become smarter healthcare consumers.

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Based on the popularity of our recent COVID-19 webinars with Dr. Ray Fabius, GPBCH's Consulting Medical Director, and Brian Pedrow, Brian Pinheiro, and Ed Leeds of Ballard Spahr, we invited these experts back to answer your questions about the latest advances in clinical knowledge, population health strategy, and managing the legal/regulatory environment.

Attendees were asked to e-mail Neil (ngoldfarb@gpbch.org) their questions in advance.

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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 and WebEx information.

The GPBCH member webinar focused on the rapidly evolving legal environment regarding paid leave and employee benefits resulting from the current pandemic. Our featured speakers from Ballard Spahr included:

• Brian Pinheiro, Practice Leader, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation
• Brian Pedrow, Practice Leader, Labor and Employment Group
• Ed Leeds, Counsel,Employee Benefits/Executive Compensation, Health Law, and Privacy and Data Security Practice Groups

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We recently learned of a new tool, COVID-19 Medical Brain, that may be of help to employers in triaging and tracking employees during the pandemic. We provided an impromptu webinar, March 26th, for those who would like to learn more.

The COVID-19 Medical Brain provides:

• Complete real-time picture of each employee’s Covid-19 symptoms and exposure
• Guided chats to easily capture information – real-time and on-demand
• Ongoing chats for monitoring with updates and changes
• Navigation for action - testing and/or medical care, according to guidelines
• Company command center with real-time feeds for complete view of employee status

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Special thanks to Wendy Nickel, Vice President of Prevention at the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, for joining us for a GPBCH webinar on The Employer’s Role in Preventing Colorectal Cancer. Wendy will reviewed the epidemiology and economics of colorectal cancer, and discussed employer strategies to improve screening rates along with an employer case study.

PDF Presentations:

• Wendy Nickel, Vice President of Prevention at the Colorectal Cancer Alliance:

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GPBCH welcomes back Mike Stull, MBA, 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. We’ll also hear from Jeff Green, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy, and Evan Coglizer, Strategic Account Executive, both from Rx Savings Solutions, about pharmacy cost management strategies to benefit employers, support employees, and improve adherence. Mark your calendars!

PDF Presentations:

• Mike Stull, MBA, Chief Strategy Officer for Employers Health:
• Jeff Green, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy, and Evan Coglizer, Strategic Account Executive, of Rx Savings Solutions:

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In response to employer questions and concerns regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19), Dr. Ray Fabius, GPBCH's Consulting Medical Director, provided an impromptu webinar on this topic. Among his many credentials in employee and population health Dr. Fabius was Chief Medical Officer for GE during the SARS outbreak and had to manage the company's global response. On the webinar, he reviewed basic virology, discussed containment strategies, and recommended best practices for corporate response.

PDF Presentations:

• Dr. Ray Fabius, GPBCH's Consulting Medical Director:

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In response to member requests for more information on how to move beyond traditional approaches such as offering an EAP, GPBCH partnered with Archetype Solutions Group and HealthWell Solutions to spotlight new resources, especially digital solutions, to support workforce mental health.

At our February 25th program we provided an overview of the impact of mental health on employers and solutions, with presentations and panel discussion with several of the most promising innovative service vendors, including Credible Mind, Joyable, Lyra Health, MeQuilibrium, NeuroFlow, and Wisdom Labs. We also distributed the first edition of the .

PDF Presentations:

• Scott Dahl, CredibleMind:
• Jerry Jarvis, Joyable/AbleTo:
• Sally Smith, Lyra Health:
• Alanna Fincke, meQuilibrium:
• Adam Pardes, NeuroFlow:
• Parneet Pal, WisdomLabs:

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The Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health is partnering with the American Medical Association and the Jefferson College of Population Health to prevent diabetes in our region and nationally. The CDC's National Diabetes Prevention Program is a proven, highly-cost effective, evidence-based strategy that can be implemented with minimal effort, and can have huge results.

PDF Presentations:

• Dr. Neha Sachdev, Director of Health System Relationships, American Medical Association:
• Shannon Haffey, Director of Systems and Payer Strategies, American Medical Association:
• Krista Yoder Latortue, Executive Director, Family Food:
• Megan Mulka, AVP, Total Rewards, Lincoln Financial Group:

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We hope that you can join us for our January 14th, 2020 program, On-Site and Near-Site Clinics Educational Forum and Expo. We are working with the National Association of Worksite Health Centers on this half-day, morning program to highlight employer experiences and best practices in implementing on-site and near-site clinics and related strategies to bolster high-quality, continuous primary care.

Review the PDF Presentations below:

PDF Presentations:

• Larry Boress, Executive Director, NAWHC:
• Joe Kasztejna, VP of Business Development, Crossover Health:
• Mason Reiner, Co-Founder and CEO, R-Health:
• Ed Schwartz, MD, Chief Medical Officer, CareHere:
• Justin Joffe, CEO and Founder, Henry the Dentist:
• Flip Steinour, Assist. to the Executive Director/Chief Operations Officer, Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13:
• Jessica Bergey, Director of HR Operations, Clemens Food Group:
• Tine Hansen-Turton, CEO, Woods Services:

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