BENEFITS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

MINUTES OF MEETING

MAY 17, 2007

[In these minutes: Announcements, HealthPartners Plan Review]

[These minutes reflect discussion and debate at a meeting of a committee of the University Senate; none of the comments, conclusions, or actions reported in these minutes represent the view of, nor are they binding on the Senate, the Administration, or the Board of Regents.]

PRESENT: Gavin Watt (chair), Linda Aaker, William Roberts, Karen Wolterstorff, Jody Ebert, Jennifer Imsande, Rhonda Jennen, Jerremy Mlenar, Sandi Sherman, Don Cavalier, Joseph Jameson, Michael Marotteck, Carla Volkman-Lien, Peh Ng, Theodor Litman, Rodney Loper, Dann Chapman

REGRETS: George Green

ABSENT: Tina Falkner, Carl Anderson, Carol Carrier, Frank Cerra, Amos Deinard, Fred Morrison, Richard McGehee, Keith Dunder

OTHERS ATTENDING: Karen Chapin, Joyce Carlson, Nancy Fulton, Murray Harber, Jim Jorstad, Dan Kearney, Joe Kelly, Shirley Kuehn, Gladys McKenzie, Kathy Pouliot, Curt Swenson

GUESTS: HealthPartners representatives Greg Dahlgren, Sue Hoel and Dr. Thomas Von Sternberg

I). Gavin Watt called the meeting to order.

II). The following Employee Benefits’ announcements were made:

• Dann Chapman introduced Dan Kearney. Mr. Kearney, he noted, is a benefits specialist in the Employee Benefits Department.
• With respect to wellness, Murray Harber reported that:
• The Twin Cities Farmer’s Market will open in July and run through the end of September. The Duluth Farmer’s Market opened yesterday, Wednesday, May 16^th.
• Approximately 5,800 people completed the wellness assessment. Of the 5,800 people that did so, over 1,000 were spouses or same-sex domestic partners of employees.
• The 10,000 Steps Program will be kicked off again on June 1, 2007. Employees that have already completed this program are not eligible to receive another incentive payment for signing up again; however, those who have not previously participated in this program are eligible for the incentive payment upon completion of the program.
• Shirley Kuehn reported that Employee Benefits is finishing up processing payments on 2006 Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA). It is estimated that employees will forfeit approximately $17,000 - $18,000. Forfeited account balances are used to administer this program, which actually costs significantly more to operate than the forfeited amount.

III). Sue Hoel and Dr. Thomas Von Sternberg shared HealthPartners plan review highlights with committee members and noted the following:

• Several independent, objective review bodies have rated HealthPartners as one of the best health plans in the nation. According to eValue8, for the fourth year in a row, HealthPartners is the top health plan in Minnesota and a national benchmark for 6 out of 7 measures, which include consumer engagement, prevention and health promotion, chronic disease management, behavioral health management, provider measurement and pharmacy management. The seventh measure, health information technology, is in the process of being re-evaluated by eValue8. Depending on the outcome of this review, HealthPartners could be a national benchmark in all 7 areas.
• HealthPartners created a network specifically for the University, Classic Plus, to address the needs of University members across the different campuses. While Classic Plus is still a primary care model, no referrals are necessary for specialty care.
• HealthPartners has approximately 15,400 medical University of Minnesota members and slightly over 10,000 dental members.
• HealthPartners continues to focus on quality and performance so that the nation looks to HealthPartners for ideas on how to incent physicians to examine care from an outcome/evidence-based perspective. HealthPartners links physician financial reimbursement to outcomes.
• HealthPartners continues to show improvement in hypertension, cholesterol and diabetes care among others. Clinical outcomes are an essential component of performance.
• Regarding back pain, HealthPartners has put together a preferred provider network. Physicians in this network understand HealthPartners expectations in terms of criteria and pre-intervention approaches to care.
• HealthPartners believes that the more education and information that patients receive about outcomes, risks and benefits of care, it will help prevent unnecessary and ineffective care from occurring.
• HealthPartners continues to strive to improve overall care.
• HealthPartners has 30 convenient metro clinic locations.
• HealthPartners prides itself on the work it has been doing with respect to improving care for patients with chronic illnesses. Over the past few years, HealthPartners has been focusing its efforts on the ‘care model process’, which attempts to put more systematic structure into the entire patient experience.
• The HealthPartners Specialty Center Campus in St. Paul has nearly doubled in size in the past year. Thirty specialty clinics are housed on this campus.
• HealthPartners is emphasizing cultural competence. Race and language information is being collected on all patients. The goal is for HealthPartners to be able to meet the cultural and language needs of its patients.
• HealthPartners is able to do electronic visits (e-visits) with patients. ‘My Chart’ gives patients an electronic connection to their clinic and physician.
• HealthPartners has created a member-centric system, which has helped to create an integrated health care approach.
• HealthPartners promotes shared decision-making with its patients, e.g. Nurse Navigators.
• HealthPartners is currently revamping of its website to make it more user-friendly. The revamped site will be ready in time for open enrollment. Features of the new site were shared with members.
• Results of a satisfaction survey that was conducted last December indicate that 91% of University members were satisfied with HealthPartners. Most often members reported being satisfied with HealthPartners providers, the network, service/care, coverage, access and cost of the plan.
• There is a new approach to handling urgent care patients. Patients are now seen on a first come, first serve basis rather than having to make an appointment.

Questions/comments from members:

• Is it possible to take the bus to the Specialty Center Campus in St. Paul? Technically yes, but it is a challenge especially with all the construction noted Dr. Von Sternberg. Ms. Hoel stated that there is a free shuttle bus that patients can take that runs between Regions Hospital and the campus.
• Is there a co-pay for an e-visit? There is not a co-pay for an email exchange with a nurse, but there is a co-pay for an e-visit with a physician stated Dr. Von Sternberg.
• The e-visit system may eventually result in patients being unable to get face-to-face appointments with their physicians stated a concerned committee member. According to Dr. Von Sternberg, HealthPartners intention is to have e-visits complement the traditional face-to-face patient/physician appointments by giving patients increased access to physicians. Physician access continues to be a priority for HealthPartners.
• Can University HealthPartners members access Nurse Navigators? Yes, noted Ms. Hoel.
• Is it true that during an office visit a patient can only discuss one problem/concern with the physician? In terms of what can be realistically covered in an appointment with a physician, Dr. Von Sternberg stated that physicians will do their best to deal with as many concerns a patient has as possible. HealthPartners goal, from a medical group perspective, however, gives its physicians the support to limit the number of concerns that can reasonably be dealt with in one appointment. Ultimately, HealthPartners goal is to give its members access to the care they need. There are no guidelines in terms of the number of concerns that can be dealt with in a single appointment. A twenty-minute appointment is standard in the industry. Pre-visit planning on the part of both the physician and the patient is beneficial.
• Does HealthPartners have any advice to the University in terms of plan design ideas that could result in better health and service outcomes? Sue Hoel reported working with a handful of employers, e.g. Pitney Bowes, Marriott, who are intrigued with the benefit design whereby the goal is to increase compliance with certain maintenance drugs.
• How does HealthPartners communicate the many different patient formularies to its physicians? Dr. Von Sternberg noted that HealthPartners does electronic prescribing, which has safety and accuracy benefits. While having several advantages, this system does not feed to the physician the patient’s formulary. There is an inconvenience factor when it comes to having physicians take the time to access each patient’s formulary. Mr. Chapman stated that for the number of times during today’s presentation that HealthPartners claimed to be a “member-centric” organization, the fact that it is inconvenient for a physician to access a different website to obtain a patient’s formulary information is somewhat disconcerting. Ms. Hoel acknowledged Mr. Chapman’s frustration around this issue and noted that, unfortunately, the health plan does not have control over what providers will and will not do.
• Does HealthPartners have a lot of physician turnover? Ms. Hoel estimated that turnover is at about 4%, which is below the national average. In addition, she added that HealthPartners is not anticipating any clinic closures.
• Is it good business for employers to give employees health club discounts? HealthPartners did a study, which will continue longer to get more reliable data noted Ms. Hoel. With this said, results of this study indicated that offering health club discounts was a breakeven benefit for employers.
• Is HealthPartners exploring opening another clinic in Minneapolis to replace the Calhoun Square Clinic that closed awhile back? Not at this time reported Ms. Hoel and Dr. Von Sternberg.
• HealthPartners has a dental scheduling problem, which does not allow patients to schedule appointments 6 months or more in advance. Ms. Hoel stated that she was aware of this issue and will follow-up to find out why and report back.

Gavin Watt thanked HealthPartners representatives Greg Dahlgren, Sue Hoel and Dr. Thomas Von Sternberg for their presentation. He also thanked BAC member, Carla Volkman Lien, for collecting UPlan member’s comments on HealthPartners.

IV). Hearing no further business, Gavin Watt adjourned the meeting.

Renee Dempsey

University Senate