Chris Skisak's guest appearances

Chris Skisak

Relentless Health Value™

The #HCBiz Show!

Jim Rickards

David Smith

Brian Mack

Kelly Thompson

Sean O'Malley

Eric Topol

Vivian Lee

Henry Ford

Kelly Reynolds

JON MCBRIDE

Dave Chase

John Gorman

Matt Fisher

Paul Jones

Travis Moore

OwlTail

Gloria Sachdev

If you go to the Sage Transparency dashboard Web site, you get a really graphical representation of the prices that any given hospital actually needs to charge so that they break even. You can see precisely which hospitals are operating on thin margins and which ones are not. You might be thinking, “Okay, so ... what’s the big deal about this? Why is the Sage Transparency information so meaningful? Aren’t hospitals (most of them) providing their financial statements already?” Well, let’s discuss. First of all, we have the main hospital lobbying organization coming out with press releases such as this one saying (here’s some quotes): “Hospitals have incurred serious losses …” “The vast majority of America’s hospitals [are] in serious financial jeopardy …” Combine quotes like these (and there are many) with some of the funny stuff going on in some (not all) hospital financial reporting—like counting investment losses from their venture funds, not counting endowments or their big trusts in the math, paying C-suites way more than the average doctor or worker, or all of the varied things that get counted or overcounted as charity care or community benefit—yeah, these hospital balance sheets are too often as much of a PR campaign as the PR campaigns. When you dig into them, you find some very wealthy organizations dressing up in Tiny Tim Cratchit pants and leaning on a crutch … at least whenever the cameras are rolling. So, where are patients in all of this? Chris Deacon linked to a Qualtrics study recently. It seems that in 2020, 48% of people deferred care as a result of the pandemic. In 2022, 43% deferred care because of cost—48% from the pandemic, 43% deferred due to cost this past year … wow! There are patients saying, “Hey, I have this giant thing growing on my arm. Is it melanoma? I don’t know, but I do know if I go to the doctor, I’ll be $600 in the hole … so I’ll wait.” It doesn’t matter how many medical advancements are made when almost half of the patients are making decisions like this, including patients with so-called “good” insurance. Look, no one would or is arguing that hospitals aren’t vital. They are essential. Hospitals can be amazing places where lives get saved. Amazing doctors and clinicians work in hospitals. But putting everything I just said together, let me summarize a textbook hospital chain one-two punch. The halo effect many hospitals enjoy is massive, and those administrators who choose to can take advantage of that halo for financial gain. When hospitals’ administrators cannot manage to curtail their own spending and then demand that their communities foot the bills, then the good that a hospital can do starts to go bad. If you are a legislator, you might want to be paying attention to all of this. And when I say might be wanting to pay attention, I mean pretty much you want to be paying attention to all of this. With all of the data that is now available to especially more sophisticated employers, some companies are not building offices or plants in areas which are known to have healthcare prices that are multiples over what they should be. That might be in your legislative district or state. Healthcare prices can be the largest cost for employers after payroll. Starbucks famously spends more on healthcare than they do on coffee beans. Nearly 8 of 10 employers considered healthcare costs a significant threat to affordability. So, too high hospital prices are a community problem at the chamber of commerce as well as at the family and the patient level. After you listen to this show, go back and listen to the one last week with Mike Thompson (EP389) if you haven’t already. It adds some context that you might want to have. Also stay tuned for a show coming up where we talk about just all of the anticompetitive stuff that some of these hospital system administrators have decided to subject their communities to. In this healthcare podcast, I have two titans of employer coalition building on the episode. Gloria Sachdev from the Employers’ Forum of Indiana, who was instrumental in standing up the Sage Transparency dashboard that we talked about last week and we’ll discuss a little bit more this week. Gloria is a pharmacist, which I did not know. She also sits on the board for the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchasers Coalition and Hoosiers for Affordable Healthcare. Also on the show is the one and only Chris Skisak, who leads the Houston Business Coalition on Health. He also speaks for the state of Texas through his role with Texas Employers for Affordable Healthcare. You can learn more at txeahc.org and houstonbch.org. You can also check out the Employers’ Forum of Indiana Web site as well as sagetransparency.com. Gloria Sachdev, PharmD, serves as president, CEO, and board chair of the Employers’ Forum of Indiana. She also serves as adjunct associate professor at Purdue College of Pharmacy. Forum initiatives focus on hospital price and quality transparency, value-based health benefit and payment strategies, and health policy. She serves as a member of the Board of Governors for the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions and as board vice chair for Hoosiers for Affordable Healthcare. Dr. Sachdev received her bachelor of science and doctor of pharmacy degrees from the University of Oklahoma and completed a primary residency at the VA in Madison, Wisconsin. Thereafter, she practiced in primary care physician offices managing patients with chronic diseases for 12 years, followed by consulting in the space of incorporating clinical pharmacists into team-based care for 6 years. She retired from Purdue College of Pharmacy after 15 years but still teaches a few classes for fun. Chris Skisak, PhD, is the executive director of the Houston Business Coalition on Health, a multi-stakeholder but employer-centric 501(c)(3) focused on improving the cost, quality, and consumer experience in healthcare delivery. He is also the executive director of Texas Employers for Affordable Healthcare, a legislative advocacy organization focused on creating a competitive healthcare delivery ecosystem. Dr. Skisak also serves on the boards of directors of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchasing Coalitions and Texas Business Group on Health. He serves on the leadership councils for Houston Cities Changing Diabetes, Houston Health Equity Collaborative, and Center for Houston’s Future. He had previously worked 25 years with Houston Fortune 50 energy companies in a variety of population health management positions. He is originally from Chicago and attended the University of Illinois. He received his master of science degree and PhD from the University of Texas School of Public Health. 06:04 How could the healthcare market correct itself? 08:27 EP334 with Sunita Desai, PhD. 09:38 What strategies are needed to make changes in the healthcare market? 10:13 What can be done with respect to market forces? 12:33 What needs to happen in regard to healthcare legislation? 13:03 Gloria’s ideas for legislation. 15:44 Why is it important to allow physicians to be independent again? 17:41 EP373 with Cora Opsahl. 18:21 Chris’s thoughts on legislation. 22:51 Why is it important that employers become present in the legislative process? 26:48 What has been immensely helpful to better understand hospital financials? 31:08 EP385 with Dan Mendelson. 31:16 EP379 with AJ Loiacono. 32:11 Why is transparency foundational for healthcare market change? You can learn more at txeahc.org and houstonbch.org. You can also check out the Employers’ Forum of Indiana Web site as well as sagetransparency.com.   @GloriaSachdev and @ChrisSkisak discuss #hospitalpricing and #legislation on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #healthcarelegislation   Recent past interviews: Click a guest’s name for their latest RHV episode! Mike Thompson, Dr Rishi Wadhera (Encore! EP326), Ge Bai (Encore! EP356), Dave Dierk and Stacey Richter (INBW37), Merrill Goozner, Betsy Seals (EP387), Stacey Richter (INBW36), Dr Eric Bricker (Encore! EP351), Al Lewis, Dan Mendelson, Wendell Potter, Nick Stefanizzi, Brian Klepper (Encore! EP335), Dr Aaron Mitchell (EP382), Karen Root, Mark Miller, AJ Loiacono, Josh LaRosa, Stacey Richter (INBW35), Rebecca Etz (Encore! EP295), Olivia Webb (Encore! EP337), Mike Baldzicki, Lisa Bari, Betsy Seals (EP375), Dave Chase, Cora Opsahl (EP373), Cora Opsahl (EP372), Dr Mark Fendrick (Encore! EP308)

If you go to the <a href="https://dashboard.sagetransparency.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Sage Transparency dashboard Web site</a>, you get a really graphical representation of the prices that any given hospital actually needs to charge so that they break even. You can see precisely which hospitals are operating on thin margins and which ones are not. You might be thinking, “Okay, so ... what’s the big deal about this? Why is the Sage Transparency information so meaningful? Aren’t hospitals (most of them) providing their financial statements already?” Well, let’s discuss. First of all, we have the main hospital lobbying organization coming out with <a href="https://www.aha.org/press-releases/2022-09-15-new-report-shows-2022-will-be-most-financially-difficult-hospitals-and" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">press releases</a> such as this one saying (here’s some quotes): “Hospitals have incurred serious losses …” “The vast majority of America’s hospitals [are] in serious financial jeopardy …” Combine quotes like these (and there are many) with some of the funny stuff going on in some (not all) hospital financial reporting—like counting investment losses from their venture funds, not counting endowments or their big trusts in the math, paying C-suites way more than the average doctor or worker, or all of the varied things that get counted or overcounted as charity care or community benefit—yeah, these hospital balance sheets are too often as much of a PR campaign as the PR campaigns. When you <a href="https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/nonprofit-hospital-ceo-pay/618713/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">dig into them</a>, you find some very wealthy organizations dressing up in Tiny Tim Cratchit pants and leaning on a crutch … at least whenever the cameras are rolling. So, where are patients in all of this? Chris Deacon linked to a <a href="https://www.qualtrics.com/news/rising-costs-top-reason-americans-defer-healthcare/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Qualtrics study</a> recently. It seems that in 2020, 48% of people deferred care as a result of the pandemic. In 2022, 43% deferred care because of cost—48% from the pandemic, 43% deferred due to cost this past year … wow! There are patients saying, “Hey, I have this giant thing growing on my arm. Is it melanoma? I don’t know, but I do know if I go to the doctor, I’ll be $600 in the hole … so I’ll wait.” It doesn’t matter how many medical advancements are made when almost half of the patients are making decisions like this, including patients with so-called “good” insurance. Look, no one would or is arguing that hospitals aren’t vital. They are essential. Hospitals can be amazing places where lives get saved. Amazing doctors and clinicians work in hospitals. But putting everything I just said together, let me summarize a textbook hospital chain one-two punch. The halo effect many hospitals enjoy is massive, and those administrators who choose to can take advantage of that halo for financial gain. When hospitals’ administrators cannot manage to curtail their own spending and then demand that their communities foot the bills, then the good that a hospital can do starts to go bad. If you are a legislator, you might want to be paying attention to all of this. And when I say might be wanting to pay attention, I mean pretty much you want to be paying attention to all of this. With all of the data that is now available to especially more sophisticated employers, some companies are not building offices or plants in areas which are known to have healthcare prices that are multiples over what they should be. That might be in your legislative district or state. Healthcare prices can be the largest cost for employers after payroll. Starbucks famously spends more on healthcare than they do on coffee beans. Nearly 8 of 10 employers considered healthcare costs a significant threat to affordability. So, too high hospital prices are a community problem at the chamber of commerce as well as at the family and the patient level. After you listen to this show, go back and listen to the one last week with Mike Thompson (<a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep389-the-clapback-when-hospitals-cannot-constrain-their-own-prices-with-mike-thompson" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">EP389</a>) if you haven’t already. It adds some context that you might want to have. Also stay tuned for a show coming up where we talk about just all of the anticompetitive stuff that some of these hospital system administrators have decided to subject their communities to. In this healthcare podcast, I have two titans of employer coalition building on the episode. Gloria Sachdev from the Employers’ Forum of Indiana, who was instrumental in standing up the Sage Transparency dashboard that we talked about last week and we’ll discuss a little bit more this week. Gloria is a pharmacist, which I did not know. She also sits on the board for the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchasers Coalition and Hoosiers for Affordable Healthcare. Also on the show is the one and only Chris Skisak, who leads the Houston Business Coalition on Health. He also speaks for the state of Texas through his role with Texas Employers for Affordable Healthcare. You can learn more at <a href="https://txeahc.org/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">txeahc.org</a> and <a href="https://houstonbch.org/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">houstonbch.org</a>. You can also check out the <a href="https://employersforumindiana.org/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Employers’ Forum of Indiana Web site</a> as well as <a href="https://employerptp.org/sage-transparency/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">sagetransparency.com</a>. Gloria Sachdev, PharmD, serves as president, CEO, and board chair of the Employers’ Forum of Indiana. She also serves as adjunct associate professor at Purdue College of Pharmacy. Forum initiatives focus on hospital price and quality transparency, value-based health benefit and payment strategies, and health policy. She serves as a member of the Board of Governors for the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions and as board vice chair for Hoosiers for Affordable Healthcare. Dr. Sachdev received her bachelor of science and doctor of pharmacy degrees from the University of Oklahoma and completed a primary residency at the VA in Madison, Wisconsin. Thereafter, she practiced in primary care physician offices managing patients with chronic diseases for 12 years, followed by consulting in the space of incorporating clinical pharmacists into team-based care for 6 years. She retired from Purdue College of Pharmacy after 15 years but still teaches a few classes for fun. Chris Skisak, PhD, is the executive director of the Houston Business Coalition on Health, a multi-stakeholder but employer-centric 501(c)(3) focused on improving the cost, quality, and consumer experience in healthcare delivery. He is also the executive director of Texas Employers for Affordable Healthcare, a legislative advocacy organization focused on creating a competitive healthcare delivery ecosystem. Dr. Skisak also serves on the boards of directors of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchasing Coalitions and Texas Business Group on Health. He serves on the leadership councils for Houston Cities Changing Diabetes, Houston Health Equity Collaborative, and Center for Houston’s Future. He had previously worked 25 years with Houston Fortune 50 energy companies in a variety of population health management positions. He is originally from Chicago and attended the University of Illinois. He received his master of science degree and PhD from the University of Texas School of Public Health. 06:04 How could the healthcare market correct itself? 08:27 <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep334" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">EP334</a> with Sunita Desai, PhD. 09:38 What strategies are needed to make changes in the healthcare market? 10:13 What can be done with respect to market forces? 12:33 What needs to happen in regard to healthcare legislation? 13:03 Gloria’s ideas for legislation. 15:44 Why is it important to allow physicians to be independent again? 17:41 <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep373" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">EP373</a> with Cora Opsahl. 18:21 Chris’s thoughts on legislation. 22:51 Why is it important that employers become present in the legislative process? 26:48 What has been immensely helpful to better understand hospital financials? 31:08 <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep385-morgan-health-and-the-5-things-self-insured-employers-should-do-right-now-with-dan-mendelson" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">EP385</a> with Dan Mendelson. 31:16 <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep379" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">EP379</a> with AJ Loiacono. 32:11 Why is transparency foundational for healthcare market change? You can learn more at <a href="https://txeahc.org/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">txeahc.org</a> and <a href="https://houstonbch.org/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">houstonbch.org</a>. You can also check out the <a href="https://employersforumindiana.org/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Employers’ Forum of Indiana Web site</a> as well as <a href="https://employerptp.org/sage-transparency/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">sagetransparency.com</a>. @GloriaSachdev and @ChrisSkisak discuss #hospitalpricing and #legislation on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #healthcarelegislation Recent past interviews: Click a guest’s name for their latest RHV episode! <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep389-the-clapback-when-hospitals-cannot-constrain-their-own-prices-with-mike-thompson" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Mike Thompson</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/encore-ep326-the-unfortunate-news-about-hrrp-with-insight-into-how-to-fix-it-with-rishi-wadhera-md-mpp" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Dr Rishi Wadhera (Encore! EP326)</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/encore-ep356-pbms-react-to-goodrx-mark-cuban-and-amazon-pharmacy-with-ge-bai-phd-cpa" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Ge Bai (Encore! EP356)</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/inbw37-harnessing-the-miracle-of-the-commons-to-improve-the-patient-journey-nationwide-a-conversation-with-dave-dierk-co-president-of-aventria-health-group" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Dave Dierk and Stacey Richter (INBW37)</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep388-merrill-goozner-on-the-future-of-healthcare-and-glide-paths-to-get-there" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Merrill Goozner</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep387-medicare-advantage-trends-and-how-medicare-advantage-plans-will-or-will-not-succeed-with-betsy-seals-ceo-and-cofounder-of-rebellis-group" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Betsy Seals (EP387)</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/inbw36-will-healthcare-stakeholders-who-dont-collaborate-wind-up-with-a-business-problem" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Stacey Richter (INBW36)</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/encore-ep351-everybody-in-the-healthcare-industry-getting-up-in-everyone-elses-business-with-eric-bricker-md" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Dr Eric Bricker (Encore! EP351)</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep386-what-you-need-to-know-about-er-bills-post-the-no-surprises-act-with-al-lewis" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Al Lewis</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep385-morgan-health-and-the-5-things-self-insured-employers-should-do-right-now-with-dan-mendelson" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Dan Mendelson</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep384-how-shareholders-impact-payer-behavior-exactly-and-specifically-with-wendell-potter" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Wendell Potter</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep383-direct-contracting-as-a-health-system-business-strategy-with-nick-stefanizzi" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Nick Stefanizzi</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/encore-ep335-why-private-equity-is-willing-to-pay-55000-per-patient-to-primary-care-start-ups-with-brian-klepper-phd" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Brian Klepper (Encore! EP335)</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep382" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Dr Aaron Mitchell (EP382)</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep381" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Karen Root</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep380" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Mark Miller</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep379" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">AJ Loiacono</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep378" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Josh LaRosa</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/inbw35" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Stacey Richter (INBW35)</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/encore295" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Rebecca Etz (Encore! EP295)</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/encore337" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Olivia Webb (Encore! EP337)</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep377" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Mike Baldzicki</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep376" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Lisa Bari</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep375" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Betsy Seals (EP375)</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep374" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Dave Chase</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep373" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Cora Opsahl (EP373)</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/ep372" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Cora Opsahl (EP372)</a>, <a href="https://relentlesshealthvalue.com/episode/encore308" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Dr Mark Fendrick (Encore! EP308)</a>

EP390: What Legislators Need to Know About Hospital Prices, With Gloria Sachdev, PharmD, and Chris Skisak, PhD

Read this  on the web Have you ever wondered why your employer buys your health insurance for you? They don't get involved in car insurance, home owners, etc. Why healthcare? To understand that, you have to go all the way back to World War II. When the federal government froze wages during WWII, employers needed a way to compete for employees. As it turned out, benefits weren't included in this freeze and became a great way to attract talent. And then, as often happens, inertia took over and we just kept doing it that way. For a while, that wasn't such a big deal, but then healthcare costs began to explode. And it happened so quickly that before we realized it, companies like Starbucks were spending more on health benefits than on coffee beans.  Healthcare is now one of the top P&amp;L items for every business in the U.S. Unfortunately, most C-suites aren't looking at it as a strategic opportunity. Instead, they task ill-equipped benefits managers with trying to find the best "deal" and just "hope it doesn't go up too much this year". Today's guest is trying to change all of that. Chris Skisak is the Executive Director of the Houston Business Coalition on Health (HBCH). Chris and his team at HBCH are determined to make all employers aware of the strategic opportunity that health benefits represent and help them  execute on that opportunity. What you'll learn:  What is HBCH? (1:36) What was the catalyst for employers coming together to try and collaborate on controlling healthcare costs and outcomes? (2:50) The history of healthcare purchasing and how we've gotten to where we are today (6:30) Do employers worry about investing in their employees' health only to have them leave? (12:30) Do employers have access to useful quality and outcomes data? Can they get their own claims? (16:30) What types of employers are good candidates for this approach - that is, who is best positioned to take advantage of the strategic opportunity in health benefits purchasing? (19:00) How do you get the C-suite involved? (21:00) What is a Chief Health Strategy Officer and why do you think most employers need one? (21:00) What is the Walmart Centers of Excellence program and how does it serve as a model for employers to make better health benefits decisions? (23:45) Using collective influence and tools like Choosing Wisely and LeapFrog to drive change (30:30) Tell us about some of HBCH's current initiatives aimed at improving quality of care and saving money for employers and their staff. (35.40) What's the one thing that every employer should be doing right now? (43:00)  Of all the cost-savings and quality programs that I work on and study, the employer-centric approach is the most encouraging. Employers have a unique combination of pain, opportunity and spending power that should give them the sustained motivation to do this. They may be the only ones who can move the needle in a meaningful way in the near-term. I'm excited to see what happens in the next few years. ~ Don Lee    About Chris Skisak Chris became Director in August of 2014. Prior to HBCH, he was President and Founder of Corporate Health Management Solutions, an organizational health and productivity management company providing consulting and software to employers and their health management partners to demonstrate the value of an integrated health management strategy. Dr. Skisak had previously worked 25 years with Houston Fortune 50 energy companies in a variety of health management positions. He is originally from Chicago and attended the University of Illinois. He received his B.S. from the University of Houston and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Texas School of Public Health.  About HBCH - Houston Business Coalition on Health The Houston Business Coalition on Health (HBCH) is an employer-centric organization that allows for the sharing of evidence-based strategies and practices, while using its collective influence to assist employers effectively and efficiently deliver the spectrum of its health benefits investments.  Employer-centric implies that the value of healthcare and benefits delivery is viewed from the focal lens of the employer.  HBCH is able to discuss and impact employer health in a unique environment that brings together employers, health plans, hospital systems, physicians, benefits consultants and other health services providers.   All healthcare is local, so much of HBCH’s effort is oriented towards local improvement.  However, HBCH works with national organizations to assist employers achieve improvement in other cities where its employer members may have a presence. http://houstonbch.org/  Keynote Speaker: Elisabeth Rosenthal, author of An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back (which is a pretty good book - I listened on Audible and the reader was good at 1.25 speed). Houston Business Coalition on Health on LinkedIn Houston Business Coalition on Health on Twitter  Mentioned on the podcast The National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions - HBCH is a member NORC Study - Employer Perspectives on the Health Insurance Market: A Survey of Businesses in the United States: Research Highlights - Research shows that many employers in the United States that offer health insurance to employees are unfamiliar with objective metrics of health plan quality information, and most consider costs both to their organization and their employees as important factors when selecting plans. Chris told us that only 7% of employers consider objective measures of health when choosing a plan and that is why we need eValue8. eValue8 - eValue8™ was created by business coalitions and employers like Marriott and General Motors to measure and evaluate health plan performance. eValue8™ asks health plans probing questions about how they manage critical processes that control costs, reduce and eliminate waste, ensure patient safety, close gaps in care and improve health and health care. Unaccountable: What Hospitals Won't Tell You and How Transparency Can Revolutionize Health Care by Marty Makary - another great book to checkout (again, I did this on Audible at 1.25x). This came up in the context of how we all need help in selecting the right surgeon. Warning... this one is a bit startling. National Diabetes Prevention Program a CDC program that Chris tells us has been shown to prevent many pre-diabetics from becoming diabetic, saving employers big money and improving the lives of their staff.  Related If you're into all of this then you should be following Dave Chase. He wrote a book called CEO's Guide to Restoring the American Dream, is working on a movie about this called The Big Heist and founded the Health Rosetta Institute to develop and disseminate a blueprint for high-performance health benefits. He was also a guest on our video podcast to discuss the movie project: Replay: The #hcbiz Show! Ep. 29: The Big Heist Film Project w/ Dave Chase  Weekly Updates If you like what we're doing here, then please consider signing up for our weekly newsletter. You'll get one email from me each week detailing:  New podcast episodes and blog posts. Content or ideas that I've found valuable in the past week. Insider info about the show like stats, upcoming episodes and future plans that I won't put anywhere else.  Plain text and straight from the heart :) No SPAM or fancy graphics and you can unsubscribe with a single click anytime. The #HCBiz Show! is produced by Glide Health IT, LLC in partnership with Netspective Media. Music by StudioEtar

Read this <a href="Health%20Benefits%20as%20a%20Strategic%20Opportunity%20|%20Chris%20Skisak%20|%20HBCH" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> on the web</a> Have you ever wondered why your employer buys your health insurance for you? They don't get involved in car insurance, home owners, etc. Why healthcare? To understand that, you have to go all the way back to World War II. When the federal government froze wages during WWII, employers needed a way to compete for employees. As it turned out, benefits weren't included in this freeze and became a great way to attract talent. And then, as often happens, inertia took over and we just kept doing it that way. For a while, that wasn't such a big deal, but then healthcare costs began to explode. And it happened so quickly that before we realized it, companies like Starbucks were spending more on health benefits than on coffee beans.  Healthcare is now one of the top P&amp;L items for every business in the U.S. Unfortunately, most C-suites aren't looking at it as a strategic opportunity. Instead, they task ill-equipped benefits managers with trying to find the best "deal" and just "hope it doesn't go up too much this year". Today's guest is trying to change all of that. Chris Skisak is the Executive Director of the Houston Business Coalition on Health (HBCH). Chris and his team at HBCH are determined to make all employers aware of the strategic opportunity that health benefits represent and help them  execute on that opportunity. What you'll learn: <ul> <li>What is HBCH? (1:36)</li> <li>What was the catalyst for employers coming together to try and collaborate on controlling healthcare costs and outcomes? (2:50)</li> <li>The history of healthcare purchasing and how we've gotten to where we are today (6:30)</li> <li>Do employers worry about investing in their employees' health only to have them leave? (12:30)</li> <li>Do employers have access to useful quality and outcomes data? Can they get their own claims? (16:30)</li> <li>What types of employers are good candidates for this approach - that is, who is best positioned to take advantage of the strategic opportunity in health benefits purchasing? (19:00)</li> <li>How do you get the C-suite involved? (21:00)</li> <li>What is a Chief Health Strategy Officer and why do you think most employers need one? (21:00)</li> <li>What is the <a href="https://thedoctorweighsin.com/walmart-expands-its-center-of-excellence-program/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Walmart Centers of Excellence</a> program and how does it serve as a model for employers to make better health benefits decisions? (23:45)</li> <li>Using collective influence and tools like <a href="http://www.choosingwisely.org/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Choosing Wisely</a> and <a href="http://www.leapfroggroup.org/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">LeapFrog</a> to drive change (30:30)</li> <li>Tell us about some of HBCH's current initiatives aimed at improving quality of care and saving money for employers and their staff. (35.40)</li> <li>What's the one thing that every employer should be doing right now? (43:00)</li> </ul> Of all the cost-savings and quality programs that I work on and study, the employer-centric approach is the most encouraging. Employers have a unique combination of pain, opportunity and spending power that should give them the sustained motivation to do this. They may be the only ones who can move the needle in a meaningful way in the near-term. I'm excited to see what happens in the next few years. ~ Don Lee   About Chris Skisak Chris became Director in August of 2014. Prior to HBCH, he was President and Founder of Corporate Health Management Solutions, an organizational health and productivity management company providing consulting and software to employers and their health management partners to demonstrate the value of an integrated health management strategy. Dr. Skisak had previously worked 25 years with Houston Fortune 50 energy companies in a variety of health management positions. He is originally from Chicago and attended the University of Illinois. He received his B.S. from the University of Houston and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Texas School of Public Health. About HBCH - Houston Business Coalition on Health The Houston Business Coalition on Health (HBCH) is an employer-centric organization that allows for the sharing of evidence-based strategies and practices, while using its collective influence to assist employers effectively and efficiently deliver the spectrum of its health benefits investments.  Employer-centric implies that the value of healthcare and benefits delivery is viewed from the focal lens of the employer.  HBCH is able to discuss and impact employer health in a unique environment that brings together employers, health plans, hospital systems, physicians, benefits consultants and other health services providers.   All healthcare is local, so much of HBCH’s effort is oriented towards local improvement.  However, HBCH works with national organizations to assist employers achieve improvement in other cities where its employer members may have a presence. <a href="http://houstonbch.org/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">http://houstonbch.org/</a> Keynote Speaker: Elisabeth Rosenthal, author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594206759/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1594206759&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=hcbiz-20&amp;linkId=3d045abdec43c8810358edf3317af37b" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back</a> (which is a pretty good book - I listened on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NB86OYE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B00NB86OYE&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=hcbiz-20&amp;linkId=d1f16c788ecca69edba55ba5419fca98" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Audible</a> and the reader was good at 1.25 speed). <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/5177835/profile" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Houston Business Coalition on Health on LinkedIn</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Houston_BCH" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Houston Business Coalition on Health on Twitter</a> Mentioned on the podcast <a href="https://www.nationalalliancehealth.org/home" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions</a> - HBCH is a member NORC Study - <a href="http://www.apnorc.org/projects/Pages/HTML%20Reports/employer-perspectives-on-the-health-insurance-market-a-survey-of-businesses-in-the-united-states-research-highlights.aspx" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Employer Perspectives on the Health Insurance Market: A Survey of Businesses in the United States: Research Highlights</a> - Research shows that many employers in the United States that offer health insurance to employees are unfamiliar with objective metrics of health plan quality information, and most consider costs both to their organization and their employees as important factors when selecting plans. Chris told us that only 7% of employers consider objective measures of health when choosing a plan and that is why we need eValue8. <a href="http://evalue8.nationalalliancehealth.org/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">eValue8</a> - eValue8™ was created by business coalitions and employers like Marriott and General Motors to measure and evaluate health plan performance. eValue8™ asks health plans probing questions about how they manage critical processes that control costs, reduce and eliminate waste, ensure patient safety, close gaps in care and improve health and health care. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1608198383/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1608198383&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=hcbiz-20&amp;linkId=9065e3599f15ffd6a75f9b5ac0f16730" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Unaccountable: What Hospitals Won't Tell You and How Transparency Can Revolutionize Health Care</a> by Marty Makary - another great book to checkout (again, I did this on Audible at 1.25x). This came up in the context of how we all need help in selecting the right surgeon. Warning... this one is a bit startling. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/index.html" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">National Diabetes Prevention Program</a> a CDC program that Chris tells us has been shown to prevent many pre-diabetics from becoming diabetic, saving employers big money and improving the lives of their staff. Related If you're into all of this then you should be following <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasedave/detail/recent-activity/posts/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Dave Chase</a>. He wrote a book called <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0999234315/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0999234315&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=hcbiz-20&amp;linkId=7bfe7fd0bac84486744290538208a0e9" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">CEO's Guide to Restoring the American Dream</a>, is working on a movie about this called <a href="http://www.bigheistmovie.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Big Heist</a> and founded the <a href="https://healthrosetta.org/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Health Rosetta Institute</a> to develop and disseminate a blueprint for high-performance health benefits. He was also a guest on our video podcast to discuss the movie project: <a href="http://thehcbiz.com/replay-hcbiz-show-ep-29-big-heist-film-project-w-dave-chase/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Replay: The #hcbiz Show! Ep. 29: The Big Heist Film Project w/ Dave Chase</a> Weekly Updates If you like what we're doing here, then please consider <a href="http://eepurl.com/cOcHsD" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">signing up for our weekly newsletter</a>. You'll get one email from me each week detailing: <ul> <li>New podcast episodes and blog posts.</li> <li>Content or ideas that I've found valuable in the past week.</li> <li>Insider info about the show like stats, upcoming episodes and future plans that I won't put anywhere else.</li> </ul> Plain text and straight from the heart :) No SPAM or fancy graphics and you can unsubscribe with a single click anytime. The #HCBiz Show! is produced by <a href="https://www.glidehealthit.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Glide Health IT, LLC</a> in partnership with <a href="https://www.netspective.media/#home" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Netspective Media</a>. 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027 - Health Benefits as a Strategic Opportunity | Chris Skisak | HBCH