Issue 18

• RAND Hospital Price Transparency Study FAQ
• Enroll in RAND 5.0

Mark Your Calendar – 2023 Forum Meeting Schedule

Mark your calendar for these upcoming All-Stakeholder meetings! Details including agenda items will be distributed prior to each meeting.

• April 12, 2023, at Noon (EST) | Indiana Landmarks Center
• August 24, 2023 | Time & location TBD
• November 2, 2023 | Time & location TBD

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Employers’ Forum of Indiana Membership—Join or Renew for 2023

Existing Forum member? Invoices for 2023 Forum membership were sent out in November. If you did not receive an invoice or have any questions, please email Sara Otte at sara@employersforumindiana.org.

Know someone who may be interested in becoming a new member? The Forum welcomes organizations who are eager to actively engage and collaborate. We offer three levels of membership in the Forum: Employer Membership for companies who employ Hoosiers, Stakeholder Membership for local healthcare players, and Affiliate Membership for interested parties without a primary healthcare stake in Indiana. Learn how to join and about benefits of Forum membership!

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Forum Members Taking Action

How FWCS got unsustainable health care costs into shape
Hear how Charles Cammack, COO of Fort Wayne Community School Corp, utilized employee wellness, plan design, and data monitoring strategies to create savings and a healthier employee population. Read the full article on Wane.com.

How Candace Shaffer helps employees stay healthy
Candace Shaffer has expanded Purdue’s incentive program to a comprehensive wellness program that is increasing engagement, making employees healthier, and saving them money. Read the full article on American Healthcare Leader.

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Sage Transparency compares price, quality, and cost data for hospitals and ASCs across the US. We are excited to share that since Sage Transparency’s launch in May 2022, there have been over 22,000 user sessions.

Updated January 30th to include:

• Critical Access Hospital Distinction
• Over 2,000 Ambulatory Surgery Center RAND 4.0 Price Data
• Updated Turquoise Health Price Data

Hear how others are using Sage Transparency:

Rebuilding Access to Mental Health Providers (RAMP) Discussion

At our November 3, 2022, meeting, Dr. Leslie Hulvershorn discussed the RAMP Initiative, which recommends that employers utilize medical residents to improve access to mental health care for their employees. View the presentation slides.

If you would like to learn more, EFI is meeting with Dr. Hulvershorn to discuss this opportunity in further detail. If interested, please contact Sara Otte at sara@employersforumindiana.org.

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Opinion: Let’s Address Indiana’s Growing Mental Health Crisis

Indiana is in the midst of a mental health crisis. The impact of untreated mental illness on Indiana, present and future, cannot be overstated. And, yet, we do not have the mental health infrastructure to provide care to thousands who need it. Read the full article in the IBJ.

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Opinion: The Failed Promise of Online Mental Health Treatment

Remote treatment of mental health problems surged during the pandemic, as in-person treatment became difficult, while pandemic-driven isolation increased anxiety and depression. Digital mental health companies plunged in, promising to provide millions with access to high- quality care by video, phone, and messaging. Many of the businesses, however, put a premium on growth and not the quality of care. Read the full article in the Wall Street Journal.

Watch the Hospital and Insurer Public Forums

After advocacy from many organizations, including EFI, annual public forums became mandatory in 2021 following the enactment of SEA 325. If you were unable to watch these public forums live, you can watch recordings on-demand.

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Al Hubbard: Cost containment in hospitals’ hands

Al Hubbard calls on legislators and Indiana’s governor to enact bold policy proposals which will help ensure quality hospital care at prices no higher than the national average for every Hoosier. Read the full article in the Journal Gazette.

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Podcast: Relentless Health Value Ep390

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

Hear Gloria Sachdev and Chris Skisak discuss Sage Transparency, the healthcare markets, and legislative ideas for making healthcare more affordable.

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Indiana Legislative District Hospital Information

Check out this great resource from Hoosiers for Affordable Healthcare. They provide a one-page summary for each state house district that includes a list of hospitals, high-level price, and quality ratings, and how they compare to national benchmarks. Download the Indiana Legislative District Hospital Information document.

Employers & Insurers:

• The Longitudinal Impact of a Multistate Commercial Accountable Care Program on Cost, Use, and Quality (Health Affairs)
• Press Release: FTC Proposes Rule to Ban Noncompete Clauses, Which Hurt Workers and Harm Competition (FTC)
• A New Set of Reasonable Accommodations? The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Explained (Taft)

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Hospitals

• How a Sprawling Hospital Chain Ignited Its Own Staffing Crisis (New York Times)
• Q&A: Foundation President Focuses on Hoosier Health (IBJ)
• Opinion: Carmel Business Owner: Monopolized Hospital Systems are Major Contributing Factor to Rapidly Rising Health Care Costs (Hamilton County Reporter)
• Opinion: Dishonest Hospital Billing is Driving Up Healthcare Costs (Washington Examiner)
• IU Health Expands Plan for Downtown Hospital, Pushing Price Tag to $4.3B (IBJ)
• Many Hospitals Get Big Drug Discounts. That Doesn’t Mean Markdowns for Patients (Wall Street Journal)
• Indiana Hospital ER Shutters After Appeals Court Ruling (Becker’s)

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Pharmacy

• ICER Identifies Most Significant 2021 US Drug-Price Hikes Unsupported by New Clinical Evidence (ICER)
• Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug partners with EmansaRx (Modern Healthcare)
• Indiana to Receive $219M from CVS, Walgreens in Opioid Settlements (IBJ)
• The FDA’s Power to Approve Drugs Faces Sweeping Challenge in Lawsuit Seeking to Pull Abortion Pill from U.S. Market (CNBC)
• Pharmaceutical Company to Produce Affordable Insulin in Petersburg (NBC 12)
• Walgreens Becomes First U.S. Pharmacy Chain to Say It Will Sell Abortion Pill (Wall Street Journal)

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Providers

• Workforce Composition In Private Equity–Acquired Versus Non–Private Equity–Acquired Physician Practices (Health Affairs)

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Other Healthcare News

• The U.S. Maternal Mortality Crisis Continues to Worsen: An International Comparison (The Commonwealth Fund)
• The Decline In US Life Expectancy; The Nation’s Choice (Health Affairs)
• Value-Based Payment as a Tool to Address Excess US Health Spending (Health Affairs)
• Proportion of Americans Delaying Medical Care Over Cost Hits a High: Gallup (Becker’s)