Hartford Business Journal

HBJ010824UF

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HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JANUARY 8, 2024 25 INDUSTRY OUTLOOK | HEALTH CARE additional medical office space. Trinity also is expanding its inter- ventional pulmonology program. It was launched at St. Francis Hospital just over a year ago and allows physicians to use a robot-assisted bronchoscopy to biopsy suspicious lung nodules in hard-to-reach areas. Trinity plans to soon offer access to the procedure in the greater Waterbury and Springfield, Massachusetts regions. Improving access Another trend, according to state healthcare leaders, is improving access to care outside of traditional settings. According to Flaks, access means not only physical buildings like health centers and clinics, but also virtual, on-demand care. This can happen at a neighborhood pharmacy, or even via a walk-in virtual visit at a "care station" in one's grocery store or office building, he said. Hartford HealthCare has partner- ships with Walgreens, OnMed, One Medical and GoHealth Urgent Care to allow patients to get care they need closer to where they live and work. According to Carter, the health industry will continue to see high demand for telehealth and virtual visits. Another trend is high demand for specialized healthcare services outside of the hospital setting, he said. Trinity has responded by opening its first of several multidisci- plinary outpatient access centers in Rocky Hill and Bloomfield. These offer a range of services, from primary care to laboratory services, radiology, cardiology, pulm- onology, obstetrics, urology, orthope- dics and physical therapy. Carter anticipates the future will also bring more care directly in patients' homes. In the future, Carter said Trinity Health's mobile healthcare services will not only handle emergencies, but also deliver non-emergency care focused on patient education, consul- tation, preventative care, chronic disease management, and post- acute, follow-up care. Yale New Haven Health recently acquired PhysicianOne Urgent Care, an urgent care provider in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. The deal was a response to patients' increasing desires for on-demand, convenient care, O'Connor said. Prevention, equity and AI The future of health care is a focus on prevention, according to industry leaders. "We are seeing a departure from traditional health care that focuses on treatment only when patients are sick," Carter said. Trinity Health, for example, will be working to address social influencers of health. Where people are born, live, learn, work and age can impact health and quality of life, Carter said. In Connecticut, this inequity persists between the state's affluent and poor communities, Flaks noted. In 2024, Hartford HealthCare's new Center for Equity will aim to bring together experts from the fields of medicine, social work, diversity, research and analytics to improve access to health care. "It is unconscionable that someone's ZIP code should be a greater deter- minant of overall health and longevity than their genetic code," Flaks said. Another trend in health care involves the use of advanced tech- nology, such as artificial intelligence. Flaks said he anticipates more frequent and robust collaborations between health systems and organi- zations delivering artificial intelligence and machine learning technology. Hartford HealthCare is working with Google Cloud, which provides cloud computing services, such as data analytics and machine learning. This is expected to help medical experts do their jobs and unlock trends in health data, Flaks said. A rendering of Hartford HealthCare's new $50 million healthcare hub in Norwalk. RENDERING | MBH ARCHITECTURE Employers in 2024 will seek to add value, minimize costs for health benefits By Meg Galistinos E mployers will be challenged to absorb higher healthcare cost increases in 2024. However, with inflation stressing their employees' household finances, budget concerns must be balanced with healthcare affordability and the need to offer attractive bene- fits to recruit and retain employees. Employers projected an average cost increase of 5.4% for health benefits in 2023, and should be prepared for continued accelerated cost growth in 2024 and beyond. Sixty-four percent of employers recently surveyed for Mercer's annual health and benefit strategies survey said they plan to make enhance- ments to their health and well-being offerings in 2024. Yet, only 3% of employers intend to shift costs to employees through plan design changes to lower their projected cost increase. This indicates a focus on adding value for employees while minimizing cost-sharing. Here are some actions employers can take to avoid cost-shifting to employees while managing rising healthcare costs. 1. Implement targeted programs for specific health conditions, such as diabetes, musculoskeletal issues and pain management. These programs can help improve health outcomes and reduce costs by providing specialized support and resources to employees with these conditions. 2. Manage the cost of specialty prescription drugs. Employers can explore strat- egies such as formulary design, utilization review and negotiation with pharmaceutical companies to ensure cost-effective access to necessary medications. 3. Expand virtual care offerings beyond standard telemedicine. This can include providing access to virtual specialists, like dermatology, reproductive care and cardiology, remote monitoring technologies and digital health platforms. 4. Steer members to quality care with navigation or advocacy services to help employees make informed decisions about their care. Another 2024 focus area for employers will be helping employees effectively deal with stress and manage their mental health. Here are some strategies to do that. 1. Enhance employee assistance programs (EAP) to provide employees with increased access to mental health support. This may include increasing the number of sessions offered. 2. Conduct anti-stigma campaigns and encourage the use of behav- ioral health resources. These campaigns aim to create a supportive environment where employees feel comfortable seeking help. Some organizations involve members of the C-suite to rein- force leadership support and share personal experiences with using mental health resources. 3. Train managers and increase mental health and/or substance use screenings in the workplace. By equipping managers with the knowledge and skills to identify signs of mental health concerns, they can effectively connect employees to appropriate resources before the concerns become acute. 4. Provide digital or in-person resources for stress manage- ment and building resilience. These resources may include stress management programs, mind- fulness training, employee wellness initiatives and access to digital mental health resources. 5. Increase paid time off and work flexibility. Employers are recognizing the importance of work-life balance and flexibility. Approximately one in four employers provide unlimited paid time off to at least some employees. This approach allows employees to have more control over their time and supports their overall well-being. Employers can also take steps to address the needs of women and diverse populations. This can include offering free or low-cost coverage options, adding coverage for doulas, midwives and birthing centers, or covering fertility treatment without requiring a clinical definition of infertility or helping to cover surrogacy expenses. By implementing these strate- gies, employers can effectively manage healthcare costs without shifting a significant burden of costs to employees. Meg Galistinos is a partner and CT leader at consulting firm Mercer. Meg Galistinos

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