Compliance

Ep #66: Stand Out By Personalizing Your Marketing – With Barbara Saxton

By   Shift Shapers Podcast   Add new comment

ShiftShapersCoverArt

From social media to video email marketing, one of the common themes we heard a lot of folks talking about at the recent National Association of Health Underwriters Convention was the need for better, more efficient and effective communication. One of the presenters from the convention, Barbara Saxton, CEO of Smart Choices, joins us on this episode to talk about the class she taught on that topic.

On this episode of ShiftShapers, Barabara explains the concept of personalized marketing and how it can help brokers differentiate their service and increase client retention. She shares her concept of the “5 Cs” of Communication which will help you to craft a message that resonates with your prospects and clients. We also explore using different communication strategies, tools and techniques you can use to stand out by personalizing your marketing.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • The importance of having a culture within organizations.
  • How “personalized marketing” is unique.
  • How to transform our communications strategies.
  • The “5 Cs” of Communication.
  • Social media vs. social proof.
  • How you can use video email marketing to build more personal connections.

Featured On The Show:

Listen To The Full Interview:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Enjoy The Show?

Subscribe-with-iTunes-small Subscribe-with-Stitcher-small

Ep #65: What You Need To Know To Position Self Insurance – With Jay Kempton

By   Shift Shapers Podcast   Add new comment

ShiftShapersCoverArt

Jay Kempton, president & CEO of The Kempton Group has been described as “the personification of a disruptive force in the self funded world.” In our wide ranging discussion, Jay talks about everything from what buying a truck would be like if we applied today’s insurance purchasing rules to why Health Savings Accounts aren’t a real long-term solution.

We also explore the gap between the insurance provider and the consumer of the health goods and services, how it has grown over the years and how it has affected buying decisions. Jay also shares his views about how PPACA has strengthened TPAs and increased interest in self insurance. Whether you are currently discussing self insurance concepts with your clients, or you are new to helping employers become insurance owners rather than insurance buyers, you won’t want to miss this episode.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • How the Kempton Group was founded.
  • How to help employers go from insurance buyers to insurance owners.
  • How the “distance” between provider and patient has distorted buying decisions.
  • Despite early concerns, PPACA has accelerated self insurance and strengthened TPAs.
  • Why HSAs are not really a long-term solution to creating consumers.
  • Whether patients are beginning to wake up and demand up-front pricing and quality metrics.

Featured On The Show:

Listen To The Full Interview:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Enjoy The Show?

Subscribe-with-iTunes-small Subscribe-with-Stitcher-small

Ep #63: Is Today’s System Like Organized Crime? – With Hobson Carroll

By   Shift Shapers Podcast   Add new comment

ShiftShapersCoverArt

We try to include a lot of different voices on the ShiftShapers podcast, and we have been missing an actuary’s perspective.  Our guest on this episode, Hobson Carroll, is the president of the Medrisk Actuarial Services. As you guessed from the headline, Hobson is a bit unorthodox and creative, but that is what makes him an intriguing and provocative thought leader in the industry – and a great podcast guest!

Hobson joins us today to explain why he describes a part of the current system as “organized crime” and why networks are like “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. He also shares his views on self funding, reference-based pricing and transparency in the marketplace. We will explore strategies that you can use to help your clients navigate  the current healthcare system.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • Why today’s insurance system is like organized crime.
  • Why precision in language is critically important.
  • Whether self-insurance is viable for small employers.
  • What networks have in common with “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”
  • What’s coming in the near-term.

Featured On The Show:

Listen To The Full Interview:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Enjoy The Show?

Subscribe-with-iTunes-small Subscribe-with-Stitcher-small

Ep #62: Understanding and Positioning Captive Insurance Arrangements – With Mark Gaunya

By   Shift Shapers Podcast   2 Comments

ShiftShapersCoverArt

Mark Gaunya returns to ShiftShapers to discuss the use of Captive Insurance Arrangements as an alternate funding mechanism for your clients. More and more advisors are considering different types of self-insured financing mechanisms for clients – especially in the mid to large market space. A Captive adds a few components that help to create a comfort level with clients making the change to self insurance.

Before we discuss the actual ins and outs of Captives, Mark takes us through what he believes are a couple of critical conversations advisors should have with those prospects and clients. You will learn how to explore and understand your client’s buying philosophy, how to understand the three mindsets of a purchaser and how to help them move from being a purchaser to being an in-control owner.

Mark explains how captive insurance arrangement works, how it differs from a traditional insurance purchase and what type of organizations it is best suited for. Tune in to learn about the benefits of this model as well as how to find captives for your clients.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • How to find your client’s buying philosophy.
  • The three mindsets of a purchaser.
  • The difference between purchasers and owners.
  • How to help clients determine a strategy.
  • The difference between homogenous and heterogeneous pools.
  • 3 component layers of a captive.
  • Why brokers might want to consider a segregated cell group captive.

Featured On The Show:

Listen To The Full Interview:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Enjoy The Show?

Subscribe-with-iTunes-small Subscribe-with-Stitcher-small

Ep #61: A Futurist’s View on Healthcare – With David Houle

By   Shift Shapers Podcast   2 Comments

ShiftShapersCoverArt

As change accelerates all around us, most aspects of human life are undergoing dramatic amounts and various rates of shift. With that in mind, who better to ask about the myriad changes surrounding healthcare than a futurist?

Our guest on this episode is David Houle, is a not only a futurist who lectures worldwide, he is also the author of a number of books, including on that is aimed directly at our wheelhouse: “New Age Health: The Future of Health Care in America”.

David reminds us that the shift in today’s healthcare started long before the Affordable Care Act. In this wide-ranging discussion, we end by looking at the past to give us a clearer indication of the future, including some thoughts about initiatives, technologies and new ways of thinking that have the potential to lower costs and increase its efficiency. Don’t miss this informative episode.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • The true beginnings of today’s industry change.
  • How Gutenberg began a chain of influential events.
  • Why Dr. Devi Shetty is a perfect example of one possible future.
  • The role telehealth plays in today’s health care and where it’s headed.
  • Medical Miracles.
  • Why payers, patients, and providers are at war.

Featured On The Show:

Listen To The Full Interview:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Enjoy The Show?

Subscribe-with-iTunes-small Subscribe-with-Stitcher-small

Ep #60: Opportunities with Non-Insurance Benefits – Kyle Hodges

By   Shift Shapers Podcast   Add new comment

ShiftShapersCoverArt

On this episode of ShiftShapers, we’re exploring an area that a lot of our listeners have asked about –  non-insurance based benefits. Our guest, Kyle Hodges, president of The Broker’s Broker, tired of bringing clients “bad news” and changed his practice to specialize in only these types of corporate benefits.

Kyle shares some of the most common, and not-so-common, non-traditional non-insurance ideas. He also talks about how benefits advisors can start positioning these types of benefits in their practice and how to have that conversation with prospects and clients. Whether you want to go completely non-insurance, as Kyle did, or you want to add these unique opportunities to your current offerings, listen to learn how this strategy can help your clients increase their bottom line by creating savings opportunities.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • How Kyle got into employee benefits industry.
  • Examples of some non-traditional non-insurance ideas.
  • Commission compression as a driver for diversification.
  • How advisors can have the conversation with prospects and clients.
  • Whether this represents an opportunity to create strategic partnerships.

Featured On The Show:

Listen To The Full Interview:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Enjoy The Show?

Subscribe-with-iTunes-small Subscribe-with-Stitcher-small

Ep #59: Using Compliance To Be Column A – With Karen Kirkpatrick

By   Shift Shapers Podcast   1 Comment

ShiftShapersCoverArt

In today’s environment, employers look to their advisors for more compliance information than ever before. This week’s guest believes that when it comes to the subject of compliance, many employers “have their heads in the sand” – and that presents an opportunity for advisors to differentiate and deliver value.

We recently attended the North Carolina Association of Health Underwriters Symposium and had the opportunity to talk about compliance with Karen Kirkpatrick, owner of On Your Mark Consulting and one of the country’s top experts and thought leaders on the subject of compliance and regulatory issues.

On this episode of ShiftShapers, we talk to Karen about the opportunity this presents for benefits advisors and what they need to be aware of to effectively advise their clients on the multitude of compliance issues and how to understand the critical difference between strategy and implementation. While PPACA has made compliance more difficult, many compliance-related areas precede ACA. Karen also shares her strategies that help advisors, “Be column A”.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • Karen’s  journey.
  • Compliance issues before PPACA.
  • Whether the benefits advisors are struggling to advise their clients about compliance issues.
  • How an advisor might approach clients with this new service.
  • The difference between “strategy” and “implementation.”
  • How to “get to column A.”

Featured On The Show:

Listen To The Full Interview:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Enjoy The Show?

Subscribe-with-iTunes-small Subscribe-with-Stitcher-small

Ep #58: Price and Quality Transparency In Action – With Dr. Keith Smith

By   Shift Shapers Podcast   4 Comments

ShiftShapersCoverArt

Dr. Keith Smith believes that health care pricing in the United States is “a scam” that he was determined to change. Continuing with our 2-part series on transparency, we thought it would be interesting to talk to someone who has a few years’ experience in taking transparency and is putting it into effect.  Keith is the medical director and managing partner of the Surgery Center of Oklahoma.

While working in big hospitals for 7 years, Keith witnessed the quality of medical care sinking and the prices rising. This inspired Keith and his business partner to start a private practice with a difference: they would post their prices and outcomes for everyone to see. To remain true to their pricing, they decided they could not deal with government programs. They are firm in their belief that the only way to move to a real free market is to be completely transparent and provide better care and outcomes than big box hospitals, and to do it for a fraction of the price.

We asked Keith about his journey as well as the challenges he and his partner had to overcome along the way. We also explore the disruptive consequences that his transparency is having across the country, leading patients (who bid for their non-emergent surgical care) to Oklahoma.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • Keith’s journey to starting his transparent pricing surgery center.
  • How Keith and his partner began pricing their medical services.
  • Why he believes current pricing is a scam.
  • The farce of hospital’s non-profit status
  • The disruptive effect of posting his prices.
  • What the Free Market Medical Association is.

Featured On The Show:

Listen To The Full Interview:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Enjoy The Show?

Subscribe-with-iTunes-small Subscribe-with-Stitcher-small

Ep #57: Can Transparency Change the U.S. Healthcare System? – With Ralph Weber

By   Shift Shapers Podcast   1 Comment

ShiftShapersCoverArt

Perhaps more than any other single topic, transparency has the potential to be transformational to every aspect of health and health insurance. With that in mind, we are doing our first ever 2-part episode.

This week, on part one, we’re excited to welcome Ralph Weber, President and CEO of MediBid. Ralph is a passionate subject matter expert and serves as a member of NAHU’s Healthcare Cost and Quality Transparency Workgroup. We explore his belief that the current pricing schemes withhold information by design and why Millennials (in particular) will not accept the status quo on transparency.

Ralph shares his perspective about the effects transparency has on the U.S. healthcare system, the marketplace, and the competitive environment, and why transparency alone is not enough to effect the needed changes. We also learn why some hospitals charge more for the same type of treatment than others as we discuss the differences between static and dynamic pricing.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • Ralph’s journey.
  • The difference between “dynamic” and “static” pricing.
  • How Ralph defines transparency.
  • Whether the most expensive care is the best care.
  • What Ralph sees happening in the future around the issue of transparency.

Featured On The Show:

Listen To The Full Interview:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Enjoy The Show?

Subscribe-with-iTunes-small Subscribe-with-Stitcher-small

Ep #56: How to Mitigate Your Clients’ Pharmacy Costs – With Tery Baskin

By   Shift Shapers Podcast   Add new comment

ShiftShapersCoverArt

We’ve waited a long time to find exactly the right person to talk to about the ever-increasing portion of our overall spend – pharmacy. Our today’s guest, Tery Baskin, founder, president and CEO of RxResults has been in the pharmacy field for over 30 years.  He’s owned 3 community pharmacies, worked in a tertiary care hospital before he got involved in the managed care side of things.

Today, Tery joins us to talk about the driving factors behind pharmacy costs and what we can do to help bring those costs down. We discuss how reference pricing can help guide employees toward optimal choices of medicine that cost less, but essentially do the same thing. Terry also shares how benefits advisors can design better plans and advise their clients, as well as how specialty pharmacies and genetically-engineered drugs are affecting the current market. Don’t miss this value-packed episode!

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • Tery’s journey.
  • How “Evidence Based Pharmacy Benefits Risk Management” can help keep your costs down.
  • Whether that affects payers, members or both.
  • What  “Medication Therapy Management” (MTM) is.
  • How specialty meds are affecting the market
  • The intricacies of Genetically-engineered drugs.

Featured On The Show:

Listen To The Full Interview:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Enjoy The Show?

Subscribe-with-iTunes-small Subscribe-with-Stitcher-small

Back to top