Your ideas inspire better health benefits

This past fall, the CU Health and Welfare Trust reached out to all CU Health Plan participants to learn about how we could better their CU Health Plan and patient care experiences for Fiscal Year 2015.

It was communicated that the greatest consideration would be given to ideas most likely to be cost-neutral or that would result in cost savings and followed the submission criteria below:

• List the recommendation(s)
• Identify the population who would potentially benefit from the idea (e.g., dependent children with asthma, adults with lower back pain, etc.)
• State how the idea (1) improves the health care benefits or care delivered, or (2) enhances the patient experience
• The improvement(s) related to the idea must have measurable outcomes
• The idea should be supported by medical evidence

Ideas received from CU Health Plan participants employed by University of Colorado, University of Colorado Hospital Authority and University Physicians Inc. were accepted and synthesized into a smaller group for review by the three employers. Of the 167 submissions, the top entries still under consideration fit into one of the following eight categories:

1. Alternative care
2. Removing the need for referrals
3. Expansion of Boulder providers
4. Changes to prescription and pharmacy
5. Creation of an open network
6. HSA (Health Savings Account)
7. Delta Dental
8. Additions to the wellness program

Currently, the trust is evaluating the feasibility of each idea; outcomes will be communicated to employees early this spring.