Health Advocacy Programs: What’s New In Employee Benefits?
Tips to help employees become savvier healthcare consumers
Posted on 11-26-2018, Read Time: Min
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As the high cost of health insurance continues to challenge employers, more companies are turning to group high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) to contain costs. HDHPs push employees to make smarter healthcare choices since their out-of-pocket costs are typically higher. To make this transition less painful for employees, many progressive employers are also offering tools and resources to help employees become savvier healthcare consumers.
One of those resources: health advocacy services. According to a recent Mercer survey on employee benefits trends, 56% of large employers now offer such programs, and small businesses are following suit. Because health advocacy programs benefit both employees and employers, it should be on every employer’s radar.
How Health Advocacy Programs Work
Health advocates—also called private patient advocates or nurse advocates (because many are RNs)-- work as private consultants, guiding patients through the complex world of modern healthcare.
When employers hire a health advocacy firm to serve employees, they can structure the arrangement of any number of ways. The health advocate may be located onsite or offsite and may come in on a set schedule to meet with employees. Services are wide-ranging and may provide a variety of benefits to employees.
When employers hire a health advocacy firm to serve employees, they can structure the arrangement of any number of ways. The health advocate may be located onsite or offsite and may come in on a set schedule to meet with employees. Services are wide-ranging and may provide a variety of benefits to employees.
- A Knowledgeable Resource: Health advocates can act as a confidential resource for employees, answering general healthcare and insurance-related questions and offering recommendations and emotional support.
- A Research Aid: Sifting through lists of in-network providers and reading reviews to find a health professional who might be a good fit can be a daunting task. Health advocates can make that process simpler by helping employees research and select medical providers, including physicians, home care services and nursing homes for aging parents.
- A Financial Advisor: Medical services are not something people typically consider shopping around for. The truth is, comparable services can often vary widely in cost. However, how does the average person know if the best deal is really the best deal for them? Health advocates can provide the knowledge base needed to make cost-saving decisions that don’t compromise health.
- A Medical Liaison: Processing everything a physician says and asking the right questions is no easy task, especially when you don’t have a medical background. Health advocates can act as the go-between, taking what a doctor says and explaining health conditions and treatment options in layman’s terms.
- A Trusted Confidant: Health advocates can help employees deal with sensitive personal and family problems, such as mental health and substance abuse issues.
- An In-House Educator: Employees can learn valuable, reliable healthcare information from health advocates who host regular Lunch & Learn sessions or offer other presentations to employees, educating them on relevant healthcare topics.
Benefits for Employees
For employees, having an outside healthcare expert available for private consultation can help them use their healthcare and insurance benefits more wisely while minimizing the frustration of operating outside their element.
Health advocates can help employees get a handle on difficult health issues while reducing the stress that can spill over into the workplace, negatively affecting performance.
Because health advocates are not company employees and are extremely well-versed on privacy protocols, employees can confide in them with confidence, knowing that what they say won’t get back to the employer.
Health advocates can help employees get a handle on difficult health issues while reducing the stress that can spill over into the workplace, negatively affecting performance.
Because health advocates are not company employees and are extremely well-versed on privacy protocols, employees can confide in them with confidence, knowing that what they say won’t get back to the employer.
Benefits for Employers
Offering health advocacy service benefits employers in multiple ways. For one thing, it can actually bring health insurance costs down as employees become more knowledgeable about healthcare. (Practicing good wellness care, for example, reduces catastrophic medical costs in the long run.)
Simultaneously, health advocacy programs can improve employee satisfaction with the company’s employee benefit plan, while serving as a powerful hiring and retention tool.
Health advocacy programs save busy HR departments time and effort since employees can now direct many general health insurance questions to an advocate instead of the human resources staff.
Simultaneously, health advocacy programs can improve employee satisfaction with the company’s employee benefit plan, while serving as a powerful hiring and retention tool.
Health advocacy programs save busy HR departments time and effort since employees can now direct many general health insurance questions to an advocate instead of the human resources staff.
Solving the Employee Caregiving Problem
Health advocates can also help employees ease their stress and better manage the time they spend caring for an aging parent. This is a significant issue for a huge number of employees. According to an AARP study, 42% of U.S. workers now care for an aging parent. It’s a very real problem, one that costs U.S. businesses up to $33.6 billion per year in lost productivity.
Many caregiving employees end up opting out of the workforce prematurely. That not only reduces employees’ incomes but costs the companies they work for as well. The cost of losing a valued employee can range from 150%-200% of annual salary, according to Josh Bersin of Bersin by Deloitte. That includes the cost of hiring and onboarding a replacement, training, lost productivity and its negative impact on co-workers.
This is another area where health advocates can be invaluable. They can help adult children find and evaluate alternative caregiving arrangements—be it a home health service, senior day care, or skilled nursing facility—that fits the family budget.
Not only will the elderly family member receive superior care, but the employee will also enjoy peace of mind, knowing their loved one is in good hands. And, the employer gets a productive, grateful employee. It’s just one-way health advocacy services can be a win/win for all.
Whether helping employees manage their own healthcare or guiding them through the process with family members, health advocacy services are a sure-fire way to help employees ease the strain of navigating today’s increasingly complicated healthcare system—and make them healthier and happier employees.
Many caregiving employees end up opting out of the workforce prematurely. That not only reduces employees’ incomes but costs the companies they work for as well. The cost of losing a valued employee can range from 150%-200% of annual salary, according to Josh Bersin of Bersin by Deloitte. That includes the cost of hiring and onboarding a replacement, training, lost productivity and its negative impact on co-workers.
This is another area where health advocates can be invaluable. They can help adult children find and evaluate alternative caregiving arrangements—be it a home health service, senior day care, or skilled nursing facility—that fits the family budget.
Not only will the elderly family member receive superior care, but the employee will also enjoy peace of mind, knowing their loved one is in good hands. And, the employer gets a productive, grateful employee. It’s just one-way health advocacy services can be a win/win for all.
Whether helping employees manage their own healthcare or guiding them through the process with family members, health advocacy services are a sure-fire way to help employees ease the strain of navigating today’s increasingly complicated healthcare system—and make them healthier and happier employees.
Author Bio
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Teri Dreher, RN, CCRN, iRNPA, BCPA, is an award-winning RN patient advocate and a pioneer in the growing field of private patient advocacy. A critical care nurse for more than 30 years, today she is owner/founder of NShore Patient Advocates, the largest advocacy company in the Chicago area. She was awarded her industry’s highest honor, The APHA H. Kenneth Schueler Patient Advocacy Compass Award. She is among the first in her industry to earn the credential of Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA). Her book, “Patient Advocacy Matters,” is now in its second printing.
Visit www.northshorern.comConnect Teri Dreher Follow @TeriDreher |
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