| By Laura Carabello Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems, has announced that it now offers approximately 83,000 of its non-union employees and retirees, and their eligible dependents, the opportunity to travel to the Cleveland Clinic for its cardiac care specialty program. The program covers comprehensive treatment for certain cardiac conditions, such as heart-valve replacements, coronary bypass procedures and other non-emergency cardiac procedures. “The program is available for our US-based non-union employees and non-Medicare-eligible retirees and their covered dependents enrolled in Boeing medical plans administered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, United Healthcare, Aetna and Cigna,” says Joe Tedino, Corporate HR Communications, Boeing. “While the program is initially open to non-union, we would eventually like all employees to have access to this specialized care.” The aim of this specialty care benefit is to ensure that employees and their dependents have access to high-quality cardiac care from a leading medical facility with a proven track record of specialized cardiac care. Known for its sophisticated care and exceptional outcomes for heart surgery, the Cleveland Clinic has served as a pioneer in domestic medical travel partnerships with large employers. Lowe’s, the nation’s second largest home-improvement retailer, offers its full-time employees and covered dependents heart surgery at the Cleveland Clinic for no out-of-pocket costs. Recently, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced that the Cleveland Clinic will serve as one of four Centers of Excellence for its COE Program for insured workers who need heart surgery. Boeing and the Cleveland Clinic have a decades-long relationship, with the two working jointly to find innovative ways to deliver high-value healthcare for Boeing’s employees, retirees and families, including a program to manage healthcare for workers with chronic conditions. This program has significantly reduced hospital admissions, days of hospitalization and absenteeism, while also cutting direct costs of care by more than 20 percent, according to the Seattle Times. Cost Advantages The primary motivation for large employers to adopt a domestic medical travel option is to meet goals for keeping costs under control while moving toward paying for quality care – rather than simply paying per service. Such programs give employees a significant cost advantage on heart procedures, as well as free travel and lodging. Employers benefit from a fixed-price menu for complex, often unpredictably expensive surgeries. Terry White, president, BridgeHealth Medical, Inc., provider of SurgeryPathSM , a proactive program designed to help self-insured companies manage and control their surgery costs, says, “Contracting with hospitals known for high quality has shown promising results in avoiding unnecessary surgeries, which is meaningful, given that large and small employers alike face the same burdensome costs of surgery. In addition to partnering with COEs, a growing number of employer organizations are beginning to focus on educating members about surgery implications and alternatives to achieve quality, cost-effective care.” In the Boeing program, patients who need certain cardiac procedures, such as valve replacements and bypass surgery, have access to care for little or no out-of-pocket expense, according to theSeattle Times. The fixed-price, bundled-payment arrangement gives the self-insured company additional predictability because all expenses for a given procedure are wrapped into one payment. Patients can choose other medical centers but would likely pay more, in keeping with the provisions of their individual insurance plan. |
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