Consolidate Improvements and Build on Gains

Part 9 of a series on Change Management in Health Benefits

Until the new health plan is fully embedded into the organization, the risk of regression remains. You know what kind of barriers to look out for and how to overcome them – especially through communication – but the next step is to really cement progress by consolidating gains and implementing further transformation. 

A good indicator that this has happened is when other benefits transformation stakeholders begin to share your passion for the improvement effort. When Jane in IT has a surgery with no co-pays or deductibles, or when John in Operations can access his care team 24/7, word-of-mouth buzz begins. 

Of course, achieving this is easier said than done, and there will inevitably be setbacks along the way. However, there are ways to make sure progress isn’t undone by complacency.

The first is to always be on the lookout for naysayers. It’s quite possible that someone isn’t thrilled by the health benefits transformation, but – at least for the time being – has decided to go along with it. If their doubts or negative thoughts go on unaddressed, they could quickly fester and spread, waiting to pop up in full vengeance mode when opportunity strikes, aka when someone sharing similar sentiments finally unearths them. 

A small spat of resistance is easier to overcome than an explosion. So, even when things seem to be going well, leaders should be watchful. They should never stop asking for feedback, and never stop reiterating important information. 

Positive progress is a start, but sometimes individuals will need a little more encouragement. Leaders can offer them just that through mid-cycle benefits improvement that add even more value to the health plan. 

Not all additional benefits have to be expensive. For example:

• One employer made free diapers and wipes available for two years for parents choosing the high-value birthing center in their community. Note: The plan was restricted from excluding the price-gouging behemoth health system so they had to find a creative workaround. 
• A professional services firm recognized that the best bill reviewer is the patient and their family. Any plan member who found a billing error the employer would have had to pay received a bonus equal to 20% of the savings. One individual found a $200,000 billing error that the organization was about to pay, and as a result, they received a check for $40,000. After that, no one could ignore how out-of-control many hospital billing practices are.
• A manufacturer added a new Transparent Open Network (TON) benefit and educated employees about how it worked. The contrast shocked them. They saw that most traditional insurers include a PPO discount that doesn’t actually reduce prices, and that most also distribute Explanations of Benefits that are incomprehensible and threaten to send plan participants to collections. With the TON, participants started small, using it for just labs and imaging, but eventually saw that the biggest savings came from surgeries: Before, they would have had a $2,500 out-of-pocket cost, but with the TON, they had zero. 
• A large retailer rolled out a cancer-specific concierge service that helped members navigate this difficult treatment and recovery process. With reduced financial and clinical anxiety, these cancer patients had improved health outcomes and significantly lower costs. 
• An auto dealer lowered costs and gave employees a month without premiums – an amazing deal that had other auto dealers clamoring for the same success after the story got out..

It pays to be proactive and always striving to provide more, better. This attitude keeps leaders from throwing in the towel too early, and most importantly keeps them from having wasted time on a transformation that doesn’t stick. 

If leaders are successful in consolidating improvements and building on gains, soon the “new way of doing things” will become the “way we do things around here.” And if leaders really want that to be the case, they’ll need to stick around for my final post in this series: anchoring change into culture.

Earlier pieces in the series

Part 1: I Think I’ve Figured Out Why It’s So Hard to Really Treat Employees Like They’re Your Most Valuable Asset

Part 2: Creating a Sense of Urgency — Why Change Now?

Part 3: How Great Leaders Inspire Action: Developing a Vision for Better Benefits

Part 4: To Ensure Benefits Success, Grassroots Support is Vital

Part 5: Sustain Change and Encourage Progress Using Short-Term Wins

Part 6: Be on the Lookout for these Barriers to Change

Part 7: Step by Step: Breaking Down Change Barriers

Part 8: 100 Voices > 1: The Absolute Necessity of More Communication Than You Think You Need

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Dave Chase is the co-founder of the Health Rosetta (a LEED-like organization for healthcare), and author of the book, “The Opioid Crisis Wake-up Call: Health Care is Stealing the American Dream. Here's How We Take it Back.” Follow the link to the book for a free download of the book. Chase's TEDx talk was entitled "Healthcare stole the American Dream -- here's how we take it back." See the Health Rosetta website for how to get involved, resources and how to join others to support its mission.

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