2022 Health and Productivity Forum Highlights Challenges of Remote Work, High-Cost Therapies, and More

The 2022 IBI/Conference Board Health and Productivity Forum was held September 28-29 in Chicago. The Forum focused on a holistic value proposition for health and wellbeing and facilitated discussions of the program components that underpin employee health and wellbeing, aligning the interests of employees and employers in a new framework.

Themes that consistently emerged in the sessions included: the hybrid/remote workforce, coverage strategies for high-cost therapies and specialty drugs, social determinants of work, and effective strategies for designing employee health and wellness programs. Some highlights from sessions include:

• The Autonomy Paradox: The Key to Solving Work from Home Challenges with Christopher Kroger, Lincoln Financial Group, and IBI President Kelly McDevitt, which touched on the benefits and challenges of working from home. They focused on the Autonomy Paradox, a conceptual lens that helps to understand the origins of these challenges. They also discussed how this viewpoint can be used to develop, implement, and refine solutions to improve productivity, decrease stress and retain valued employees.
• Leading Employer-Driven Models in Pharmacy Benefits & Specialty Drugs & Coverage Strategies for High-Cost Therapies with Cheryl Larson of Midwest Business Group on Health, Jason Parrot of Vida Health, Sandra Morris of Get the Medications Right Institute, and Kelly McDevitt. In this presentation, speakers discussed strategies and potential solutions that support employers in their efforts to pay for high-cost therapies through medical and pharmacy benefits.
• Chronic Illness and High Claimants Are Driving Absence and Health Care Costs: Let’s Discuss the Tools Needed to Manage These Cost Drivers with Marybeth Gray of MarshMcLennan, Patricia Madden and Pete Tully of NTN Bearings and the chair of IBI’s Board, Phil Lacy. Presenters discussed how to use innovative technology and tools to engage and incent employees to improve care, reduce absenteeism, and manage health care costs among employees with chronic illness.
• Why Delivering Effective Health Care Drives Better Success for Your Business with Julie Hawick of Boeing, and Jason Parrot and Kevin Knight of Vida Health. Panelists shared how employees who use virtual chronic care programs make effective behavior changes to sustain positive health outcomes. They said, “the goal is to strike the right balance between health, experience and the bottom line.”
• The Importance of Embracing Everyone – Those Suffering, Struggling and Thriving, with Kristen Ford and Erin Kirchhardt of Magellan, Dean Ramirez of Orchard Park Central School District and Seth Schuchman of Gallup, discussed how to measure and address employee wellbeing in more personalized and meaningful way. They went on to explain how this more personalized approach will support goals of engagement, retention, and both personal and business growth. They used results from the Gallup survey to demonstrate how wellbeing plays out in emotional, social, career, financial, physical, and community arenas. Based on this information, they were able to deliver interventions that improved employee wellbeing across these factors. This strategy reduces the disease burden and costs of the employee, while also increasing engagement and productivity.

 The 2022 Health and Productivity Forum brought together hundreds of employers, suppliers, HR executives, and leaders to share their expertise and experience. Speakers discussed both established and emerging topics in the current environment ranging from healthcare, wellness, benefit design and cost, to the importance of an engaged leadership. Attendees rated the presentations 4.65 out of 5, clearly demonstrating the value of the time spent together in the Forum.