There are places where you expect things to be noisy, such as a rock concert, and places where you expect it to be quiet, like an office. And while nobody likes being “shushed,” there are few things more annoying than trying to work when someone else is talking in the background.
The ‘80s music group ‘Til Tuesday said it best: “Hush hush, keep it down now, voices carry.” An article in Human Resource Executive Online titled, “A Not-So-Quiet Little Problem: Noise!,” points out the current problem of modern, open offices—NOISE. When offices had doors, or at least cubicles, along with sound-absorbing carpeting and ceiling tiles, background noise wasn’t such a problem. Now, however, offices are wide open with nothing to block sound waves. Combine that with hardwood, or concrete floors, lots of glass and tall, echoing ceilings, and you’ve got the perfect storm for noise pollution.
Forward-thinking, or technology companies especially like open offices, and you can imagine what it sounds like with people talking on the phone, banging away at their keyboards, and conversing with each other. According to the article, nobody considers the acoustics of a room. They look at how beautiful, modern, and spacious it is. Then, once the room is filled with busy employees, the shock of its lack of tranquility sets in.
Employees become distracted by the noise, which in turn leads to reduced productivity. You can tell a lot about the noise level of an office by how many employees are wearing headphones. For workers to feel “healthy” at work, noise is a major factor, along with air quality and temperature. There are many ways to fix a noisy office if you follow the A, B, Cs—absorb, block, cover. Materials can be placed to absorb noise, walls or furniture can be positioned to block noise, and there are electronic devices that use counter-measures to cover noise. The industry, office layout, and other factors will influence the choice of the best solution to mitigate noise. One thing is certain: when choosing a new office, or remodeling an existing one, it’s best to factor in a room’s acoustics along with its aesthetics.
By Geoff Mukhtar
Originally posted by www.UBABenefits.com
The importance of health and wellness in the workplace is more apparent than ever. It’s obvious why healthy individuals make better employees and the positive impact this has on your bottom line. When thinking about building a program to improve the well-being of your employees, don’t forget about the importance of their financial health.
In recent years, studies show that employees have a wide range of financial concerns that affect their work. Some financial issues are widespread, impacting a large number of employees, while others may be more unique based on an employee’s specific circumstances.
Financial stress in the workplace influences productivity, absenteeism, physical health, emotional well-being, and the overall happiness of employees. Nearly 25 percent of employees confirm personal finance issues are a distraction at work and 39 percent say they spend three hours or more each week at work dealing with personal financial issues.1
Some of the biggest financial stressors impacting employees today include:
Student loan debt – 2 million Americans collectively owe $1.3 trillion in student loans – that’s more than credit card and auto loan debt, and second only to mortgage debt 2
Retirement savings – 56 percent of Americans have less than $10,000 in retirement savings 3
Emergency funds – 46 percent are unable to cover a $400 emergency 4
Other debt – 48 percent of Americans have more credit card debt than savings 5
Unfortunately, financial stress can go unnoticed because it is usually not as openly discussed or addressed. Discussing personal finance with co-workers and even family members is still considered difficult for many. This makes it even more important to have a program in place to educate and empower your employees to make positive financial decisions.
There are a wide variety of financial wellness programs and services available. When developing a program, be sure that you include both educational resources and tools that support behavioral change.
Educational resources – Education is the backbone to any financial wellness program. Remember, financial issues can impact anyone in your company and not everyone learns the same way. Offer a variety of resources including workshops, seminars, books, online courses and access to financial consultations. It’s important to assure employees that they are in a safe environment where they can learn and feel comfortable asking questions and seeking more information.
Empowering behavioral change – Financial wellness doesn’t stop with education. Worksheets, budgeting tools, financial consultants, loan repayment plans and retirement savings plans are all tools that aid employees in making long-term behavioral changes that improve their financial health. Celebrating the small successes early on will help employees commit to making more long-term changes. Be sure to have programs in place that offer the tools and resources needed for employees to set goals, change their behavior and celebrate their success.
Consult with your Employee Assistance Program about resources they may have to help you develop a financial wellness program and empower your employees to get on the path to financial health. 1 PricewaterhouseCoopers, “Employee Financial Wellness Survey,” 2014, page 11 2 Friedman, Zack, “Student Loan Debt in 2017: A $1.3 Trillion Crisis,” Forbes.com, February, 21, 2017, https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2017/02/21/student-loan-debt-statistics-2017/#6d7983a05dab 3 GOBankingRates, “How Much Americans Have Saved for Retirement Survey,” 2016 4 Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, “Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2015,” May 2016, p. 22. 5 Bankrate, “Bankrate Financial Security Index,” 2017
In previous posts, I have talked about several aspects of strategic benefits communication. Now it’s time to put those strategies into action. As we approach enrollment season, let’s look at five key steps to ensuring this year’s open enrollment is successful for you and your employees. 1. Determine your key objectives
What do employees need to know this enrollment season? As you review your benefit plan designs, think once again about your key objectives, and for each, how you will make employees aware and keep them engaged. What are the challenges employees face when making their benefits decisions?
Are you rolling out new medical plan options? Does this include HDHP options? An HSA? Are there changes in premiums and contribution levels?
Are there any changes to other lines of coverage such as dental, life insurance, disability insurance?
Are you adding new voluntary plans this year? How do they integrate with your medical plans? Do they plug gaps in high deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses? Are there existing voluntary plans with low participation?
Are there other important topics to share with employees, like new wellness programs, or health-driven employee events?
Once you’ve gathered this information, you can develop a communication strategy that will better engage employees in the benefits decision-making process. 2. Perfect your script
What do you know about your employee demographics? Diversity doesn’t refer only to age or gender. It could mean family size, differences in physical demands of the job, income levels, or simply lifestyle. It isn’t a one-size-fits-all world anymore. As you educate employees on benefits, you will want to give examples that fit their lives.
You will also want to keep the explanations as simple as possible. Use as much plain language as you can, as opposed to “insurance speak” and acronyms. Benefit plans are already an overwhelming decision, and as we have seen in our research, employees still don’t fully understand their options. 3. Use a multi-faceted communications strategy
Sun Life research and experience has shown that the most appreciated and effective strategies incorporate multiple methodologies. One helpful tactic is to get a jump-start on enrollment communication. As enrollment season approaches, try dynamic pre-enrollment emails to all employees, using videos or brochures. Once on-site enrollment begins, set up group meetings based on employee demographics. This will arm employees with better knowledge and prepared questions for their one-to-one meeting with a benefits counselor.
Consider hard-to-reach employees as well, and keep your websites updated with helpful links and provide contacts who are available by phone for additional support.
Also, look to open enrollment as a good time to fill any employee data gaps you may have, like beneficiaries, dependents, or emergency contacts. 4. Check your tech!
We have talked in previous posts about leveraging benefits administration technology for effective communications. For open enrollment, especially when you may be introducing new voluntary insurance plans, it is important to check your technology. I recommend this evaluation take place at least 6 to 8 weeks before open enrollment if possible.
Working with your UBA advisor, platform vendor and insurance carriers, some key considerations:
Provide voluntary product specifications from your carrier to your platform vendor. It is important to check up front that the platform can handle product rules such as issue age and age band pricing, age reduction, benefit/tier changes and guarantee issue rules. Also, confirm how the system will handle evidence of insurability processing, if needed.
Electronic Data Interface (EDI). Confirm with your platform partner as well as insurance carriers that there is an EDI set-up process that includes testing of file feeds. This is a vital step to ensure seamless integration between your benefits administration platform, payroll and the insurance carriers.
User Experience. Often benefits administration platforms are very effective at moving data and helping you manage your company’s benefits. As we have discussed, when it comes to your employee’s open enrollment user experience, there can be some challenges. Especially when you are offering voluntary benefits. Confirm with your vendor what, if any, decision support tools are available. Also, check with your voluntary carriers. These could range from benefit calculators, product videos, and even logic-driven presentations.
5. Keep it going
Even when enrollment season is over, ongoing benefits communications are a central tool to keeping employees informed, educated, and engaged. The small window of enrollment season may not be long enough for people to get a full grasp of their benefits needs, and often their decisions are driven by what is easily understood or what they think they need based on other people’s choices. Ongoing communications can be about specific benefits, wellness programs, or other health and benefit related items. This practice will also help new hires who need to make benefits decisions rather quickly.
In summary, work with your UBA consultant to customize benefits and enrollment communications. Leverage resources from your provider, who may, as Sun Life does, offer turnkey services that support communication, engagement, and enrollment. Explore third-party vendors that offer platforms to support the process. The whole thing can seem daunting, but following these steps and considerations will not only make the process easier for you, it will make a world of difference to your employees.
By Kevin D. Seeker
Originally Published By United Benefit Advisors
It’s not surprising that 2017 stands to be the year many will have an experience to share using a Telemedicine or a Virtual Doctor service. With current market trends, government regulations, and changing economic demands, it’s fast becoming a more popular alternative to traditional healthcare visits. And, as healthcare costs continue to rise and there are more strategic pricing options and digital models available to users, the appeal for consumers, self-funded employers, health systems and health plans to jump on board is significant.
Check out this short video and contact us to learn more!
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued its Man-in-the Middle Attacks and “HTTPS Inspection Products” guidance. The OCR warns organizations that have implemented end-to-end connection security on their internet connections using Secure Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTPS) about using HTTPS interception products to detect malware over an HTTPS connection because the HTTPS interception products may leave the organization vulnerable to man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks. In an MITM attack, a third party intercepts internet communications between two parties; in some instances, the third party may modify the information or alter the communication by injecting malicious code.
OCR provides a partial list of products that may be affected. Also, OCR provides a method that organizations can use to determine if their HTTPS interception product properly validates certificates and prevents connections to sites using weak cryptography.
OCR emphasized that covered entities and business associates must consider the risks presented to the electronic protected health information (ePHI) transmitted over HTTPS. Further, OCR encouraged covered entities and business associates to review OCR’s recommendations for valid encryption processes to ensure that ePHI is not unsecured and the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team’s recommendations on protecting internet communications and preventing MITM attacks. HIPAA Enforcement in the News
Below is a round up of the settlements recently in the news related to ePHI. OCR Announces HIPAA Settlement for Impermissible Disclosure of ePHI, Insufficient Risk Analysis, and Insufficient Risk Management Processes
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced its $2.5 million settlement with a wireless health services provider for impermissible disclosure of ePHI. OCR’s investigation revealed that the provider had insufficient risk analysis and risk management processes in place at the time of the impermissible disclosure, including failing to implement policies and procedures regarding ePHI safeguards. The settlement requires the provider to implement a corrective action plan. OCR Announces HIPAA Settlement for Insufficient Security Management Process for ePHI
OCR announced its $400,000 settlement with a federally qualified health center (FQHC) based on the FQHC’s failure to have a security management process, including risk analyses sufficient to meet the Security Rule’s requirements. The settlement requires the FQHC to implement a corrective action plan. OCR’s announcement also provided a link to its guidance on the Security Rule. OCR Announces HIPAA Settlement for Failure to Have Business Associate Agreements
OCR announced its $31,000 settlement with a small, for-profit health care provider based on the provider’s failure to produce a signed business associate agreement with its business associate who stored records containing PHI. The settlement requires the provider to implement a corrective action plan. Employers Ask…
UBA’s question of the month from employers addressed breach notification requirements: Q. Under what circumstances do HIPAA’s breach notification requirements not apply when a breach of protected health information (PHI) occurs? A. Generally, breach notification must be provided when a breach of unsecured PHI is discovered. HHS provides only two methods of creating “secured PHI” that would not be subject to the notification requirements if there is a breach:
Encryption
Destruction
This means that if PHI/ePHI is encrypted or destroyed and a breach occurs, HIPAA’s notification requirements are not triggered. By Danielle Capilla
Originally Posted By www.ubabenefits.com
In January 2017, an NBC news investigation found that an “epidemic” of opioid abuse had helped turn the once-prosperous city of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, into “the most unhappy place in America.” Working in the epicenter of the “scourge” that had resulted in 137 fatal overdoses in a county of only 318,000 people in 2016, the coroner reported that opioid addiction was “eating away at the core of society.”1 Although an extreme example, Wilkes Barre’s unhappy experience is being repeated in communities throughout the United States, resulting in problems that you probably recognize—and a few that you may not be aware of.
One widely recognized effect of the opioid use epidemic is its cost. Nationwide, the total economic burden of opioid abuse is estimated at approximately $78.5 billion annually, of which approximately $29 billion represent increased health care costs and substance abuse treatment.2 On average, commercial insurers spend more than $40 per member per year (PMPY) on narcotic painkillers today, compared with $22 PMPY about a decade ago.3 Medical costs are affected as well. Among opioid-treated employees on workers’ compensation or short-term disability for a work-related injury, health care costs for addicts exceed those of non-addicts by about $10,000 annually.4 And costs may creep up in unforeseen ways. For example, the cost of one auto-injector that “talks” users through the process of administering life-saving naloxone, an emergency treatment for opioid overdose, has increased six-fold in the past two years, from $690 to $4,500 for a pack of two.5
A related effect is threat to safety. From 1993 to 2010, the number of emergency department visits for drug overdose approximately tripled, from seven to 27 per 100,000 population.6 Although less commonly discussed, combining opioids and benzodiazepines (e.g., alprazolam, clonazepam) is particularly dangerous and increasingly common. From 2004 to 2011, emergency department visits and deaths involving this combination approximately tripled in volume.7 Less commonly discussed among benefits managers, but well known to law enforcement, is use of drugs by persons to whom they were not prescribed, known as “diversion,” often by theft.8-10 Additionally, people who use prescription opioids that become addicted, and can no longer afford them, commonly turn to heroin.9 All of these problems diminish both the well-being and productivity of employees, as well as quality of life in surrounding communities.
How can an employer address these critically important problems? Here are some tips to help you get started. Measure, intervene, monitor. As with any benefits issue, the critically important first step is to determine the extent of the problem. Employers may analyze their own data or may choose to request the necessary reports from a pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) or vendor. In addition to standard measures, such as PMPY claims and expenditures, morphine-milligram equivalents (MMEs) are an important metric. MMEs translate the dosages for all opioid products into a morphine-equivalent value, making it easy to identify abusing enrollees using cut-offs provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).11 For example, 40 milligrams of oxycodone daily, times the MME multiplier of 1.5 for that drug, translates to 60 MMEs per day, which exceeds the 50 MME per day standard at which the risk of overdose is more than doubled.11 To obtain the MME calculators, visit the CDC website.
Employers may wish to consider interventions, such as those that have been employed successfully by some payers and PBMs, with enrollees exceeding CDC MME standards.12-14 If possible, use of integrated medical-pharmacy data in making these assessments is highly recommended to avoid applying MME standards to patients for whom high daily doses of opioids may be medically necessary, such as those in hospice care.
After implementing any initiatives, monitor results and, when necessary, make adjustments to metrics and algorithms so that the intended objectives are achieved. Consider quantity education and limits. Although the causes of opioid abuse are multifaceted, experts agree that a key factor is opioid oversupply, often because excessive quantities are prescribed for minor surgeries.15-17 Unused medication often sits for long periods of time in medicine cabinets, becoming a prime target for theft.16 Employers may wish to educate prescribers about prudent quantity limits for relief of pain that is expected to be short-term (e.g., wisdom tooth removal for older adolescents). Additionally, limits on quantity dispensed per claim, especially for a first opioid prescription, are a common-sense step. Tell employees about “take-back” initiatives. Many communities offer “take-back” programs, which allow for the return of unused controlled substances on a “no-questions asked” basis. Monitoring and publishing the dates of these programs may help employees safely dispose of drug supply that may put them and others at risk. Don’t forget other controlled substances, especially benzodiazepines and stimulants. These drugs also pose risks and are subject to abuse.
References
1 Siemaszko C. Wilkes Barre faces heroin scourge turning it into “the most unhappy place in America.” NBC News. January 9, 2017.
2 Florence CS, Zhou C, Luo F, Xu L. The economic burden of prescription opioid overdose, abuse, and dependence in the United States, 2013. Med Care. 2016;54(10):901-906.
3 Express Scripts drug trend reports: 2015 and 2006.
4 Johnston SS, Alexander AH, Masters ET, et al. Costs and work loss burden of diagnosed opioid abuse among employees on workers compensation or short-term disability. J Occup Environ Med. 2016;58(11):1087-1097.
5 Luthra S. Getting patients hooked on an opioid overdose antidote, then raising the price. Kaiser Health News. January 30, 2017.
6 Hasegawa K, Espinola JA, Brown DF, Camargo CA Jr. Trends in U.S. emergency department visits for opioid overdose, 1993-2010. Pain Med. 2014;15(10):1765-1770.
7 Jones CM, McAninch JK. Emergency department visits and overdose deaths from combined use of opioids and benzodiazepines. Am J Prev Med. 2015;49(4):493-501.
8 Lawrence J. Opioid abuse fuels Capital Region thefts. Times Union. March 19, 2016.
9 Goslee K. Faces of the opioid crisis: police say increased heroin use impacts the entire community. Fox 61. November 17, 2016.
10 Canham M. Feds probe massive theft of opioids from Salt Lake City’s VA hospital. Salt Lake Tribune. March 8, 2016.
12 Aetna. Aetna study shows decrease in prescription drug misuse, waste and abuse through increased monitoring. March 8, 2013.
13 Prime Therapeutics. Prime Therapeutics releases studies on efforts to reduce opioid abuse, misuse. April 19, 2016.
14 Kelly LF. PBMs use new CMS opioid overutilization initiative to strengthen DUR programs. Drug Benefit News. October 11, 2013.
15 Dryden J. Doctors recommend prescribing fewer opioids after surgery. theSource. April 27, 2016.
16 Bates C, Laciak R, Southwick A, Bishoff J. Overprescription of postoperative narcotics: a look at postoperative pain medication delivery, consumption and disposal in urological practice. J Urol. 2011;185:551-555.
17 Kirschner N, Ginsburg J, Sulmasy LS, et al. Prescription drug abuse: executive summary of a policy position paper from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2014;160(3):198.
