8 Millennial Trends Shaping the Future of Digital Health

1.    Using telehealth options (e.g., video chat with a doctor) so they don’t have to come into the office for an appointment (60%)

2.    Doctor/provider giving them a mobile app on their smartphone/tablet to actively manage their well-being for preventative care, review health records. (71%)

3.    Proactively providing their health data from WiFi/wearable devices to their doctor/provider so they can monitor their well-being. (63%)

4.    Online reviews from other patients when selecting a doctor. (76%)

5.    Ability to book online appointments/ pay bills when selecting a doctor. (74%)

6.    Doctors using mobile devices during appointments to share information. (73%)

7.    3D printing for devices necessary health (prosthetics, hearing aids etc.) (61%)

8.    Cutting-edge devices like pills that can monitor their internal vitals when swallowed. (57%)

Source: HIT Consultant

Top 15 hospitals in U.S. for heart surgery

1.    Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, Mass.

2.    Borgess Medical Center, Kalamazoo, Mich.

3.    Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland

4.    The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano, Plano, Texas

5.    Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center, Clackamas, Ore.

6.    Kaleida Health (Gates Vascular Institute at Buffalo General Medical Center), Buffalo, N.Y.

7.    Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler, Tyler, Texas

8.    St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ypsilanti, Mich.

9.    St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center, Syracuse, N.Y.

10.  St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana, Indianapolis

11.  Sequoia Hospital, Redwood City, Calif.

12.  Spectrum Health - Grand Rapids (Meijer Heart Center), Grand Rapids, Mich.

13.  Swedish Medical Center-Cherry Hill Campus, Seattle

14.  UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, Mass.

15.  Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, N.J.

Source: Consumer Reports

Top 10 Employee Questions on Private Exchange Enrollment

1.    Which plan has the lowest cost?

2.    What are the copays for the medical plans being offered?

3.    Why do my health plan options have high deductibles?

4.    What's the difference between gold, silver, bronze and safety net plans?

5.    What do I need to do to earn my wellness dollars?

6.    How do I know if my doctors are part of the plan I choose?

7.    What’s the difference between an HRA, HSA and FSA?

8.    What does the prescription drug plan cover?

9.    What are the differences between insurers?

10.  If I want to keep the same plan I had last year, do I need to do anything?

Source: Towers Watson

Quote of the Day

The federal government's recent action to seek a $1 million fine from a compliance officer in connection with a criminal case against MoneyGram International "is every compliance officer's worst nightmare. It points out how vulnerable compliance officers can be. You have all the responsibility and never enough authority."


— Kim Greene, chief compliance officer for Boston Medical Center, told AIS's Report on Medicare Compliance.

Today's Datapoint

53% of the 8.4 million people who selected a plan for 2015 on the federally facilitated exchanges were new enrollees, according to CMS.

According to a recent report on prescription drug trends in 2014 in the U.S.:

• The amount spent on prescription drugs increased 13.1% in 2014, the largest annual increase since 2003
• There was a 30.9% increase in spending on specialty medications, although the use of specialty drugs increased only 5.8%
• Prices for traditional medications rose 6.5%, while prices for specialty medications rose 25.2%
• Specialty medications represented only 1% of prescriptions, but comprised 31.8% of all 2014 drug spending

Source: "The 2014 Drug Trend Report Highlights, " Express Scripts, March 2015, http://lab.express-scripts.com/drug-trend-report/

Average 2015 Deductibles for ACA Plans

According to the March 2015 edition of Insurance News Net Magazine:

Individual Average Annual Deductible

• Bronze - $5,181
• Silver - $2,927
• Gold - $1,198
• Platinum - $243

Family Average Annual Deductible

• Bronze - $10,545
• Silver - $6,010
• Gold - $2,626
• Platinum - $489

Source: Insurance News Net