DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Municipalities Colleges Schools Insurance Group (MCSIG) has saved millions of dollars over the last four years, all while continuing to deliver higher-quality surgical care to its members through BridgeHealth, an industry-leading provider of Surgical Centers of Excellence.
In 2010, MCSIG saw healthcare costs 40 to 80 percent more than other areas of the U.S. and 20 to 30 percent higher than other California cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco. As a public entity, the high cost of healthcare meant lower salaries for MCSIG employees. Yet, just as concerning as costs were, MCSIG also wanted to ensure consistently high-quality care for their members.
Surgery is one of the most expensive healthcare costs employers see annually. It’s also one of the most expensive and stressful experiences an employee will ever have to face. To address this issue, MCSIG contracted with BridgeHealth in 2011 to provide a value-based surgery benefit solution to its members.
BridgeHealth negotiates with Centers of Excellence — the nation’s top-performing surgical teams, according to independent, national rankings — for episode-of-care case rates. BridgeHealth bundles the charges for each of the most common surgeries into a single discounted price. Plus, their team of care coordinators manage every aspect of the surgery on behalf of the employee from records collection and surgery preparation through travel planning and recovery.
“In late 2014, we worked with BridgeHealth to add the best local facilities to the network, and this convenience drove a tenfold increase in surgeries by our members through BridgeHealth instead of through our PPO health plan,” says Mike Larsen, executive director at MCSIG.
In less than four years, the results have been significant. From 2015 through end of year 2018, BridgeHealth’s bundled, discounted pricing saved MCSIG $6.6 million dollars in surgical costs alone. Add to that the focus on high-quality surgical care and BridgeHealth’s solution helped MCSIG avoid another $2.4 million in postoperative complications for MCSIG’s members.
“We know, based on studies, that the cost of poor-quality surgical care has a significant down-stream effect on healthcare spend,” said Mark Stadler, president and CEO of BridgeHealth. “Surgery is a critical point in an individual’s life – surgical complications such as infections can create a negative ripple effect that significantly impacts an individual’s quality of life. This can lead to prolonged recovery, increased costs, disability, lost productivity and even depression and reliance on pain medication. High-quality care decreases these complications and the costs associated with them. We’re honored to work with an organization like MCSIG that is committed to providing quality care for their employees.”
To learn more about Municipalities Colleges Schools Insurance Group (MCSIG), visit MCSIG.com. To learn more about BridgeHealth, visit www.bridgehealth.com.
About MCSIG
Municipalities Colleges Schools Insurance Group (MCSIG) is a Joint Powers Authority on California’s Central Coast. MCSIG insures about 70 public agencies throughout California, primarily in education. Approaching 8,000 insured employees with 90% growth over the last few years.
About BridgeHealth
BridgeHealth (www.bridgehealth.com) is a provider of value-based healthcare services that guide members to surgical Centers of Excellence nationwide. Its bundled rates allow self-insured group health plans to improve the quality and outcomes of surgery while reducing costs from 30% to 50% on average per procedure. Members are supported through concierge-level care coordination, eliminating the stress of planning and preparing for surgery. Our top-level member experience is evident in our consistent 90+ Net Promoter Scores.
