Lancaster County Business Group on Health's “BRiDGE Project for Improved Health Outcomes” goes beyond cost containment to identify and treat diabetic employees and their dependents. “The BRiDGE Project” is a cost-effective, patient-centric model that brought significant savings, reduced absenteeism and improved employee health in the City of Asheville, North Carolina, when diabetic employees were given the tools to take personal control of their disease and rewarded with aligned incentives when they did so.

The Lancaster County Business Group on Health (LCBGH) has partnered with the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation and the Lancaster Pharmacists for Improved Health Outcomes (LPiHO) to use the Asheville model and bring this unique program and its exciting benefits to you and other businesses in our region.

The program is a unique employer-employee pact that efficiently bridges the current fragmented healthcare system and reigns in the costs related to diabetes. In essence, employers reward positive behaviors instead of reinforcing poor compliance and improper utilization of valuable healthcare services. It's that simple. In addition, this innovative collaboration includes and benefits all healthcare stakeholders.

“The BRiDGE Project” is not just another disease management program. It is a turn-key employer toolkit that the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation created by using the Asheville prototype. APhA is a 501c3 group with a mission of collaborative solutions for safe, effective medication to improve quality. Its sophisticated website and data are used across the country and by the federal government.

In a Nutshell (Brochure Summary)

• This HIPAA-compliant program is voluntary self-identification and effective personal management of a chronic condition.
• The project immediately engages individuals and makes them aware of responsibilities tied to their decision.
• Diabetic patients agree to monthly visits with an LPiHO trained and certified local network pharmacist, who acts as the designated coach in face-to-face encounters, not telephonic conversations.
• Patients receive incentives that include waived or reduced deductibles and co-pays for lab tests and the medications and supplies required to treat their disease.
  • All LPiHO network pharmacists follow the same consistent regimen of monitoring, data collection and clinical treatment.
  • Pharmacists develop a treatment plan with the family doctor and other healthcare providers and communicate ongoing progress of that plan to those providers.
• Employers receive meaningful economic and clinical analyses, as well as absenteeism figures, illustrating cost savings and employees' improved health.
• Each patient receives a Patient Self-Management Credential to acknowledge the participant's success.
• There is no mandatory minimum or maximum patient enrollment per employer. Individual companies are setting their own criteria to screen applicants, sponsoring from as few as 3 to more than 30 patients in this LCBGH patient self-management program.
• Employers have no obligation to remain with “The BRiDGE” Project past the first one-year commitment. However, companies that continue also have the option of adding supplementary modules for asthma, hypertension, high cholesterol and depression.
  • No changes to existing insurance or prescription drug programs, including mail order.
  • No obligation for employers to change plans to project.
  • No obligation for employers to purchase coalition-specific health insurance products - the Business Group on Health is a non-purchasing coalition.
  • No burden on employers to remain with insurance plans that no longer fit company needs.
  • No obligation for employees to make purchases at pharmacies where counseling is held.
• The program is designed for self-insured companies but several fully-insured employers are participating.
• Dependents, retirees and COBRA-eligible employees are eligible to participate.
• Non-compliant individuals are merely dropped from The BRiDGE Project and lose financial incentives.
• Employers can run “The BRiDGE Project” in tandem with broader wellness initiatives to compare results with more traditional approaches or to challenge the people providing those programs already in place.
• Already have an onsite wellness program? Wellness programs work to keep employees healthy, while “The BRiDGE Project” reaches the sickest of the sick. Together they create a powerful influence.

Why Diabetes?

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) website says, “20.8 million people, or 7%, of the United States population, have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million people have been diagnosed, 6.2 million people (or nearly one-third) are unaware they have the disease.” The ADA also estimates one out of every 10 healthcare dollars spent in the USA is spent on diabetes. LCBGH asserts many of these costs might well have been averted with appropriate care because diabetes is preventable and treatable.

Diabetes can result in expensive, debilitating co-morbidities, like cardiovascular disease, limb amputation, kidney failure and nerve damage. Diabetics also suffer from compromised wound recovery after surgery.

Employer costs related to diabetes are high because diabetics:

• don't understand their disease.
• don't understand their medications.
• don't use their medications correctly.
• don't appreciate the risks.
• don't know what control “looks like.”

Why You Should Participate in “The BRiDGE Project”

• Employee satisfaction is tremendous - both with the program and the process, which is largely directed by the LPiHO local pharmacist network. Word of mouth among employees is accounting for waiting lists at almost every company involved in “The BRiDGE Project.” 

• There is widespread support for the project. “HealthAmerica fully supports 'The LCBGH BRiDGE Project for Improved Health Outcomes' because it reinforces the philosophy that collaboration [among businesses, providers, pharmacists, and health insurers] can improve patient care. The project aligns incentives and community-based resources to encourage patients with diabetes to actively manage their disease. This leads to better health outcomes, and better outcomes lead to lower medical costs.” Robert L. Dawson, president and chief executive officer, HealthAmerica and HealthAssurance

• It's a program developed by the business community for the business community. “Employers must become more concerned with fundamental health issues and understand that supporting efforts to keep people healthy is an effective long-term strategy for both the work force and managing costs. Maintaining and improving outcomes is as critical as managing costs. 'The BRiDGE Project' combines quantitative cost data collection with improved clinical outcome data that [offer employers and employees an opportunity to] improve both lives and productivity.” Tim Shrom, Solanco School District Business Manager and project participant

• To see how this exciting patient program can benefit your company, contact the Lancaster County Business Group on Health Executive Director, Tim Buko, at 717-239-6954 or tbuko@lcci.com.