Business: Insurance

Focus on Transparent Pricing Efforts are Centerpiece of SPBA Fall Meeting

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Improving quality while lowering costs continues to be at the top of the list. There are exciting developments in this area and SPBA member TPAs, Stop-Loss and Service Partners are in the forefront. — Anne Lennan, SPBA President


CHEVY CHASE, Md. (PRWEB)

During its Fall Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona last week, the Society of Professional Benefit Administrators (SPBA) convened for three days of educational sessions focused on the regulatory matters and recent policy developments that impact self-funded health plans. Highlights included sessions that focused on cost containment ideas, such as the sessions on Specialty Drugs/Biosimilars, Direct Primary Care Trends, Health Literacy, Reference-Based Pricing and Captives.

SPBA also discussed its most important member updates, including SPBA President Anne Lennan’s appointment to the newly-formed Air Ambulance and Patient Billing Advisory Board.

Industry experts joined SPBA’s membership of third party administrators (TPAs), Stop-Loss Partners, and Service Partners to lead sessions on topics that impact TPA businesses daily, including the economic impacts of Medicare-for-all and Medicare fee-pricing, and how on-site medical clinics impact self-funded health plans. These insights are critical to helping TPAs and their partners give plan participants the best guidance for their unique needs.

“SPBA listens carefully to the membership on the types of educational sessions that are most beneficial,” said Lennan. “Improving quality while lowering costs continues to be at the top of the list. There are exciting developments in this area and SPBA member TPAs, Stop-Loss and Service Partners are in the forefront.”

One key topic addressed at the Meeting was data privacy and security issues, going beyond HIPAA to consider approaches emerging from the European Union and other legislation in Colorado and California.

SPBA’s IT Task Force presented a special track on key topics related to technology in self-funded health plans including machine learning vs. AI for TPA businesses and EDI Capabilities vs. API Technology in administrative transactions. Health literacy sessions focused on sound business practices to help plan participants consider higher quality and better priced providers, while technology literacy sessions focused on how non-technical healthcare leaders can expand their knowledge to best advise clients and navigate innovation in the healthcare industry.

SPBA is the national association of Third Party Administration (TPA) firms that manage client employee benefit plans. It is estimated that over 75% of U.S. workers and their dependents in non-federal health coverage are in plans administered by TPAs. The clients of TPA firms include every size and format of employment, including large and small employers, state/county/city plans, union, non-union, collectively bargained multiemployer plans, as well as most industries and professions.

Visit http://www.spbatpa.com for more information.

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