This Week's Herman Trend Alert The Consequences of Virtual Meetings

The Herman Trend Alert September 16, 2009 Healthcare Reform As the United States thinks about healthcare reform, it seemed appropriate to look at ways to reduce medical costs without sacrificing quality of care. Some of the leading edge healthcare solutions are clearly non-traditional. They include "disruptive healthcare innovations, such as medical tourism, retail clinics, medical homes, alternative and integrated medicine, and cyber visits. To help employers capitalize on these potential cost-reducing innovations, the consulting firm Deloitte LLP created the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. For a while now, we have heard about the tremendous cost advantages of "medical tourism", traveling abroad to receive superior medical, dental and cosmetic care at what are characterized as "state-of-the-art medical facilities" throughout the world at a fraction of the cost of US, UK, or Canadian healthcare systems. In 2006 alone, more than 750,000 US citizens left the country to find less expensive medical treatments. That number is projected to grow to six million by next year, potentially saving US employers billions of dollars. Healthbase is one of the leading providers for direct access to US-, UK-, and internationally trained physicians performing over 300 different procedures at major accredited hospitals in Southeast Asia, Turkey, Belgium, Hungary, and certain countries in Central and South America, (particularly Brazil). However, the latest trend is similar to Lakeshoring (as opposed to Off-Shoring), that is finding good facilities in lower cost domestic markets, so that the patient does not need to travel to a foreign country to have a particular procedure. One of the leaders in domestic medical tourism is a company called Healthplace America which has saved its clients hundreds of thousands of dollars by helping to relocate the medical procedure to a lower-cost market within the US, saving up to 75 percent of the cost of having the procedure closer to home. US medical facilities are willing to be paid less because they are generally compensated upfront. Paying them before the procedures are conducted enables them to avoid the arduous task of seeking reimbursement afterward from insurers and third-party administrators. Expect to see employers and others looking for non-traditional, yet effective ways to deliver healthcare smarter and less expensively. (Other innovations like retail clinics and cyber visits will be addressed in subsequent Herman Trend Alerts.) © Copyright 1998- by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: RETENTION SPECIALIST PROGRAM A growing number of people have expressed an interest in attending our Employee Retention Specialist Certificate Program. We'd like to schedule on that's convenient for those who want to attend, but need your feedback to do so. Please place RETENTION SPECIALIST in the subject line and Joyce will personally call you back to schedule the workshop. Or you can call Joyce directly at 336-210-3548 (PDT this and next week). BUSINESS IS PICKING UP Most employers are unprepared. The recovery will bring a new set of challenges for employers that have been in prolonged contracted mode. They will need more skilled workers or will need now to begin to upskill their current staffs. But organizations can not engage in Strategic Workforce Planning, when they don't know how. That's where The Herman Group can help. We can help you with your "People Review"----large or small---so that you will know who you will need and when you will need them. . . and we can also guide you to the best sources for the people you will need. For more information, call Joyce at 336-210-3548 or e-mail joyce@hermangroup.com. FIND OUT WHAT YOUR EMPLOYEES REALLY THINK AND FEEL Discover what’s really going on in the hearts and minds of your employees. Our InnerViews interviewing service uses SPHRs and PHRs, certified human resource professionals to probe for the information you really need to know. Exit and Stay Interviews, as well as Why-Didn't-You-Take-Our-Offer Interviews. Call Rosalie Catalano at 937-416-7066, or read more at: http://www.hermangroup.com/retentionconnection/exit_interviews.html. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

[ Home · About · Products · Resources · Media ]

Web site design by WebEditor Design Services, Inc.