June 2012

In This Issue

2012 Customer Survey Recap

Every year, the North Carolina Medical Society Employee Benefit Plan conducts a customer survey of participating practices. And, every year, we tout these results as an indicator of the continuing success of the NCMS Plan and the loyalty of its covered physicians and practice employees. Sure, 98% of participating practices that responded would recommend the NCMS Plan to others. And, yes, 96% of respondents agreed that their NCMS Plan agent was accessible and responsive. But the most striking statistic is that an overwhelming number of respondents (92%) agree there is a positive distinction between the NCMS Plan and other health insurers.

For more than 13 years, the NCMS Plan has served medical practices with a singular focus. A focus on meeting the employee benefit needs of physicians, nurses, office managers, insurance billers, receptionists, and medical assistants...everyone from the front to the back office who work every day to serve their patients. No health insurer in the state can make this claim. Some insurers treat customer service as another item on their to-do list, but empowered representatives of the NCMS Plan value the opportunities that come when we can serve as advocates for our members. Controlling costs in these tumultuous times is not mutually exclusive from meeting our members' expectations.

Dental Network Growing and Claims Savings Increasing

The NCMS Plan Dental program, underwritten by MetLife, continues to get better and better each year. Last year, we introduced a new feature allowing practices to offer two dental plan options to their employees. This year, effective August 1, 2012, the NCMS Plan has negotiated a two-year rate guarantee with MetLife.

One of the most important features of NCMS Plan dental is that you can visit any dentist and many dentists offer discounted pricing for MetLife members through the Preferred Dental Program (PDP). The PDP continues to grow year after year. In 2006 when MetLife became the underwriter of the NCMS Plan dental program, the PDP included 698 North Carolina dentists. In 2011, that number soared to 2,884. That's nearly 50% of all dentists in the state that will provide MetLife negotiated discounts on services. Of practices that participate in the NCMS Plan Dental program, claims savings for members have increased over 30% since 2008 for utilizing the PDP network.

If you have not considered NCMS Plan dental coverage in the past, with a two-year rate guarantee, dual plan options, and an extensive network of discounting dentists, take a look today.

For more information about NCMS Plan dental underwritten by MetLife, visit ncmsplan.com, contact your NCMS Plan agent, or call us at (800) 662-7917.

Ask George

Question: Our practice has a physician that is eligible for Medicare. Can she enroll on Medicare and not be covered by the NCMS Plan? I am under the impression that all of our practice's physicians must be covered by the NCMS Plan so the practice can be eligible for the benefits.

Answer: Though the NCMS Plan welcomes all eligible physicians, Medicare eligible physicians can choose to enroll on Medicare and drop NCMS Plan coverage. Since the North Carolina Medical Society sponsors the NCMS Plan, all physicians in a given group must be active NCMS members for the practice as a whole to be eligible for the Plan, but all physicians are not required to be covered by the benefits. Meanwhile, the physicians and practice staff that do want the coverage are eligibile to enroll. Or, stated another way - physicians who have other group coverage through their spouse or are covered by Medicare, can be covered under that plan and do not have to coordinate coverage with the NCMS Plan. The eligibility of the entire practice for the NCMS Plan is unaffected.

If you have questions about you practice's NCMS Plan eligibility, call me at (919) 878-7561 or e-mail george.fanelli@mmicnc.com.

Practice Wellness 2012 Free Webinar Series Announced

The NCMS Plan is pleased to announce the 2012 Practice Wellness webinar series that address the latest issues and challenges in health promotion with successful tactics to get employee health moving forward. With a number of guest experts participating, this is sure to be a webinar series worth attending.

Sessions are free to NCMS Plan practices, begin at 12:30 p.m., and last 30-35 minutes.

Click here to Register for any or all of these Webinars Now!

July 12, 2012

Conducting an On-Site Biometric Health Screening Event

Guest Speaker: Brooke Kelley, Worksite Wellness Coordinator, BCBSNC

If you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it.

September 18, 2012

The ROI of Practice Wellness

Guest Speaker: Brian Caveney, MD, Medical Director, BCBSNC

Practical strategies that you can begin to implement now!

November 13, 2012

Creating Practice Wellness Cultures

Guest Speaker: Judd Allen, MD, President, Human Resources Institute, LLC, and author of more than 50 books.

All webinar attendees will receive a free copy of Dr. Allen's book Wellness Leadership.

Click here to Register for any or all of these Webinars Now!

To view the archive of previous webinars, please visit ncmsplan.com.

Practice Wellness Grant Program Update

Are you seeking a creative way to financially support your health promotion efforts while effectively engaging and incentivizing your employees for choosing to improve their health and overall quality of life?

The Practice Wellness Grant Program is your platform for launching a sustainable health promotion program or expanding an existing one. Receive up to $100 per enrolled employee for implementing specific programs in your practice with our help. "We recognize that practices, like people, are unique, so our goal is to offer flexibility in tailoring your program to meet your needs and to ultimately fulfill the grant requirements" says Jason Horay, Health Promotion Coordinator for the NCMS Plan.

To date over $200,000 has been committed through the Practice Wellness Grant program. Don't be left out...join all the other NCMS Plan practices working towards creating a culture of wellness and getting rewarded for doing so.

Act Now! To learn more about the Practice Wellness Grant Program and to apply, please contact mailto:Jason.Horay@mmicnc.com?Subject=Practice Wellness Grant Program or call (919) 878-7530.

About the North Carolina Medical Society

As the largest physician organization in the state, the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) is devoted to representing the interests of physicians and protecting the quality of patient care. The NCMS Plan, sponsored by the NCMS, is the only statewide employee benefits plan designed specifically for North Carolina physicians.

For more information about many other benefits of NCMS membership, visit http://www.ncmedsoc.org/.