June 2012
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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/. |