March 2013
Practices Recognize the Unique Advantage of the NCMS Plan
Affordable Care. Essential Benefits. Marketplaces and Exchanges. These
words are in headlines everyday, but it's like when you were a kid and
you'd say a funny word over and over until it seemed to have no meaning.
Unlike other employers, though, medical practices in North Carolina have a
unique resource that brings clarity and meaning to health insurance...the
NCMS Plan.
The NCMS Plan, available exclusively to physicians and
their practice employees, gives medical practices an advantage over other
employers. Think of the NCMS Plan as "The Physicians' Marketplace for
Employee Benefits". Our customer survey results show that for years the
NCMS Plan has been filling a void that health care reform and the
Affordable Care Act are just now waking up to...that employers need
affordable and comprehensive health coverage for their employees.
So how do NCMS Plan practices feel about our affordable and
comprehensive health coverage? Let's look at the numbers:
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92%
of respondents agreed that the NCMS Plan is a good value for the
money. |
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92%
agreed that the NCMS Plan is doing its best to provide affordable
coverage. |
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93%
responded positively to our variety of benefit plan designs
available. |
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Practices in the the NCMS Plan are served exclusively by our
representatives across the state. Representatives that 93% of survey
respondents said were both accessible and responsive. And the support our
practices receive includes the staff of MMIC Agency dedicated to the NCMS
Plan. MMIC Agency service was rated positively by 98% of survey
respondents.
While the NCMS Plan counts more than 900 practices as
participants, there are many more that could benefit from participation.
We encourage you to share this with other practice managers and let them
know what you already do...the NCMS Plan is the only employee
benefits program in the state serving medical practices, and medical
practices only.
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Ask George
Question: I received my billing statement and just noticed that we
are still being billed for an employee that left several months ago and
needs to be terminated. What should I do?
Answer: You can send
an NCMS Plan enrollment/change form, but the NCMS Plan has a 30-day
retroactive change limit. If for example, the employee's termination
occured in October 2012, but you did not submit the termination or notice
they remained on your bill until February 2013, we can only retroactively
terminate the employee back to January 31, 2013.
To avoid another
instance where several months premium is remitted for a separated employee
in error, practices should audit their monthly billing statements to
provide a measure of internal control. This will ensure that forrmer
employees do not continue to appear on the bill for months after they
separated from employment. Additionally, always remember to promptly
notify us of employee terminations.
If you have questions about
the termination process or billing, call me at (919) 878-7561 or e-mail george.fanelli@mmicnc.com.
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Extended Partnership with Ceridian Brings You Payroll Services
As your benefits consultants, we are constantly seeking out new
solutions to help you simplify the way you run your practice. We have
expanded our partnership with Ceridian, a leader in payroll, tax, benefits
and HR solutions. Ceridian currently provides COBRA Administration
services to the NCMS Plan, and now Ceridian can bring you the tools you
need to improve your HR/Payroll processes and maximize the value of your
benefits spend.
Ceridian’s HR Authority package provides all the
proven services your practice needs now –and in the future. Plus, our
preferred relationship with Ceridian helps us to offer you this solution
at a very competitive price.
We are excited to offer you
Ceridian’s solutions to help streamline your administrative tasks so you
can focus on what you do best: running your practice. For more
information, please contact Joe Chaney at (800) 790-9057 x 6746 or mailto:joseph.chaney@ceridian.com?subject=MMIC
Agency/Ceridian HR Authority and reference the NCMS Plan and MMIC
Agency.
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Motivating Employees to Act Through Incentives
One of the most challenging aspects of designing an effective wellness
incentive program is to establish reasonable and achievable standards.
Many practices offer wellness incentives to drive employees toward the
completion of a health assessment and/or an annual exam. However, a
growing number of practices are designing employee wellness incentives to
motivate lifestyle changes that will lead to healthier workforces (e.g.
tobacco free or BMI). Many practices structure employee wellness
incentives within the health benefits portion of the comprehensive
employee benefits plan. Providing an incentive linked to health insurance
premium is powerful, as employees recognize this as a clear value. It is a
strategy that also can help offset costs for the employer by shifting
higher contributions to employees who are not participating in the health
promotion program, thereby paying, at least in part, for the expenses
related to the programs being implemented.
There are various ways
in which incentives can be structured. As the NCMS Plan's Health Promotion
Coordinator, Jason Horay will work with you in selecting the right
incentives to promote engagement in your wellness initiatives and as a key
component of the Practice Wellness Grant Program.
Here is an
example used by a client practice:
Practice X supports and
promotes employee wellness. Through the wellness programs offered by the
NCMS Plan, employees of Practice X are provided with opportunities to
enhance their health and wellness and also qualify to have more of their
premium paid by the employer. Employees who complete the following
criteria will have 100% of their employee health premium paid by Practice
X. Those who choose not to complete these items, will have only 90% of
their premium paid by Practice X.
1. Complete the NCMS Plan Health
Assessment 2. Attend an on-site Healthy Living seminar 3.
Participate in a seasonal influenza vaccine program
Want more
information about how your practice could design a similar program? View
the NCMS Plan webinar, "Wellness
Incentives: Utilizing Incentives to Maximize Participation".
And to learn more about the Practice Wellness Grant contact Jason
Horay at jason.horay@mmicnc.com or (919)
878-7530. The Grant program is only available through the end of 2013, so
don't delay!
Multi-Dimensional Approach at Cabarrus Health Alliance
While the primary focus of this public health agency is on the health
of the community, Cabarrus Health
Alliance (CHA) also has a strong emphasis on the wellbeing of its 220
employees and strives to create a culture of wellness throughout the
workplace. CHA's new state of the art building clearly demonstrates its
support for healthy lifestyles, with an onsite employee fitness center, a
wellness kitchen, and external glass stairwells, all with floor-to-ceiling
windows to allow the community to see employees modeling healthy habits.
In August 2012, the CHA Board adopted a comprehensive employee
wellness policy, ensuring the sustainability of existing wellness
initiatives. Included is a healthy food and beverage policy that requires
healthy options to be available at all meetings and events, breastfeeding
policies to support new moms returning to work, as well as a wellness
committee policy that allows work time to be used for participation on the
committee and requires equal representation from all departments. Employee
wellness efforts have continued to be successful, but CHA is always
striving to enhance and improve their initiatives.
"Supporting our
staff to make healthier choices is an agency priority. The partnership
with the NCMS Plan is an excellent opportunity to provide additional
support and motivation for employees to live healthier lives," said Dr.
William F. Pilkington, CEO and Public Health Director of Cabarrus Health
Alliance.
CHA is in the process of earning a Practice Wellness
Grant and is involving all employees in the planning and dissemination of
how grant funds will be spent. Grant dollars will likely be put towards
enhancements to the fitness center, stress management programming, healthy
cooking classes, weight management programs and much more. CHA looks
forward to continuing their efforts of improving the health of the
community and their employees. 
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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/. |