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| Volume 3, Issue 8: April 18, 2008 |
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Regional Events Planned for Employers, Agents, Providers, and Other Community Members Turning 75 is a huge milestone for us and we want to celebrate in a way that reflects our mission of helping people get the healthcare they need. In the coming months, we will host two events—an Employer Workshop and an Anniversary Reception—in each of our sales regions. Employer Workshops: As a way to give back to the businesses that have helped us succeed, we are presenting half-day educational workshops for local employers. The workshops, titled “Today’s Topics for Tomorrow’s Healthcare,” will cover timely topics of interest to benefits administrators, including:
These sessions are designed as a continuing educational opportunity for those responsible for managing employee benefits. The presentations will not be sales-oriented or focused on PacificSource products and services. Rather, we have recruited speakers from outside our organization who are subject matter experts to provide a broad perspective on these topics. We will be inviting our own clients and other select area employers to participate in the workshops. Invitations will be mailed four to six weeks prior to each region’s event. Anniversary Receptions: We will also host 75th anniversary receptions immediately following each of the employer workshops. These receptions are our way of thanking the agents, providers, and other community members who have helped us reach our milestone and who help us achieve our mission every day. Attendees will have an opportunity to visit with their local PacificSource representatives, our executive leadership team, and others in the local healthcare and business community. Watch the mail for your invitation to a reception in your area, and in the meantime, save the date:
Clients to Pay as Billed for Easier Reconciliation In the near future, we will require all groups to pay their invoice as billed rather than making adjustments to their statement. Paying as billed allows both employers and PacificSource to more easily account for subscribers each month for reconciling purposes. This in turn affects your commission payments, as commissions are now paid on a per-member basis for groups with 99 or fewer enrolled employees. As the plan administrator sends us information for enrolling and terminating subscribers, we will make the changes to their account, and premium adjustments will be reflected on their next month’s statement. Rather than waiting until the requirement takes effect, we’d like to see groups begin paying as billed as soon as possible. We’ll be communicating with our clients about this soon, and we would greatly appreciate your assistance in promoting this method of payment among your group clients. Thanks to your help, we are pleased to report that we have solved a problem in InTouch that prevented some agents from seeing their name at the top of the page and generating quotes for small employers with 2-25 employees. Upon researching the problem, we found that this affected agents who, after June of 2007, had changed agencies, moved to a different branch, or whose agency had changed its name. When you log in to InTouch, you should see your name at the top of the page and be able to generate your 2-25 group quotes. We appreciate your assistance as we refine and add additional features to InTouch for Agents. If you encounter any problem or notice information that is incorrect, please contact us. Thank you for your continued patience. PacificSource Co-Sponsors First We are proud to help sponsor Washington County’s first school-based health center (SBHC) at Tigard High School in Tigard, Oregon. The center officially opened on April 9. At the opening celebration, Governor Ted Kulongoski thanked the PacificSource Charitable Foundation and the other donors for their contributions that made the center a reality. School-based health centers are part of the Governor’s initiative to expand access to healthcare for all children in Oregon. "We are thrilled to support Washington County in their effort to help youth get the healthcare they need," says PacificSource Community Development and Policy Director Laura Brennan. School-based health centers are primary care clinics focused on providing students with preventive healthcare, as well as developmentally appropriate physical and mental health services, regardless of a student’s ability to pay. The Tigard SBHC will use an innovative funding model that will allow the center to be financially self-sustaining in four years. By partnering with the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, the Tigard SBHC will be reimbursed at the higher, federally-set rate for services provided to those using public insurers. This means that over the next four years, the Tigard SBHC will be able to forego grant dollars and will eventually rely solely on reimbursements from public and private insurers. Green Initiatives Added to Strategic Goals We have added support for environmentally friendly initiatives to our strategic goals and are exploring ways we can save resources and energy, while reducing cost and waste. Although we have some green practices in place, such as recycling and using lights that automatically turn off, we know we can do more. This year, we are focusing on two green initiatives to:
To kick off these initiatives, we’ve solicited suggestions from our employees. We will select the best green ideas to help us achieve our goals and put them into practice. All of us at PacificSource are committed to using our resources wisely and we continue to seek ways to be good stewards of our environment. We also want to support your clients’ green initiatives. Electronic versions of our benefit handbook and many forms and fliers are available for your clients to post on their internal networks or intranet. Not only will this reduce paper consumption, but it will allow their employees to have easy access to materials. Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Update PacificSource continually reviews and occasionally changes the processes used in administering the benefits of your health plan. A recent change in our mental health and chemical dependency outpatient utilization review procedures has necessitated a change in the language of our Oregon group health policies. The language change does not change the benefits of the plan but only reflects the current utilization review processes by which those benefits are administered. For more details, please refer to the letter, endorsement, and handbook addendum that will be mailed next week to all current groups that have an Oregon group health policy. The language will also be updated in all Oregon medical contracts and handbooks as each group renews. Manley Services’ Traci Osterman Provides Support for Employers This month, Traci Osterman begins the newly created position of Operations Project Specialist at our subsidiary, Manley Services. The idea behind the position was to foster better understanding and facilitate a smoother process—from plan sale through participant claim. |
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Outside of working with clients and making presentations, Traci is an active community volunteer. During the past several years, she has volunteered on the Relief Nursery Auxiliary board, supported the March of Dimes, and coached boys' soccer. A former University of Oregon Soccer Team champ, you can find Traci on campus again—not playing soccer, but continuing her education and volunteering at the upcoming Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene . In her new position, Traci hopes to function like a coach for clients and their employees, helping them gain a better understanding of their plan. “I especially like it when I can connect with someone and help them understand how their plan works,” says Traci. “Participants can be confused about the basic elements. All of us—agents, employers, and Manley—need to work together to educate participants and help them get the most from their Manley Services plan.” An Oregon mandates agent training will be presented by the Office of Private Health Partnerships (OPHP), and sponsored by OAHU. These CE trainings are scheduled in 20 locations throughout Oregon during April and May. PacificSource is proud to sponsor Northwest community events that support healthy communities and health-focused organizations. We hope you will join us in supporting these events: March for Babies—March of Dimes Look for the PacificSource booth at the following March for Babies events:
Willamalane Vineyards and Violins Bowl For Kids Sake |
“All of us—agents, employers, and Manley—need to work together to educate participants and help them get the most from their Manley Services plan.” |
Questions? You’re always welcome to contact us! |
Eugene Bend Boise Medford |
Portland Manley Services Select Benefit Administrators |
