Resources

Blog 13:  Enlist the Right Partner to Change Health Behaviors  (April 11, 2023)
Leaders of employee health benefit plans can help their high-risk, high-cost employees change their habits and behaviors to improve their health.  It takes time and hard work, but it can be done–especially with the help of skilled nurse coaches.  They build trusting relationships with plan participants improve their health and quality of life.  And as plan participants with significant health challenges become healthier, happier employees, their use of health care resources declines, lowering overall plan costs.   Read the blog here.

Blog 12: Engaging Participants is a Key to Better Health and Lower Costs (and it is our focus!) (January 20,2023)
The practice of healthcare management varies from one program to another.  But the most important element in effective healthcare management, what we’ve found to be the critical factor in achieving the best healthcare outcomes for individuals and the total plan population, is the willing participant.  Plan participants must be actively engaged in improving their health and the effectiveness of the healthcare services they receive.  And behavior change is typically a big part of it.  That’s a special area of focus for Veritas Healthcare Management.  (Read the blog here.)

Blog 11:  Diet and the Gut: Pathway to Health (or Disease)  (December 1, 2022)
As recent studies indicate, the link between diet and illness or good health has never been stronger.  Nearly half of all US deaths in 2012 caused by cardiometabolic disease (heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes) were associated with suboptimal eating habits.  A 2019 study led researchers to estimate that nearly 20% of all US healthcare costs resulted from poor diet leading to metabolic disease.  The problem starts in the gut, where 70% – 80% of the body’s immune cells reside.  The billions of good and bad microorganisms there can get out of balance, fueled by poor diet choices and habits, and lead to disease.  Health benefit leaders can respond with policies and programing, including the tips provided here, that improve employee awareness and encourage healthier food choices.  Read the blog here.

Blog 10, Part III:  Top Five Responses to Participants with Health Concerns (November 4, 2022)
In this, the third and final part of our Top Five series, Chief Medical Officer Ernie Vesta, MD, identifies the most common responses our medical professionals give to benefit plan participants who present with health concerns.  The quality of the response is critical, as it opens the dialogue toward the most productive visit possible.  Much of our work involves helping the participant progress from where they are currently to where they can be to live a healthier, better life.  Our response to the participant in the visit is a catalyst for the desired transition.  Read the blog here.

Blog 10, Part II:  Top Five Most Expensive Health Problems (October 17, 2022)
In this second blog in a series of three, our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ernie Vesta, reviews the five most  expensive health problems present among the health plan participants we see.  For each of these problems, Veritas Healthcare Management works with the participants and their providers to break down the complex elements of each condition into more manageable issues that are more easily and effectively addressed.   Read the blog here.

Blog 10:  Top Five Health Concerns (September 9, 2022)
In this first blog in a series of three, our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ernie Vesta, reviews the five most common health concerns present among the health plan participants we see.  In future blogs, we will share what we find to be the most expensive conditions and describe initial responses we provide to individuals with these common concerns.  Why?  Sharing our insights may help you understand that your situation is common or that your health plan participants are experiencing similar concerns.  Plus, it is another opportunity to share a bit more about how Veritas Healthcare Management is helping plan participants each day.   Read the blog here.

Blog 9:  Better Care Management – A Performance Review  (July 8, 2022)
Does healthcare management work?  It does, if it involves the right approach.  In this blog, we briefly review the performance of Veritas Healthcare Management in improving participants’ quality of life while reducing healthcare costs.  The evidence: an ROI of 5 to 1 and healthier, happier and more productive employees.  Read the blog here.

Blog 8:  “Insignificant” Details are Key to Quality Healthcare  (June 1, 2022)
In this blog, a complement to Veritas Healthcare Management podcast 7, we share highlights of the conversation with healthcare quality expert Dr. Paul Summerside.  To improve the quality of healthcare and lower their costs, employers should focus, in particular, on one pervasive problem, says Dr. Summerside, who also recommends finding a partner to help navigate the complexity of healthcare.   Read the blog here.

Blog 7:  What Can Be Done About the Cost of Specialty Drugs?  (April 3, 2022)
We continue exploring the complexities and challenges of specialty drugs with prescription drugs expert Jay Weaver.  In this second blog on the subject, we review strategies health benefits leaders are applying to better control the cost and use of specialty drugs in their health benefit programs.  See the blog post here.

Blog 6:  What Makes Specialty Drugs Special?  (Mar 18, 2022)
Specialty drugs are wondrous but expensive and a challenge for health benefit leaders who need to manage budgets.  What makes these specialty therapies special and how can benefits leaders respond?  Pharmacy expert Jay Weaver helps us explore the issues.  See the blog post here.

Podcast 6: Talking Specialty Pharma with Jay Weaver (Mar 18, 2022)
Pharmacist and pharmacy benefits expert Jay Weaver joins the Veritas Healthcare Management podcast to talk specialty drugs.  These innovations are changing healthcare, but their costs threaten to break the bank.  Learn more about specialty drugs, including possible responses to their exploding costs.  Listen to the podcast here.

Podcast 5:  Kidney Function, Renal Failure and the Saving Power of Personalized Care Management  (Jan 25, 2022)
Dr. Ernie Vesta explains the purpose and function of the kidney and the debilitating effects of renal failure.  Veritas Healthcare Management’s Chief Business Officer Bob Daubenspeck joins the conversation to describe a Veritas participant who came dangerously close to losing kidney function but was restored to good health, thanks to Dr. Vesta and his care management team.  Listen to the podcast here.

Blog 5:  Renal Failure:  Avoiding the Point of No Return is Key (January 13, 2022)
The kidneys protect the body by filtering out harmful toxins and balancing fluids.  Health problems such as uncontrolled hypertension can damage the kidneys to the point they stop functioning.  The only recourse, at this point, is a life dependent on dialysis or transplant, neither of which are pleasant or inexpensive.  Fortunately, this point, stage 5 of renal failure, can be avoided; Veritas Healthcare Management has helped participants do just that.   See the blog post here.

Blog 4:  Health Benefit Costs Rise Again, But Something Else May Be Driving Plan Decisions (November 30, 2021)
According to several analysts, health benefit costs are rising again and will continue to rise in 2022.  But many employers’ health benefit plan decisions are being driven by something else.  Following more than a year of pandemic-related shutdowns and stresses, taking better care of employees and their concerns has become an imperative for employers.  For some employers, personalized care management is an effective strategy to address both employee care and costs.  See the blog post here.

Podcast 4:  Insights on the 2021 Milliman Medical Index with Milliman’s Scott Weltz – Part 2 (Oct 7, 2021)
Effective application of care management can significantly reduce the cost of healthcare–in an ideal scenario, upwards of 25 percent.  Perhaps the biggest impact on cost can be realized when individuals take steps to improve their health.  Milliman Principal and Consulting Actuary Scott Weltz talks with podcast host Jeremy Vesta about these truths plus the opportunity available to employers in analyzing their healthcare data.  Listen to Part 2 of the podcast here.

Podcast 3:  Insights on the 2021 Milliman Medical Index with Milliman’s Scott Weltz – Part 1 (Oct 7, 2021)
Employers may be feeling a “punch to the gut” this year as healthcare spending is projected to rise 11.6 percent after a decline of 4.2 percent in 2020.  Milliman Principal and Consulting Actuary Scott Weltz talks with podcast host Jeremy Vesta about these findings from the 2021 Milliman Medical Index and the reasons for them.  Listen to Part 1 of the podcast here.

Podcast 2:  Understanding Type II Diabetes and How to Control It (Sept 16, 2021)
Dr. Ernie Vesta returns to the podcast to discuss Type II diabetes, a disease affecting 34 million people in the US.  While diabetes is a potentially devastating illness if left uncontrolled, a customized program of care and coaching can enable diabetics to live relatively normal lives.   Listen to the podcast here.

Blog 3:  Marie’s Story–Getting Help to Gain Control Over Diabetes (Aug 31, 2021)
A routine screening uncovers a serious medical problem for Marie.  But with expert help and personalized care management, which included getting family involved, Marie journeys to better health through a “moving experience.”  See the blog post here.  

Blog 2: Hypertension:  A Persistent Problem We Can Address (Aug 18, 2021)
Uncontrolled high blood pressure–hypertension–is “by far” the single most prevalent hazardous health risk while also being the most controllable.  Employers who recognize the benefits of improving the health of their employees can work toward preventing and addressing the problem.   See the blog post here.

Podcast 1:  Dr. Ernie Vesta on the Ups and Downs of Blood Pressure (Sept 16, 2021)
Did you know that blood pressure is measured in milligrams of mercury, and that hypertension is one of the most common, deadly and  controllable health conditions across the globe?  Listen to the podcast here.

Blog 1: Reduce the Need for Healthcare, Improve Patient Satisfaction and Cost Reduction (Aug 16, 2021)
Dr. Ernie Vesta, Chief Medical Officer of Veritas Healthcare Management, shares insights on the inefficient, costly and often ineffective healthcare system.  There is a better way, as Dr. Vesta and his team are showing through innovative data analytics and personalized, high-touch care management.  See the blog post here.