{"id":139805,"date":"2025-01-24T15:58:04","date_gmt":"2025-01-24T20:58:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=139805"},"modified":"2025-02-10T18:22:41","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T23:22:41","slug":"capital-journal-by-capital-blue-cross-knowing-where-to-go-for-care-can-save-time-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=139805","title":{"rendered":"Knowing where to go for care can save time, money"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Capital Blue Cross \u2013  <\/strong>THINK<\/a><\/u><\/em><\/strong> (Trusted Health Information, News, and Knowledge) is a community publication of Capital Blue Cross. Our mission is to provide education, resources, and news on the latest health and insurance issues.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Empowering employees to make informed decisions can help rein in your healthcare costs. Here are some solutions to consider.<\/p>\n

\u201cLocation, location, location\u201d is an adage typically used when buying a home, but the same principle also can apply to healthcare.<\/p>\n

After all, where employees receive care could impact your healthcare spending.<\/p>\n

Take emergency care, for example. Both urgent care facilities and emergency rooms (ERs) have evening and weekend hours for care that needs to be addressed right away. But knowing when to go to an urgent care instead of an ER could generate significant savings: Claims data over the past year from Capital Blue Cross shows the average cost of an ER visit was 16 times higher than a visit to the urgent care.<\/p>\n

Surgery is another example.<\/p>\n

When choosing a facility for orthopedic surgeries and other routine procedures, some patients have the choice between an in-network ambulatory surgery center (ASC) and a hospital out-patient setting. While both options can provide quality care, ASCs typically operate with fewer overhead costs than hospitals, which translates into lower costs for patients.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

In some markets, high-priced infusion therapy drugs \u2013 which treat chronic conditions like arthritis, heart disease, or cancer \u2013 are now being administered at a patient\u2019s home for less money without sacrificing outcomes. One study found at-home infusion therapy cost<\/a> an average of $1,700 to $3,500 per treatment, compared to $5,500 to $11,500 at a hospital.<\/p>\n

Helping employees understand their best options for care \u2013 whether it is for surgery, emergency care, or medication \u2013 has the potential to reduce costs for both employers and their employees.<\/p>\n

Empowering employee decision-making<\/p>\n

Empowering employees to make informed decisions can be an effective approach to reining in healthcare costs. Two of the most impactful ways are health plan design and education.<\/p>\n

Consider a company that offers a high-deductible health plan paired with a Health Savings Account (HSA). Because employees pay out of pocket until they meet their deductible and contribute additional money through an HSA, it incentivizes them to track their health spending and seek lower-cost, high-quality care.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ll need to be educated on the best ways to save. That\u2019s where health literacy programs from trusted partners like Capital Blue Cross can help.<\/p>\n

Capital offers health education presentations to employer groups that include topics such as \u201cChoosing the Best Place for Care.\u201d<\/p>\n

No place like home<\/p>\n

Dr. Jeremy Wigginton, Chief Medical Officer at Capital Blue Cross, says one trend to keep an eye on is the increase of healthcare services from home. The growing use of telehealth is one obvious example, but so is the emergence of \u201chospital at home\u201d programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor many health services, we should get in the habit of asking our provider \u2018can we do that at home?\u2019\u201d said Dr. Wigginton, who cites this potential outcome:<\/p>\n

Jane is taking an oral antibiotic for an infection, but the medication isn\u2019t eliminating the infection. Jane\u2019s doctor decides to prescribe an IV antibiotic. Because of the local health system\u2019s \u2018hospital from home\u2019 program, Jane can receive the IV antibiotic at home. A nurse brings the equipment to Jane\u2019s home and administers it. Having this service at home is less complicated and produces the same high-quality outcome at a fraction of the cost.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You can find more useful articles at https:\/\/thinkcapitalbluecross.com\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nJERRY REIMENSCHNEIDER
\nSenior Public Relations Specialist | Brand & Market Strategy
\nhttps:\/\/www.capbluecross.com\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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