New Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades are live today! Four St. Louis hospitals earned an "A" on The Leapfrog Group’s latest Hospital Safety Grades.   Congratulations to the "A" hospitals: Mercy South Hospital Mercy Hospital Jefferson MERCY HOSPITAL WASHINGTON OSF St. Anthony’s Medical Center   We applaud their commitment to patient safety!   Unfortunately, this marks the lowest number of "A" hospitals in St. Louis over the last three years. As a state, Missouri ranked 36 in the country overall for percentage of "A" hospitals, down from a rank of 28 in Spring 2024.   This is concerning and you can count on BHC to work with our members and the hospital community to see better results.   See how your hospital ranked: https://lnkd.in/eG9tQeh   Find more details in BHC's press release: https://lnkd.in/gCF_JGYG

Join us December 12th for the 2024 BHC Innovation Forum, a dynamic gathering where thought leaders, industry experts, and passionate innovators converge to explore cutting-edge ideas, breakthrough technologies, and emerging trends in health care. This meeting aims to expose employers to new solutions that address the toughest challenges in providing health benefits. Hear from the following innovators in the benefits and well-being space:  - Apaly - Centivo - Homethrive - PeopleOne Health - Rezilient Health - Sober Sidekick by Empathy Health Tech Learn more and register today at https://lnkd.in/gPuuW8tM

📊 Midwest Health Initiative reports that hip and knee replacement surgeries among commercially insured adults in St. Louis have grown by 47% since 2019. Why is this? 💛Health: every pound of excess weight can add up to 4 pounds of extra pressure on knee joints. As the prevalence of obesity in the U.S. has greatly increased in recent decades, so has the number of people at risk for needing earlier joint replacements. 🦿Convenience: high-quality implants now last decades longer than earlier models, and advancements in technology have allowed many hip and knee replacement procedures to performed in outpatient settings. 💰Money: knee and hip replacement procedures drive revenue for hospital systems and ambulatory surgery centers, and misaligned incentives potentially lead to patients who are funneled into surgery 💡What can employers do? Prioritize employee health to mitigate risk, and support employees in finding non-surgical treatment before turning to surgery.   👉To see more health care cost, utilization, and population health statistics for the St. Louis commercially insured, view the full report at https://lnkd.in/gen_dCQp

Shape Missouri’s Future in CKD Care – Apply Now! ⬇️ As proud partners of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), we’re excited to share the news of the launch of the Show Me CKDintercept Steering Committee. This committee will help implement a statewide roadmap to improve chronic kidney disease (CKD) testing, recognition, and management across Missouri. We’re honored that our President & CEO, Laurel Pickering, MPH, will co-chair alongside Laura Anstaett Peckham, RN, MHA, MBA of University Health. Together, they’ll lead cross-sector healthcare leaders and community partners in advancing CKD care. Committee members will: ✅ Provide strategic guidance ✅ Share expertise and networks ✅ Identify funding opportunities Interested in helping drive health equity in Missouri? Apply by December 13, 2024!🔗 Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/gaxKA9R3

🌟 Annual Meeting Recap: Employers Take Charge in Health Care 🌟 What a fantastic day at The Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis, where employers and industry leaders gathered to drive change in health care! Here’s a quick recap of the key moments from the 2024 Employers Take Charge: Driving Change in Health Care annual meeting. 🔹Shawn Gremminger of the National Alliance for Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions kicked things off with a post-election analysis, diving into the evolving landscape for plan sponsors. 🔸Dan Hartman from Morgan Health shared actionable insights on navigating employer-sponsored health care with innovative solutions. 🔹The Business Health Culture Award was presented to Barry-Wehmiller for their outstanding work in promoting employee well-being. 🔸We also heard from a powerhouse panel of industry leaders—including Lisa Davis, Janet Lucas-Taylor, and Candace Shaffer, M.S., CWPM—who discussed how employers are driving healthcare innovation and leading the charge for better benefits. A big thank you to everyone who joined us today and to all of our sponsors! Looking forward to what’s next in transforming health care for employees and organizations alike. Let’s keep the momentum going! #EmployerLeadership #HealthCareInnovation #EmployeeWellBeing #BHCAnnualMeeting

🤔“What big idea would you recommend that would make St. Louis a national leader in primary care?” At its Community Connections forum in June, MHI asked local health care clinicians, purchasers, and executives what they believe needs to happen for primary care to flourish in St. Louis, and six recurring themes came to light across dozens of responses. - Implement team-based care - Payment reform to value quality over quantity - Invest in primary care as much or more than specialty care - Engage with the community to address SDOH - Support primary care practices (improve patient experience & decrease burnout) - Increase attraction of primary care to students   These themes are not inherently bold or novel ideas, but instead represent what has long been known to be necessary for supporting primary care and lowering health care spending.   Why haven’t they happened?   MHI convenes its second Community Connections on December 4th. Learn more and join the conversation to advance primary care in St. Louis at: https://lnkd.in/gJUzWMZg

Allsup Benefits Coordination (ABC) service will help you increase value and reduce costs for your group healthcare benefits options. With ABC’s streamlined program, you can: - Guide post-65 active employees, retirees and COBRA participants to alternative healthcare coverage.  - Ensure expert care and specialized support for special employee groups.  - Create greater benefits satisfaction for these groups with personalized help when exploring health insurance and Medicare options. To learn more call them at (866) 521-7655 or allsuphealthcare@allsup.com or visit them at the #BHCAnnualMeeting tomorrow morning!

In Missouri and ready to help meet your health care needs. With #BHCAnnualMeeting sponsor, UnitedHealthcare, you can expect quality group health plans and services, plus innovative tools – all delivered by a team of local experts. See what UnitedHealthcare can do for your and your employees. Learn more at https://www.uhc.com/ Register today at https://lnkd.in/gBSd8k29

As a proud sponsor of the #BHCAnnualMeeting, Transcarent is excited to bring WayFinding, the next generation of navigation to its employer members. Visit them during the meeting to learn how they are putting generative AI to work to integrate benefits navigation, clinical guidance, and care delivery in one place. Register today at https://lnkd.in/gBSd8k29

📉 Shifting the Trend: Opioid Use After Hip Replacement 📉 Have you checked out MHI’s recently released report, the 2024 Hip Replacement in a Commercially Insured Population? Let us provide some highlights! The percentage of commercially insured patients filling an opioid prescription within one day of a hip replacement decreased in 2023, the first decrease since 2019. 💡 Want to know more? Learn how to access the full report by contacting us at info@midwesthealthinitiative.org or learn more at our website. This report is free to MHI Champions and BHC Members. #HealthcareData #OpioidUse #SurgicalCare #OpioidCrisis #Orthopedics