Here - Employer HealthCare Congress

The Daily Energizer
Sunday September 21st 2014
EHBC and WMTC&GHC
Issue 02
Why Are We Here?
Integrated Conferences Offer Unlimited Opportunities
Jonathan Edelheit
Renée-Marie Stephano
In 2009, the World Medical Tourism & Global
Healthcare Congress (WMT & GHC) began
a process of integrating with the Employer
Healthcare & Benefits Congress (EHBC)
because of the considerable potential this
offers our respective members. Today, we
have achieved full integration and the benefits
to both organizations have been greater than
any of us could have imagined.
We are now one of the largest U.S. Health
Insurance and Healthcare symposiums in
the country. Our alliance brings together
Multi-national Employers, Government
Officials, Insurance Companies, Self-funded
Health Plans, Human Resources/Benefits
Executives, Wellness Managers, U.S. and
International Health Insurance Companies,
Ministers of Health, Global Benefits Providers,
Health and Wellness Providers, Voluntary
Benefits Providers, U.S. Health Insurance
Administrators, Technology/Software
Companies, Marketing Organizations,
Hospital Administrators and Medical
Tourism Facilitators to share ideas, strategies,
research and other educational resources, and
to network and partner with the top people in
their fields.
Today, we are able to share the exhibit
hall, networking cocktail receptions and
other special events with all attendees. This
means potentially over 1,000 Healthcare
and Insurance professionals all in the same
place at the same time. With our networking
software,attendees can take full advantage of
this opportunity-facilitators are now able to
request one-on-one meetings with attendees
from both sides of this Congress. And,
for those who are still unclear about the
correlation, all EHBC and WMT & GHC
sessions are open to everyone.
economically viable healthcare solutions for
people around the world. With the rapid
changes in U.S. Healthcare under the ACA,
and Medical Tourism developing as a global
force on literally a daily basis, we couldn’t be
more excited about the potential of this year’s
Congress and the positive contributions we
can make.
We hope you will take full advantage of
this unparalleled opportunity, and enjoy
yourselves as well.
Regards,
Jonathan Edelheit
CEO, Employer Healthcare & Benefits
Congress
The reason for this integration is that Medical
Tourism and Employee Benefits are more
important than ever before, creating more
www.MedicalTourismCongress.com | www.EmployerHealthcareCongress.com
Sunday September 21st 2014
EHBC and WMTC&GHC
Medical Tourism
Index Takes Off
New type of Country-based Performance Measure rates Medical Tourism Destinations
In a preview of their presentation at
the World Medical Tourism & Global
Healthcare Congress, the International
Healthcare Research Center (IHRC) has
announced that it will be unveiling the
Medical Tourism Index (MTI). The MTI
gauges the attractiveness of a country as a
medical tourist destination according to
34 criteria used by the IHRC.
The index provid es a worldwide reference
on medical tourism destinations, rating
and analyzing the state of a country with
regard to its overall political, social, and
economic environment as related to the
medical tourism industry as well as factors
concerning the quality and availability of
medical facilities and services. It also looks
at how a country is positioned, and should
be positioned, to increase the prosperity of
its population.
The MTI will be published for the first time
in 2014 and considers 30 countries based
on the criteria developed for the index. It
is the result of research conducted in July
and August, 2014.
Other aspects evaluated and rated
by the MTI include the demand for
medical tourism, socio-demographical
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factors (e.g., age, gender, education,
marital status, ethnicity, geographical
location) and country related factors
such as corruption, safety to travel, stable
economy, cultural similarity, popularity as
a tourism destination, weather conditions,
costs of treatment, and healthcare costs.
In addition, countries are rated according
to medical facilities and services such as
doctor training, reputation of hospital,
accreditation of medical facility, and
patient experience.
The results (country rankings) will be
released Sunday, September 21st at 1:00 PM
in a presentation titled, The Development
and Validation of the Medical Tourism
Index, which will include an overview
of the research methodology employed,
and will feature the MTI’s developer,
Marc Fetscherin, Associate Professor of
International Business and Marketing
and a Cornell Distinguished Faculty at
Rollins College, Florida, USA.For further
information, contact
Renée-Marie Stephano, JD
President, Medical Tourism
Association
Issue 02
Employers Compete in
Wellness Competition
At their 6th annual conference, the Corporate
Health & Wellness Association will feature
a “Wearable Fitness Device Think Tank &
Challenge,” in which employers will sport a
variety of health and fitness monitoring devices
for 24 hours.
Wearable health and fitness devices are all
the rage these days and include such things as
tee-shirts that run EKGs which are transmitted
wirelessly to doctors and hospitals, wrist bands
that count the number of steps you walk
each day and calculate total distance, watches
and clip-on devices that do everything from
monitoring sleep patterns to counting calories,
and a broad array of other wearable technology
that is making its way from the gym to the office.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for employers
to think about the benefits of integrating
these personal devices into their corporate
wellness programs,” said Sarah Michelle Hunt,
spokesperson for the Corporate Health &
Wellness Association (CHWA).
Corporate Wellness Magazine, a publication
of the CHWA, has been tracking the wearables
story for quite some time. In the current issue,
there is an article about the health and fitness
functions of the new Apple Watch, and why that
device is a game changer for corporate wellness.
Though the Apple Watch (not yet available) will
not be a part of the wearables competition, new
technology from a number of manufacturers
will be tested by the likes of Hallmark Cards and
the Cleveland Clinic, who are representative of
the diversity of conference attendees.
“With the increasing use of technology in
the workplace combined with the boom of
fitness wearable devices in corporations, the
CHWA’s Fitness Wearable Device Think Tank
& Challenge will help us take our wellness
programs to the next level by testing out various
technologies,” said Susan Tuffts, Wellness
Manager, L. L. Bean. Inc.
However the competition goes, you can be sure
of two things:
www.MedicalTourismCongress.com | www.EmployerHealthcareCongress.com
Sunday September 21st 2014
EHBC and WMTC&GHC
Voluntary Benefits Association
Announces 2014 Leadership Awards
Issue 02
Part of the Game: Leading
Sports Surgeon Says
Active Lifestyle Key to
Living Longer
Despite advances in sports medicine, injuries
– those cringes and crunches – are still part of
the game according to the co-chief of Sports
Medicine at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York
and a speaker at the World Medical Tourism
& Global Healthcare Congress, 10 a.m.,
Sunday, Sept. 20, 2014, in Washington, D.C.
Winners of this year’s Voluntary Benefits
Association Leadership Awards have been
announced as part of the VBA’s 6th annual
conference. The awards, which will be handed
to recognized leaders in the industry for
innovation consistent with the vision of the
Association’s goals of advancing ancillary
benefits, initiating improvement and
education by engaging plan members, and
promoting proven strategies.
This year’s recipients are Rae Egleston, Second
Vice President, National Sales, Trustmark
Voluntary Benefit Solutions, and Ron Agypt,
Chief Sales Officer, Employee Benefits, HUB
International. A special “Hall of Fame Award”
will also be presented to Marty Traynor of
Mutual of Omaha for his over 45 years of
distinguished service to the industry.
“The 2014 VBA award recipients have
proven accomplishments which embody
such qualities that drive the voluntary
benefits industry forward,” said Rob
Shestack, Chairman of the Voluntary Benefits
Association.
Criteria for receiving the award includes
20 or more years of industry experience,
proven service to his or her community, a
demonstrated record of helping grow the VB
industry, outstanding leadership qualities,
and recognition by their peers as an industry
leader.
“The VBA Leadership Awards recognize those
individuals who exemplify professionalism
and have made a positive impact within our
industry,” said Shestack.
Continued from Page 2
Employers Compete in Wellness Competition
1. This will advance the creation and implementation of corporate wellness programs
throughout the country.
2. It’s going to be hysterical watching
high-level corporate executives running
around for 24 hours hoping to rack up as
many miles as they can.
Jonathan Glashow, M.D., P.C., a lead physician
for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National
Basketball Association, who has performed
numerous orthopedic surgeries on celebrities
and world-class athletes, will address these
advances and areas in which sports medicine
has helped to “bend the aging curve” for all
who desire to lead a healthier, active and
longer life.
“Orthopedic sports medicine has played an
integral role in people extending their activity
levels well into their ‘80s,” said Glashow, who
has been listed among the “Best Orthopedic
Surgeons in America” by New York Magazine
and one of the “SuperDoctors” by the New
York Times. “Eager to get back in the game,
athletes of all levels — from professionals
to ‘weekend warriors’ — seek the best in
medical treatment and are willing to travel
great distances to get the best procedures
and treatments. When professional athletes
receive treatment from a particular sports
surgeon or medical center, the attention given
can often inspire non-professional athletes to
seek similar procedures and treatments.”
In addition to state-of-the-art cartilage,
ligament and meniscus repair, Glashow
said new technologies like biologics and
platelet-rich plasma injections -- once
reserved only for professional athletes -- are
now available to all international patients who
desire the very best medical and concierge
care with little or no change to their bodies
or lifestyles.
Joseph Harkins, Associate Editor, WMT & GHC
www.MedicalTourismCongress.com | www.EmployerHealthcareCongress.com
3
Sunday September 21st 2014
EHBC and WMTC&GHC
Corporate Wellness and the
Affordable Care Act
It is true the world over that happy, healthy
and satisfied employees are more engaged
and productive at work, and constitute the
life-blood of any organization. Contentment
on the job is derived from a multitude of
tangible and intangible factors including
self-worth, compensation, a strong sense
of being valued and appreciated as well as a
healthy work/life balance. These are key to
the success of any employee. In this regard,
the Affordable Care Act clearly recognizes
the value of Corporate Wellness programs,
and provides incentives for companies to
establish, maintain, and improve upon
such programs to encourage opportunities
to support healthier workplaces.
The Departments of Health and Human
Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury
have jointly released final rules on wellness
programs to reflect the changes to existing
wellness provisions made by the Affordable
Care Act and to encourage appropriately
designed, consumer-protective wellness
programs in group health coverage. These
rules are effective for plan years starting on
or after January 1, 2014.
The rules continue to advocate workplace
wellness programs, including “participatory
wellness programs” which are generally
available to individuals who do not meet
the standard based on the measurement
test or screening. Programs must have a
reasonable chance of improving health
or preventing disease and not be overly
4
burdensome for individuals. These include
programs that reimburse for the cost
of membership in a fitness center, that
provide rewards to employees for attending
periodic health education courses, and to
participate in health risk assessments to
monitor the state of their health. The rules
also address “health-contingent” wellness
programs, which include those that require
participants to achieve a certain health
outcome. These include, for instance, a
biometric screening requiring participants
to attain a certain cholesterol level or body
mass index. These final rules provide new
sample language intended to be easier for
individuals to understand and to increase
the likelihood that those who qualify for a
different means of obtaining a reward will
contact the plan or issuer to request it.
Dollars and Sense
An intelligently designed wellness program,
that is consistent with the ACA, has the
effect of containing and even lowering
healthcare costs by addressing employee
health risks before they become serious
problems. It can also improve productivity,
demonstrate caring and concern for
employees, cut down on absenteeism,
reduce stress levels at work and encourage
healthy behaviors. Such programs may
include meal planning, team challenges
to motivate and inspire, outreach and
Story Continues on page 5
Issue 02
Silent Killer: Medical
Tourism Confronts
Chronic Disease
No cause. No cure, but a precursor to death.
About 1 million Americans and an estimated
10 million worldwide suffer from Parkinson’s
disease, a progressive neurological disorder
that actor and comedian Robin Williams –
his wife revealed – began to struggle with
until his suicide.
What makes Parkinson’s scary is that doctors
do not have a test at their disposal to detect
the disease, but they are quite sure of its
symptoms – impaired movement, balance
and speech.
The good news is that like most
non-communicable diseases, Parkinson’s
is not contagious; doctors are not even sure
why it happens, but are hard at work trying
to learn how. The bad news is – like most
non-communicable diseases – older adults
are at elevated risk to Parkinson’s and its
debilitations.
Chronic non-communicable diseases -- not
Ebola, MERS, SARS, and Chik-V which grab
international headlines these days – are the
number one cause of death and disability in
the world and responsible for nearly half of
the global burden of disease.
“Viruses can become dangerous and, for
Story Continues on page 5
www.MedicalTourismCongress.com | www.EmployerHealthcareCongress.com
Sunday September 21st 2014
EHBC and WMTC&GHC
Issue 02
Continued from Page 4
Silent Killer: Medical Tourism Confronts Chronic Disease
good reason, capture public attention,” said
Neil Parsan, Ambassador of Trinidad and
Tobago to the United States and Mexico. “But
NCDs – including cancer, cardiovascular
disease, diabetes and chronic lung illness –
already live among us, and kill more people
worldwide than infectious diseases.”
Parsan, a speaker at the Global Ministerial
Summit of the World Medical Tourism
& Global Healthcare Congress, 11 a.m.,
Sunday, Sept. 20, 2014, in Washington,
D.C., said non-communicable disease can
be prevented by eliminating risk factors like
smoking tobacco, alcohol abuse, obesity and
malnutrition.
NCDs are not a new problem, especially
in developed countries where the chronic
conditions cause and perpetuate poverty
and accentuate quality of life issues in lowand now middle-class families. They are,
however, of increasing concern in developing
nations, particularly in the Pacific Islands,
the Caribbean and Middle East. Although
many of these populations are living longer
than ever before, longevity offers a unique
dichotomy in that quality of life, in far too
many cases, is rapidly decreasing.
Attempts to galvanize activities and target
NCDs and their associated risk factors
are beginning to take shape. Among the
more recent approaches includes a joint
effort between the Medical Tourism
Association® and Organization of American
States, which will support the Conference
on Non-Communicable Disease in the
Americas, to be held annually in conjunction
with the Global Ministerial Summit of the
World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare
Congress, beginning Sept. 22-30, 2015, in
Orlando, Fla.
“NCDs are a public health menace and
a tremendous economic burden on the
global community,” said Jonathan Edelheit,
CEO of the Medical Tourism Association®.
“When people think of NCDs, they think of
the conditions faced by older populations.
The truth is nine million deaths attributed
to NCDs occur before the age of 60.”
Joseph Harkins, Associate Editor, WMT & GHC
Continued from Page 4
Corporate Wellness and the Affordable Care Act
engagement services geared towards at-risk
employees, and encourage enrollment in
appropriate health coaching programs.
The rules also implement changes in the
Affordable Care Act that increase the
maximum permissible reward under a
health-contingent wellness program from
20 percent to 30 percent of the cost of health
coverage, and further increase the maximum
reward to as much as 50 percent for programs
designed to prevent or reduce tobacco use.
Evidence shows that workplace health
programs have the potential to promote
healthy behaviors; improve employees’ health
knowledge and skills; help employees get
necessary health screenings, immunizations
and follow-up care; and reduce workplace
exposure to substances and hazards that
can cause diseases and injury. The rules do
not specify the types of wellness programs
employers can offer, and invite comments on
additional standards for wellness programs to
protect consumers.
coverage, have borne the brunt of these costs.
According to Blue Cross/Blue Shield, 25-30%
of those costs are higher-risk employees,
usually due to cardiovascular disease – often,
a direct result of being overweight or obese. In
many cases, these preventable chronic diseases
result from modifiable behavior. Wellness
programs are the means to address these
preventable illnesses and costs.
Bringing Down the Cost of
Healthcare
In an effort to support these efforts and create
a healthier public, the Affordable Care Act has
provisions to encourage wellness programs at
the plan, employer and individual levels.
For decades, healthcare costs have been rising
at an alarming rate. Employers, as a primary
intermediary for supplying health care
Alan Forray, Senior Editor, EHBC
www.MedicalTourismCongress.com | www.EmployerHealthcareCongress.com
5
Sunday September 21st 2014
EHBC and WMTC&GHC
Women’s Summit Comes Alive
Issue 02
From Our Blog
Check out what people
are reading on our blog.
Imagine a room full of successful, driven, no–nonsense, female CEOs, Presidents and
Directors of large companies and non-profit organizations from all over the world
convening at a conference about leadership and success in business. These are some
hard-nosed go-getters and taskmasters, right? Well, even if that’s the case, it wasn’t
evident at the 2nd Annual Global Women’s Leadership Summit, which took place
yesterday afternoon as the inaugural event of this year’s Congress.
“I’d like you to put away your logos and titles for a few hours and save the networking
and branding for later,” said Renée-Marie Stephano, President of the Medical Tourism
Association and principal organizer of the event. “As a theme for this summit I would
like you to Breath, which for today’s purposes means ‘the ability to feel alive.’”
Thus began a very personal, friendly, humor filled meeting of ‘regular’ women who
shared their thoughts and experiences on work-life balance, self-proclaiming positive
affirmations, and how to juggle not chainsaws and swords, but the more challenging
soccer practice and parent-teacher conferences.
The 6th Annual Employer Healthcare
& Benefits Congress (EHBC) kicked off
Yesterday. Registration began at 1 PM.
The 6th Employer Healthcare & Benefits
Congress is ramping up, and you can be
part of the action. Follow us on twitter
@EHBCongress, and use the hashtag
#EHBC2014 to join the conversation.
Submit a photo or video of the Employer
Healthcare and Benefits Congress during
the event, use the hashtag #SuccessStory
and mention @EHBCongress and you
can win an iPad mini. Enter to win here.
With a roster of speakers that included Wendy Lynch, Co-Director, Center for
Consumer Choice in Healthcare, Altarum Institute, Sibyl Bogardus, Chief Compliance
Officer, Hub International Insurance Services Inc., Farzanna Haffizulla, MD FACP,
National President, American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA), Elena V. Rios,
M.D., M.S.P.H., President & CEO, National Hispanic Medical Association, and Melissa
Thompson, Founder & CEO, TalkSession, the topics proved to be a goulash of topics
that ranged from organizational management to women’s medical issues, with a dash of
laundry and cooking thrown in.
For those who missed it, please check our twitter account @EHBCongress for live
tweets from the event and reactions from attendees.
Alan Forray, Senior Editor EHBC
6
www.MedicalTourismCongress.com | www.EmployerHealthcareCongress.com
Sunday September 21st 2014
EHBC and WMTC&GHC
Issue 02
In the
Spotlight
Join us for these
Presentations
changing yourself, helping others change and
creating a culture where resistance to change
is transformed into results.
Dr. Ardis Dee Hoven
Ronnel Nolan
Opening Keynote ~ ePatient 2015
15 Surprising Trends Changing
Healthcare
Business Trends, 4th Edition is focused on
consumer culture, global economics and
how people are interacting with informationdirect & indirect--giving examples as well
as actionable ways to implement in their
business.
Today - 5:00 PM
Prof. Marc Fetscherin
Renée-Marie Stephano
Tomorrow – 7:30 AM
Launching the Global Medical
Tourism Index (MTI)
This is the official launch of the Global
Medical Tourism Index (MTI), a new type of
country-based performance measure to assess
the attractiveness of a country as a medical
tourist destination. The development of the
MTI was a multi-year, multi-step and multistakeholder approach.
Speakers:
Prof. Marc Fetscherin, Co-Editor of the book,
“Consumer Brand Relationships: Theory and
Practice” and Associate Professor, Rollins
College
Renée-Marie Stephano, JD, President,
Medical Tourism Association
7
Tomorrow – 8:35 AM
Opening Keynote~ Dollars and Sense:
Shaping a Better Future for American
Healthcare
Dr. Ardis Dee Hoven, Immediate Past President,
American Medical Association (AMA)
Discussing the real facts surrounding
healthcare reform, Dr. Hoven will explore
the biggest challenges confronting American
health care today – from soaring costs to
fragmentation to the epidemic of chronic
conditions – and how the ACA attempts to
remedy them. Hear the latest on national
efforts to improve access, increase quality
and reduce costs, and learn how the nation’s
physicians and employers can contribute to a
healthier America, and a healthier workforce
Dr. Karen Wolfe
Lifestyle Medicine Opportunities for
the Wellness Tourism Industry
Our lifestyle is a health risk and Lifestyle
Medicine is becoming the preferred
modality for not only the prevention but the
treatment of most chronic diseases. Please
join Dr. Karen Wolfe has been advocating
for Wellness Tourism as a purpose-based,
experiential and effective approach to
wellness and preventive care that is so needed
in global healthcare
This newsletter
John Izzo
Tomorrow – 10:00 AM
Morning Keynote ~ Leading
Transformational Change-From
Resistance to Results
Best-selling author and in-demand speaker,
John Izzo will discuss organizational change
and the challenges that confront both
employers and employees. This keynote will
help each of us understand why it is so hard
to change our own habits as well as the habits
of others. It will show proven methods for
can be found
online at:
EmployerHealthcareCongress.
com/blog/newsletter_921
www.MedicalTourismCongress.com | www.EmployerHealthcareCongress.com
From the Twittersphere
Look at what’s trending in SocialMedia.
HealthPanama.com @healthpanama
Panama is already at the @WMTcongress in Washington, DC.
We’ll be waiting for you in booth 263. #MTcongress
Saludpanama.com favorited your Tweet
Wendy Lynch @Wendy_Lynch
Heading to DC for the #Global #Leadership Women’s Summit
at @EHBCongress tomorrow http://ow.ly/BxcVN
The #WMTCongress team has arrived at #Gaylord National
Hotel! Are you excited for this years #WMTCongress? pic.twitter.
com/TtYK2154Qn
Wendy Sánchez Imbert
JUJAMA, Inc @JUJAMA1 #WMTCongress begins tomorrow!
Download the official event app right here: http://goo.gl/
hN8UQO @WMTCongress
Saludpanama.com @saludpanama Esta semana en
#Washington @healthpanama @WMTCongress pic.twitter.
com/ULmZCuZleE
Steven Tucker, MD, Novealthy and Employer Healthcare
favorited your Tweet
Come to #WMTCongress and see @Jawbone, @getMovband,
and @3Fitt and their awesome #wearables products
Samuel Edgardo and Fomento Puerto Rico retweeted a Tweet
you were mentioned in
Amie Hoff @AmieHoffFitness
Great event, thank you!! RT @JonEdelheit Packed hall for the
Global Women’s Leadership Summit at #EHBCongress
http://ow.ly/i/6XcRL
Lynda A Westbrook @LyndaAVIDIAHSA @EHBCongress Stop by
my power session on HSAs Monday at 3:20pm! pic.twitter.com/
xu8AA79sz7

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