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A recent change to coding procedures will take the guesswork out of deciphering how much members will be charged for an urgent care copay.
We are excited to announce that recent updates in the claims systems coding will allow Christian Brothers Services to code a specified copay for urgent care visits.
Before these coding changes, the claims system was not able to separate “urgent care” to its own category for payment, leaving the choice of category up to the individual providers. Some urgent care providers bill as “emergency room,” others as “outpatient clinic,” and some bill as “primary care.”
Members are often unaware of what charges will be subject to various copayment levels, deductibles, and coinsurance. When reviewing national averages of costs for urgent care visits, it was determined that the costs of urgent care visits are about 30% higher than for average primary care visits, but significantly less than emergency room visits.
All Trust Standard Plans will see the urgent care copay at an amount slightly above the primary care level. Please be sure to review your 2021 Summary of Benefits and Coverages (SBC) for the urgent care copay level.
The Trustees of the Christian Brothers Employee Benefit Trust agreed to implement this new Urgent Care Category for all copay plans effective January 1, 2021. This will alleviate previous billing confusion and allow members peace of mind knowing the costs for urgent care visits. |
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As we see the devastation of unexpected disasters hitting the country, we are called to remember how important it is to be prepared for whenever disaster may strike.
Did you know that the Christian Brothers Employee Benefit Trust and its pharmacy benefits manager, Express Scripts, have emergency prescription medication refill procedures put in place for CBEBT members due to any severe weather or natural disaster?
If any member needs replacement medication(s) and/or requires a refill before the medications would normally be refilled, CBS has authorized Express Scripts to provide these medications and will allow pharmacies to override select benefit edits during a government-defined emergency. You can call the number on the back of your prescription ID card or visit myCBS/health.org to access your ID card electronically. |
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Integrating health measures to prevent disease and maintain health is a mainstay of our partner, Livongo’s mission. Livongo continues to use smart, connected devices, personalized digital guidance, and 24x7x365 access to health professionals to make it easier for people with chronic conditions to stay healthier.
October is National Eat Better, Eat Together Month, a time for encouraging accountability and healthy eating by sharing meals with family and friends. Livongo is sharing a few resources this month that can help your population enjoy delicious food while staying healthy. Even if you cannot gather with friends and family in person, you can share these recipes and tips with them:
Livongo focuses on pre-diabetes, diabetes, and high blood pressure, conditions where prevalence and costs continue to grow.
CBEBT has collaborated with Livongo to make diabetes management easier. Livongo has designed a complete end-to-end solution for diabetes management that uses cellular technology to automatically upload readings to provide participants with access to data analysis and real-time personalized insights.
In addition, the Livongo for Hypertension Program combines advanced technology with personalized coaching to help participants identified with hypertension manage their blood pressure.
Both programs are free of charge to CBEBT participants. Register at join.livongo.com/EBT/new or call the member support center at 800.945.4355.
Learn more about specific participant benefits for diabetes management or hypertension. |
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These past few months have been unusual, and many of us have promised ourselves that we never want to be disconnected again. We have learned the importance of staying connected, staying informed, staying safe—and better hearing is key to all three!
According to the American Academy of Audiology, hearing loss is the third most common health condition in the United States, following heart disease and arthritis. Hearing aids provide a number of clinically proven benefits for hearing aid wearers including improved communication and decreased listening effort. Best of all, hearing your best will help you stay connected to the important people in your life. So, for those of you still on the fence, here are the top five benefits of correcting hearing loss with hearing aids.
- Increased earning power
Did you know that wearing hearing aids could actually increase your earning power? Research by the Better Hearing Institute found that correcting hearing loss with hearing aids was found to reduce the risk of decreased earnings by over 90% for people with mild hearing loss, and nearly 77% for those with moderate-to-severe hearing loss.
- Slow cognitive decline
Several studies have linked untreated hearing loss to an increased risk of developing dementia and reduced cognitive functioning. The decline appears greatest for those who do not wear hearing aids to correct hearing loss. A study from the University of Pennsylvania found that reduced hearing loss can actually accelerate atrophy in the auditory areas of the brain, making speech understanding more difficult. The good news is that researchers have found that hearing aids help decrease atrophy while increasing hearing ability.
- Reduce annoyance related to tinnitus
More than 50 million Americans experience tinnitus, a high-pitched ringing or clicking noise in the ears. With rare exception, tinnitus is usually accompanied by hearing loss. Wearing professionally fit hearing aids to correct hearing loss can reduce the annoyance of tinnitus for many with hearing loss.
- Hearing aid wearers are satisfied with hearing aid performance
According to a study by the non-profit Better Hearing Institute, more than 91% of those who purchased hearing aids in the last year were satisfied with their purchase. Nearly 90% of current hearing aid wearers would recommend hearing aids to a friend with hearing loss.
- Better living
Finally, the Better Hearing Institute has found that people who wear hearing aids to correct their hearing loss enjoy a better quality of life than those who let hearing loss go untreated.
Ready to learn more about hearing aids? American Hearing Benefits will help! AHB's Hearing Care Advisors will guide you through the process, connect you with a hearing professional in your area, and explain how to take advantage of your valuable hearing benefit through Christian Brothers Services.
EBT members and their dependents are eligible for free annual hearing consultations and can take advantage of the Hearing Aid Discount Program, which allows for significant discounts on hearing aids. Learn more about specific benefits here. Discounts are only available at certified AHB Hearing Aid Network locations.
To find out more, call 888-529-0194 or visit www.americanhearingbenefits.com/partners/CBS. |
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Bad habits are hard to break and while quitting smoking seems like a no-brainer to a healthier lifestyle, it is not easy, otherwise we still would not see an estimated 480,000 deaths in the U.S. contributed to smoking.
Each year, the American Cancer Society champions the Great American SmokeOut® event, calling on individuals to stop smoking in a unified front against cancer. This year, November 19, marks what could be the first day in a smoker’s life to kick the habit.
This unified approach leads to a greater success rate, and the Christian Brothers Employee Benefit Trust offers a program to help members encourage their employees to embrace a healthier lifestyle.
Tobacco use causes diminished overall health, increased absenteeism from work, and increased health care utilization and cost to the tune of $3,905 to employers per tobacco user, per year.
Remind your employees about the Quit for Life® program, available free to EBT participants through Optum. Quit for Life® gives your employees and their enrolled dependents the tools they need to quit tobacco, including vaping products, for good. There is no additional cost to enroll in the program.
With expertise in programs, policies and best practices, Optum explains its team of experts can help to motivate and increase enrollment, engagement and outcomes, and decrease health care costs. Optum reports a participant satisfaction rate of 95% and notes that 97% would recommend the program.
With Quit for Life®, EBT participants can work 1-on-1 with a Quit Coach® over the phone, receive advice, tips and encouragement in their journey, and if they qualify, they will receive nicotine patches or gum to help them stop. Participants can enroll by calling 1-866-QUIT-4-LIFE.
For more information, view our quit smoking flyer.
Share these benefits of kicking the habit.
How does your body recover after quitting?
20 minutes:
Your heart rate and blood pressure drop.
12 hours:
The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
2 weeks to 3 months:
Your circulation improves, and your lung function increases.
1–9 months:
Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia start to regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.
1 year:
The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of someone who continues to smoke. Your heart attack risk drops dramatically.
5 years:
The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder is cut in half. Cervical cancer risk falls to that of a non-smoker. Stroke risk can fall to that of a non-smoker after 2-5 years.
10 years:
The risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a person who is still smoking. The risk of cancer of the larynx (voice box) and pancreas decreases.
15 years:
The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker.
To get help and learn more, visit cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco or call 1-800-227-2345 for free tips and tools. |
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| Do not be hindered by fall colds and allergies; help your employees be prepared for the health issues the change in seasons brings. Our partner, Teladoc, is encouraging members to sign up now--- so you can feel better, sooner---talk to a doctor by phone or video anywhere, anytime.
Teladoc has created a suite of materials that will help you communicate the benefits of Teladoc to your employees whether you are virtual or in person. You now have access to ready-made flyers, posters and video to easily share with your employees. Log on to the administrator’s website, select CBEBT, and search under the Resources menu for Teladoc’s Fall Campaign.
Find links to video such as this and much more. Check back often, as new resources will be added. |
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| Some employers now require workers to be tested for COVID-19, and new resources have emerged to help streamline the process.
If you are an employer who will require your employees to receive testing you may want to acquire services for such procedures. CBS trusted partners, LabCorp Employer Services (LES) and BioIQ have launched end-to-end solutions for COVID screening and testing; and Mobile Health Consumer offers an app-based, self-certification tool for return-to-work screenings. Visit the links above to view more about their offerings.
Christian Brothers Health Benefit Services has expanded our partnership with our Case Management partner, American Health Holdings, to support those of our participants that have tested positive for COVID-19. American Health’s Case Management team provides emotional and educational support if you have tested positive for COVID-19. Please refer to this flyer for additional material.
For more information about any COVID-19 resources and a comprehensive list of tools, visit the CBS Resource page at https://www.cbservices.org/covid-19.php#health. |
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| As an additional wellness tool, we would like to take the opportunity to share with you CBS’ own project. As a way to stay connected during quarantine, employees shared their favorite recipes. We have collected and drafted the first ever CBS COOKBOOK. Possibly a little inspiration for your own endeavor. |
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| If you missed any past issues of the CBEBT eNewsletter, you can access them online by logging in as an administrator at cbservices.org. After you log in, you will see each of the previous issues listed in the News section. |
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