Introducing our Deputy Chief Medical Officer: Edward Yoon, MD, MBA
We are pleased to share that Edward Yoon, MD, MBA has joined Mass General Brigham Health Plan as our Deputy Chief Medical Officer (CMO). In this role, Dr. Yoon leads our clinical programs to ensure an exceptional healthcare experience for our members. Dr. Yoon brings over two decades of leadership experience in managed care and provider organizations. Please join us in warmly welcoming Dr. Yoon to our organization.
In this issue:
- Rx Savings Solutions: How members can save money on prescriptions
- Home Hospital patients get inpatient care where they are most comfortable—in their homes
- Useful tips for employees: Help them get the most out of their health plan benefits
- Trend report preview: Digital innovation, including Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Toolkit: Share these resources with your employees
Rx Savings Solutions: Help members save money on prescriptions
Mass General Brigham Health Plan has partnered with Rx Savings Solutions (RxSS) to help members find the lowest-price options for prescription drugs. To make things even easier, RxSS has a dedicated team of pharmacy experts waiting to help. We’re not talking about a phone maze with a robot on the other end of the line. RxSS hires certified pharmacy technicians with real-world experience working at retail pharmacies. They’ve seen the struggle, confusion, and sticker shock people can experience when filling their prescriptions.
Members can call 1-800-268-4476 or visit Member.MGBHP.org/singlesignon/rxss to get started. If they have not yet created a Member Portal account, they can do so by clicking on Not Registered Yet?
This program is available to fully insured employers. To activate their RxSS account, members need to be registered on the Mass General Brigham Health Plan member portal. Their RxSS account is accessible at any time from the Mass General Brigham Health Plan Member Portal.
3 reasons to contact RxSS:
- Getting started: They’ll help a member activate their RxSS account over the phone—then explain options they may have to reduce out-of-pocket costs.
- One-on-one consultations: Since RxSS is connected to Mass General Brigham Health Plan, their team can answer questions about a member's insurance coverage, medication history, and more.
- Simple switches: Changing to a more affordable medication is easy with RxSS. Members can give them a call and they can get their healthcare provider’s approval and handle any prescription transfers.
Members can access their RxSS account online anytime, to see all their prescription drug options. Just go to Member.MGBHP.org/singlesignon/rxss today!
Home Hospital patients get inpatient care where they are most comfortable—in their homes
There’s an old saying among doctors about patients recovering in hospitals, “The longer you stay, the longer you stay.”
Since 2016, Mass General Brigham’s Home Hospital has tackled this challenge with a set of innovations that bring acute inpatient care to the home, where the patient is most comfortable.
The success of the Mass General Brigham Home Hospital, one of the oldest and most established in the nation, is supported by research done by David Levine, MD, MPH, clinical director of research and development for Mass General Brigham Healthcare at Home, associate professor at Harvard Medical School, and a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Levine’s research, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in January 2024, documents over 5,000 patients treated in hospital at home programs across the country. The results of his study reveal favorable outcomes. Read the full article.
Useful tips for employees: Help them get the most out of their health plan benefits
Do your employees know about all the perks that come with their health insurance card? While health insurance offers numerous benefits, many often go unused by members. This may come from a lack of awareness. Our goal at Mass General Brigham Health Plan is to remove confusion whenever possible, so that our members can get the most from their health benefits. That’s why we made a list of tips for members to refer to while using their plan throughout the year. Read and share this resource with your employees to discover more about our reimbursements, support resources, and member programs.
2024 Member fitness reimbursements due March 31
Remind your employees that the deadline to submit a 2024 fitness reimbursement is March 31, 2025. Members can mail their reimbursement form or submit it electronically via the Member Portal or Member App. To submit a reimbursement via the Member Portal, members can:
- Log in to the Mass General Brigham Health Plan Member Portal. If they have not yet created an account, they can do so by clicking on Not Registered Yet?
-
Use the Cost and Claims tab at the top of the page to select Request Reimbursement and then select Fitness Reimbursement.
Trend report preview: Digital innovation, including Artificial Intelligence (AI)
In December, we launched the Mass General Brigham Health Plan Trend Report covering topics ranging from pharmacy benefits to telemedicine expansion. Take a sneak peek at the first section of the report on digital innovation and AI:
“As healthcare systems like Mass General Brigham lean into AI to accelerate their work, we see great potential for new foundation models
that utilize advanced technologies," says Dr. Keith Dreyer, Chief Data Science Officer at Mass General Brigham and leader of the Mass General Brigham
AI business. AI is top-of-mind across several industries—but how does that impact the healthcare experience moving forward? It turns out AI has the potential to harness patient data to improve aspects of care. This can lower the cost of medical services and enhance efficiencies. Predictive modeling capabilities within
algorithms can give patients—and providers—a better grasp of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, hepatitis, and kidney disease.
Continue this article in the Mass General Brigham Health Plan Trend Report
Tips for sharing these articles and resources
- Include in an email blast to your employees
- Post on your company intranet
Resources for your employees
- Blog: Virtual primary care visits increase access and convenience for patients
Suggested text to share with employees: "Mass General Brigham Health Plan members can access alternative options for primary care through virtual practices. These virtual practices allow members to get the same high-quality primary care they’d receive in an office delivered online. Virtual and hybrid practices—ones that offer virtual and in-person care—are great options for individuals looking to start a primary care relationship quickly or prefer to receive care online from the comfort and convenience of their own home. Read more."
- Blog: Essential winter safety tips for navigating New England weather
Suggested text to share with employees: "Winter in New England can be both magical and brutal. From the charm of snow-covered streets to the biting chill of wind, it’s important to be well-prepared for the season. Whether you’re a lifelong resident or a newcomer to New England, winter safety is a must. Read more."
