St. Louis Area Business Health Coalition

This holiday season, we’re reminded of just how much we have to be thankful for—starting with YOU! To our members, community partners, and supporters, your dedication and engagement make our work possible, and we couldn’t be more grateful.   From all of us at the BHC, we wish you and your loved ones a joyful and meaningful Thanksgiving! 🦃🍂

Exciting news! 🎉 Recent BHC podcast guest, Marty Makary M.D., M.P.H., has been nominated to lead the Food and Drug Administration! If you missed our September podcast launch, now’s the perfect time to catch up. Tune in to hear Dr. Makary share his inspiring journey—from his residency days to becoming a world-renowned surgeon at Johns Hopkins, a New York Times bestselling author, and nominated leader of the FDA! Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gUVndcHA

We are just over two weeks away from the 2024 BHC Innovation Forum, which will expose employers, consultants, and others to new solutions that address the toughest challenges in providing health benefits. This will be 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.. 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

Last week, BHC brought together our valued consultants and broker partners at the new Chicken N Pickle in St. Charles to explore our Pharmacy Management Initiative—a game-changing PBM group purchasing solution for employers.   The night was filled with great food, networking, and, of course, a little pickleball fun! Who knew so many benefits pros double as "picklers" after hours? 🏓   Curious about how BHC’s solutions can benefit your clients? Contact our Director of Pharmacy Management, David Heaton, at dheaton@stlbhc.org, or check out our program overview here: https://lnkd.in/gddGzZWQ

At the close of our Annual Forum each year, we bring a contingency of employers, coalition leaders and other healthcare stakeholders to Capitol Hill to share with legislators the concerns of employers and America's working families to address unsustainable and rising healthcare and drug costs. Participants include: Washington Health Alliance's Drew Oliveira MD, MHA, Florida Alliance for Healthcare Value's Karen van Caulil, Ph.D., Alabama Employer Health Consortium's Michael Howard, St. Louis Area Business Health Coalition's Laurel Pickering, Economic Alliance for Michigan's Bret Jackson, The Alliance's Melissa Duffy, and Lockton's Christine Mohrhaus Hale, MD, MBA #NatAllForum #employers #healthcareprices #drugprices #transparency

As we conclude an insightful three-day agenda at the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions Conference, BHC staff and employer members from Drury Hotels and Ameren are engaged in valuable workshops on Fiduciary Responsibility and PBM Contracting. We are incredibly grateful for our ongoing partnership with the National Alliance and look forward to sharing the key takeaways and best practices with the rest of our membership. Excited to put these learnings into action! #NatAllForum

HAPPENING NOW: BHC President & CEO, Laurel Pickering, weighs in on the pressing issues of healthcare pricing as part of the "Many Perspectives, One Truth: Revealing the Layers of Healthcare Pricing" panel. Laurel is bringing the employer’s perspective to the forefront, as the true payers of healthcare: ⁉️What happened to value-based care, and how can we restore it? ⁉️When is it no longer fair for employers to absorb the cost of unpaid services? ⁉️Can we work together to shift sites of care to lower overall costs? We’re so proud to see St. Louis represented at the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions Conference! Also pictured: Shawn Gremminger Michael McDermott Mark E. Miller, PhD Maureen Hensley-Quinn Molly Smith #HospitalPricing #ValueBasedCare #EmployerPerspective #NatAllForum

This week, the BHC team is at the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions Conference, where we’re exploring key trends in benefits, healthcare economics, employer contract pricing transparency, and the growing importance of amplifying the purchaser voice.🔊 Last night, we had the honor of recognizing retiring leaders from the employer coalitions, including BHC’s own retired Executive Director, Louise Probst. After an incredible 30-year career with the BHC, Louise has been a transformative force in advancing healthcare and supporting employers nationwide. We are beyond proud of her remarkable contributions and thrilled to see her celebrated as an exceptional national leader in healthcare! 🎉 #NatAllForum

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