We are working to improve your online experience and are looking for your input on how best to organize the content on the Foundation and Society websites. Share input

Evidence, Insight and Strategy for Optimizing Health Benefits

Wednesday, April 19 - Friday, April 21, 2023
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
http://edit.ifebp.org/education/PublishingImages/Header%20Images/2019/evidence-insight-and-strategy-for-optimizing-health-benefits.jpg

This program will explore the latest research and trends in public policy, value-based purchasing, provider pricing and quality measurement through behavioral science concepts. Learn about groundbreaking strategies and innovative insights for better decision making and cost savings now and in the future.

Harvard Medical School faculty and other innovators will present their latest research and findings regarding health benefits, plan design and wellness programs. Attendees benefit from the unique collaboration between employers, health care funds, consultants/service providers, researchers and clinicians.

A Harvard Medical School Executive Education Program for the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans

Topics/Agenda

All session topics are subject to faculty availability.
  • Available in person
  • Available virtually
  • Health
  • Retirement
  • Canadian
  • General
Wednesday April 19, 2023
8:45-9:30 a.m. ET
Doors Open/Breakfast Served
8:45-9:30 a.m. ET
Category: Health and Welfare
9:30-9:45 a.m. ET
Course Introduction/Overview
9:30-9:45 a.m. ET
Category: Health and Welfare
Jeff Levin-Scherz, M.D., M.B.A., FACP
Instructor
Jeff Levin-Scherz, M.D., M.B.A., FACP
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Population Health Leader, Health Management Practice, WTW
Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Instructor
Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Health Care Policy and Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Internal Medicine Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital, Director of Research, Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care
9:45-11:00 a.m. ET
Managing the Health Care Ecosystem
9:45-11:00 a.m. ET

Plan sponsors utilize a wide array of vendors and partners to deliver benefits and programs to members. Managing these vendors diligently and proactively is a challenge for even the most seasoned benefits professionals. We will focus on best practices for managing procurement of services and highlight how to measure and improve performance over time.

Category: Health and Welfare
Jeff Levin-Scherz, M.D., M.B.A., FACP
Instructor
Jeff Levin-Scherz, M.D., M.B.A., FACP
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Population Health Leader, Health Management Practice, WTW
11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET
Bundled Payments and Other Forces Reshaping U.S. Health Care—A Playbook for Purchasers
11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET

Bundled payment is an important component of a value-based purchasing strategy. However, implementation, administration and evaluation of these programs can be complex. This session will review the research on bundled payment and examine approaches that purchasers have taken to make these programs successful.

Category: Health and Welfare
Francois de Brantes, M.S., M.B.A.
Instructor
Francois de Brantes, M.S., M.B.A.
Senior Partner
High Value Care Incentives Advisory Group
12:30-1:30 p.m. ET
Lunch with the Course Directors
12:30-1:30 p.m. ET
Category: Health and Welfare
1:30-2:30 p.m. ET
Primary Care and Plan Sponsors
1:30-2:30 p.m. ET
Category: Health and Welfare
Jeff Levin-Scherz, M.D., M.B.A., FACP
Co-Speaker
Jeff Levin-Scherz, M.D., M.B.A., FACP
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Population Health Leader, Health Management Practice, WTW
Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Co-Speaker
Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Health Care Policy and Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Internal Medicine Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital, Director of Research, Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care
2:30-3:00 p.m. ET
Debrief and Group Reflections
2:30-3:00 p.m. ET
Category: Health and Welfare
Jeff Levin-Scherz, M.D., M.B.A., FACP
Instructor
Jeff Levin-Scherz, M.D., M.B.A., FACP
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Population Health Leader, Health Management Practice, WTW
Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Instructor
Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Health Care Policy and Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Internal Medicine Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital, Director of Research, Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care
4:00-5:30 p.m. ET
Tour of Harvard Yard at 4:00 p.m.—Bus Departs Conference Center at 3:15 p.m.
4:00-5:30 p.m. ET

Please note that an RSVP is required for this event.

Transportation will be provided.

Category: Health and Welfare
Thursday April 20, 2023
8:45-9:30 a.m. ET
Doors Open/Breakfast Served
8:45-9:30 a.m. ET
Category: Health and Welfare
9:30-9:45 a.m. ET
Lessons from Day 1 and Introduction to Day 2
9:30-9:45 a.m. ET
Category: Health and Welfare
Jeff Levin-Scherz, M.D., M.B.A., FACP
Instructor
Jeff Levin-Scherz, M.D., M.B.A., FACP
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Population Health Leader, Health Management Practice, WTW
Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Instructor
Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Health Care Policy and Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Internal Medicine Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital, Director of Research, Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care
9:45-10:45 a.m. ET
Loneliness at Work—Addressing the OTHER Epidemic
9:45-10:45 a.m. ET

Growing loneliness and social isolation has precipitated a public health crisis, and the workplace is far from immune. This session will explore how the mental and physical health challenges of loneliness impact cost and productivity of the workforce and what employers can do to address this.

Category: Health and Welfare
Jeremy Nobel, M.D., M.P.H.
Instructor
Jeremy Nobel, M.D., M.P.H.
Faculty, Center for Primary Care, Harvard Medical School
President, Foundation for Art & Healing, President, Project UnLonely
11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m. ET
Workplace Wellness
11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m. ET

Wellness strategies in the workplace have evolved significantly as employers and other group benefit plan sponsors seek to contain medical spending upstream. This session will help plan sponsors think about the business case for workplace wellness programs as well as how to evaluate vendor claims.

Category: Health and Welfare
Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Instructor
Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Health Care Policy and Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Internal Medicine Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital, Director of Research, Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care
1:00-2:15 p.m. ET
Prescription Drug Pricing Policy in the U.S.—Challenges and Future Directions
1:00-2:15 p.m. ET

We will review trends in prices, usage, and spending of prescription drugs in the U.S.; examine implications of the prescription drug life cycle and complex pharmaceutical supply chain; and explore differences in prescription drug reimbursement between public and private payers. In addition, we will review upcoming policy changes included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

Category: Health and Welfare
Benjamin Rome, M.D., M.P.H.
Instructor
Benjamin Rome, M.D., M.P.H.
Instructor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Associate Physician and Research Fellow, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
2:15-3:15 p.m. ET
Behavioral Science and Patient Adherence
2:15-3:15 p.m. ET

The recent insights of behavioral economists and others who study consumer choice and engagement can inform anyone who designs or buys health benefits. This session will examine the insights of behavioral economics and how they are being applied to health benefits decisions, consumer engagement strategies and therapeutic adherence.

Category: Health and Welfare
Niteesh Choudhry, M.D., Ph.D.
Instructor
Niteesh Choudhry, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Director of Implementation Research and Education, Harvard Catalyst, Harvard Medical School
Associate Physician, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
3:30-4:30 p.m. ET
Will the Tech Giants Transform Health Care?
3:30-4:30 p.m. ET

Several “tech giants”–Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle–have made major investments in health care. These organizations bring significant financial resources, talent, innovation ability and new ideas to the industry. They could unleash an era of accelerated digital transformation of health care.

This session will review examples of digital transformation in health care, discuss the strategies and impact of the tech giants, identify digital transformation success factors and review how established companies (providers, purchasers, medical equipment companies) should react to the moves of the tech giants.

Category: Health and Welfare
John Glaser, Ph.D.
Instructor
John Glaser, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President, Population Health
Cerner Corporation
4:30-5:30 p.m. ET
INNOVATOR SESSION: How to Empower Consumers to Shop in Health Care
4:30-5:30 p.m. ET

Learn about the knowledge gaps consumers have to fill in order to make decisions in health care, why shopping tools have traditionally never worked and what new-age tools can do.

Category: Health and Welfare
Andrew Le, M.D.
Instructor
Andrew Le, M.D.
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Buoy Health
5:30-6:00 p.m. ET
Debrief and Group Reflections
5:30-6:00 p.m. ET
Category: Health and Welfare
Jeff Levin-Scherz, M.D., M.B.A., FACP
Instructor
Jeff Levin-Scherz, M.D., M.B.A., FACP
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Population Health Leader, Health Management Practice, WTW
Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Instructor
Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Health Care Policy and Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Internal Medicine Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital, Director of Research, Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care
7:00-10:00 p.m. ET
Dinner at Harvard Faculty Club—Bus departs conference center at 6:15 p.m.
7:00-10:00 p.m. ET

Please note that an RSVP is required for this event.

Transportation will be provided to and from the event.

Category: Health and Welfare
Friday April 21, 2023
8:45-9:30 a.m. ET
Doors Open/Breakfast Served
8:45-9:30 a.m. ET
Category: Health and Welfare
9:30-9:45 a.m. ET
Lessons from Day 2 and Introduction to Day 3
9:30-9:45 a.m. ET
Category: Health and Welfare
Jeff Levin-Scherz, M.D., M.B.A., FACP
Instructor
Jeff Levin-Scherz, M.D., M.B.A., FACP
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Population Health Leader, Health Management Practice, WTW
Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Instructor
Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Health Care Policy and Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Internal Medicine Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital, Director of Research, Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care
9:45-10:45 a.m. ET
Maternity Care
9:45-10:45 a.m. ET

Maternal mortality rates have been rising precipitously in the United States, and research shows major disparities in outcomes by socioeconomic status. This session will explore this data and discuss how plan sponsors and purchasers can act to improve these outcomes.

Category: Health and Welfare
Neel Shah, M.D., MPP
Instructor
Neel Shah, M.D., MPP
Chief Medical Officer, Maven Clinic
Assistant Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School
10:45-11:45 a.m. ET
Provider Consolidation
10:45-11:45 a.m. ET

Mergers and acquisitions in the provider sector have been a pronounced feature of the post-ACA landscape, and activity has been accelerating in recent years. This session will examine the research on the implications of consolidation on price and quality.

Category: Health and Welfare
Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Instructor
Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Health Care Policy and Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Internal Medicine Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital, Director of Research, Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care
12:00-1:15 p.m. ET
Past, Present and Future of the Social Determinants of Health
12:00-1:15 p.m. ET

Factors outside the health system, including socioeconomic status, education, employment and social support networks, make a significant contribution to health outcomes. This session will examine social determinants that are most relevant to employed populations and what purchasers can do to influence or address these issues from a health equity lens.

Category: Health and Welfare
Monica Wang, Sc.D., M.S.
Instructor
Monica Wang, Sc.D., M.S.
Associate Professor of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health
Associate Director of Narrative, BU Center for Antiracist Research
1:15-2:15 p.m. ET
INNOVATOR SESSION: Using Data to Drive Innovation and Cost Containment
1:15-2:15 p.m. ET

With the Consolidated Appropriations Act as well as tools such as Sage Transparency, the NASPH Hospital Cost Tool and the Transparency in Coverage data, employers now have more access to their claims data and medical spend than ever before. This session will explore how the 32BJ Health Fund has leveraged data to drive innovation and cost containment efforts. We will look at how to implement “win/win” solutions that benefit the employer and member. Additionally, we will touch on tools available for all employers and how they can leverage them for their own innovation and cost containment.

Category: Health and Welfare
Cora Opsahl, M.B.A.
Instructor
Cora Opsahl, M.B.A.
Director
32BJ Health Fund
2:15-3:30 p.m. ET
Wrap-up and Future Directions
2:15-3:30 p.m. ET
Category: Health and Welfare
Jeff Levin-Scherz, M.D., M.B.A., FACP
Instructor
Jeff Levin-Scherz, M.D., M.B.A., FACP
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Population Health Leader, Health Management Practice, WTW
Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Instructor
Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Health Care Policy and Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Internal Medicine Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital, Director of Research, Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care
3:30-4:00 p.m. ET
Presentation of Certificates
3:30-4:00 p.m. ET
Category: Health and Welfare

“Exceptional content! This program was very thought provoking. Worth the investment of time and money.”

Mary Lachenbruch Director of Benefits
Montana University System


​​Who Should Attend?

​This program is structured to fit the educational needs of senior-level group health benefit decision makers. 

Speakers

  • Niteesh Choudhry, M.D., Ph.D. Professor, Director of Implementation Research and Education, Harvard Catalyst, Harvard Medical School Associate Physician, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
  • Francois de Brantes, M.S., M.B.A. Senior Partner High Value Care Incentives Advisory Group
  • John Glaser, Ph.D. Senior Vice President, Population Health Cerner Corporation
  • Andrew Le, M.D. Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Buoy Health
  • Jeff Levin-Scherz, M.D., M.B.A., FACP Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Population Health Leader, Health Management Practice, WTW
  • Jeremy Nobel, M.D., M.P.H. Faculty, Center for Primary Care, Harvard Medical School President, Foundation for Art & Healing, President, Project UnLonely
  • Cora Opsahl, M.B.A. Director 32BJ Health Fund
  • Benjamin Rome, M.D., M.P.H. Instructor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Associate Physician and Research Fellow, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
  • Neel Shah, M.D., MPP Chief Medical Officer, Maven Clinic Assistant Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School
  • Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D. Associate Professor of Health Care Policy and Medicine, Harvard Medical School Internal Medicine Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital, Director of Research, Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care
  • Monica Wang, Sc.D., M.S. Associate Professor of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health Associate Director of Narrative, BU Center for Antiracist Research

​Facul​ty Advisors​​​​​​

​​​Jeff Levin-Scherz Photo.jpg

Jeffrey Levin-Scherz, MD, MBA

​​Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management

Harvard Medical School

​​​Zirui Song Photo.JPG

​Zirui Song, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Health Care Policy
Harvard Medical School

Internal Medicine Physician
Massachusetts General Hospital

 Faculty and Speakers

We are pleased to have distinguished faculty and expert speakers for this program.

Faculty and Speakers

​Progra​m Structure​

Limited seats are being offered at this program to foster discussion and allow for optimal access to Harvard Medical School faculty and researchers. Sessions will utilize small group discussion, case study review and faculty-led lecture.


Attendees receive a certificate from Harvard Medical School suitable for framing.

Harvard_Cert-cutout.jpg

More Information

For more information regarding this program, please contact our Educational Program Department at edprog@ifebp.org.

Policies
View our registration policies.


Connect with usfacebook-icon-white-red.pngfacebook-icon-white-red.pngfacebook-icon-white-red.png #IFEBP

Registration Information

Registration Information
  Member Nonmember


Through 3/15/2023 US $5,250.00 US $5,580.00
After 3/15/2023 US $5,550.00 US $5,880.00
 
×

In order to achieve a more secure and compliant experience, we no longer support Internet Explorer. Please use one of the browsers listed below:

  • Microsoft Edge
  • Google Chrome
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Apple Safari

View our system requirements for more details.