Case Study: Forging a Patient-Driven Partnership

The Opportunity

An industry leader in steel production with a national footprint was searching for a method to address rising costs associated with outpatient medical care. As a self-insured employer, the company offers employees access to an on-site board-licensed physician at the plant locations. As part of regular preventive care, employees are regularly referred out to various provider locations for colonoscopies, MRIs, cardiac screenings, and other services. The company physician acts as a care coordinator and manages healthcare costs for the company, which pays two-thirds of employee healthcare costs.

Most of the plants are located in rural areas. An employee’s plan in South Carolina is limited to only two major hospitals nearby. Although competition was limited, there were pricing variations that had not been taken into consideration in the referral process. MDsave was selected as a strategy to help minimize pricing variation by locking down upfront affordable pricing.

The Solution

Care Connect, A Tendo Marketplace, designed a platform offering a compelling value proposition for employers. A key feature of the Care Connect platform is the ability to pre-purchase services in an all-inclusive pricing bundle. By pre-negotiating advantageous rates, Care Connect can help drive volume to providers while offering lower, consistent pricing to employers and employees.

Employees benefit from lower out-of-pocket costs for medical services, as they are responsible for a portion of their healthcare expenses within the steel company’s cost-sharing model.

The Results

In August of 2021, the employer purchased 42 procedures through the Care Connect platform for $35,000—resulting in a 66% savings from the prior year. When including the individual savings for employee out-of-pocket expenses, the total year-over-year savings is more than $100,000.

The Benefits

Care Connect creates a private, exclusive network for employers by identifying and contracting with high-quality, local providers looking to reach new patients—patients like the steel company’s employees. Providers are willing to offer lower prices to employers through the Care Connect platform because the billing process is more efficient.

Instant access to bundled, upfront prices on the Tendo Marketplace makes the purchase process fast and easy for employers and care coordinators while mitigating surprise billing issues associated with the traditional healthcare reimbursement process

Read the full case study here.

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