Take a closer look
How the Program Works
Over 1 million plan members have completed the online educational program. It meets your plan members where they are in their decision making process and helps them gather accurate information about their options. It is an online, self-paced program that helps people navigate the surgical process through six simple steps:
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Participants have the opportunity to evaluate and quantify their symptoms, aches, pains, movement limitations, and other issues specific to their condition
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They learn about potential treatment options, both surgical and non-surgical, that they can discuss with their doctor
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There are surgery animations of various procedures; role-plays to assist plan members know how to ask questions of their doctor in order to promote more meaningful discussions, and much more
CASE STUDY:
Getting the Right Procedure
A stop-loss sales representative completed the SSDS program just before his final pre-op visit. During that final exam, he asked treatment questions based on what he had learned from the program. His questions prompted the surgeon to re-examine him, only to discover that he didn't need knee replacement surgery - he needed hip replacement surgery!
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Without this program:
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He would have endured a totally pointless surgery along with the grueling rehabilitation, only to discover that a different operation and rehab would be required
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The employer would have been stuck with the cost of two surgeries, the cost of short-term disability benefits, and the loss of a valuable employee for far longer than necessary.
If surgery is the selected treatment, the participant learns the steps to take to prepare for the procedure and recover at home. This helps reduce the potential for complications and errors which leads to better outcomes and lower costs.
Paid claims expense
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Our partner’s SSDS program is accounted as a claim expense, NOT an administrative fee per Affordable Care Act definition of a Quality Improvement Activity (QIA).
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​Benefits are paid at 100% without annual deductibles, copays, or coinsurance as this program also meets the ACA definition of a Preventative Service.