NASHVILLE, Tenn. (February 17, 2022) – In its first year, MyHealth Bundles, an innovative health plan solution from Vanderbilt Health, saved Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) more than $250,000 in medical costs. MNPS teachers and health plan members who used MyHealth Bundles for their maternity care saved an additional $150,000 in out-of-pocket costs through the program. Last month, MNPS began its third year offering MyHealth Bundles, and it now has eight different bundled care programs with Vanderbilt Health for its employees and their families.
Vanderbilt Health Employer Solutions introduced MyHealth Bundles to area employers and brokers in January 2020 as a predictable, value-based approach to managing some of the most common and costly health conditions. The bundled payment model includes dedicated navigators for each patient to deliver a high-touch experience, ensure care is coordinated, and reduce overall costs to patients and their employers. The patients-first design also improves health outcomes, simplifies access to care, streamlines appointments and automatically includes important preventive and follow-up care.
“We’ve been building this bundled-care approach at Vanderbilt for several years and knew it worked to throw out traditional payment rules and simply focus on patient-centered care,” said C.J. Stimson, MD, JD, Chief Medical Officer of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and Vanderbilt University Employee Health Plans and Senior Vice President of Value Transformation. “Nonetheless, the success we saw with Metro Nashville Public Schools in its very first year is astounding. This is a model that benefits every person involved.”
MNPS achieved its Year 1 savings through the MyMaternityHealth bundle, which covers prenatal, delivery and postnatal care. Pleased with the cost and quality results seen with maternity care, MNPS expanded the bundles offered to its employees and families in 2021 (Year 2) to include surgical weight loss (MyWeightLossHealth), select spine surgeries (MySpineHealth), hip and knee replacement surgery (MyOrthoHealth) and cochlear implant surgery for severe hearing loss (MyHearingHealth). Starting last month (Year 3), the MNPS employee health plan now includes Vanderbilt Health’s newest bundles: medical weight loss, osteoarthritis and shoulder pain.
“This started out as a search for great care that was more affordable to MNPS and to our teachers. We couldn’t have anticipated how successful this would be,” said David Hines, Executive Director of Benefits for MNPS. “Without a doubt, the most meaningful outcome is that mothers using MyMaternityHealth saw a reduced need for neonatal care and experienced 25% fewer C-sections than those in the general medical population. That is all while MNPS saved money and those families paid zero dollars out of pocket, which translates to a huge reduction in financial and emotional stress for our teachers.”
MyHealth Bundles deliver a comprehensive care model that more closely links the many segments of care that make up a health care journey. For instance, MyMaternityHealth includes all prenatal care, plus delivery and three months postpartum care. The program also incorporates a telehealth option when appropriate for more frequent and simpler check-ins. This approach saves money, and because it is all coordinated by a dedicated patient navigator, getting care is easier and less stressful for the patient and their loved ones.
MNPS patients give the program rave reviews with an impressive Net Promoter Score of 95.
“The care for my son was top priority, and I did not have to worry about bills—I wasn’t stressed,” said Lisa Shadrick, MNPS employee. “We were able to speak with a patient navigator, and that point-of-contact person was so lovely. Everything was taken care of.”
Provider-based bundles are fundamentally different than the more familiar insurance-initiated bundles. Provider bundles, such as MyHealth Bundles from Vanderbilt Health Employer Solutions, offer less risk to employers, fewer eligibility restrictions, real-time financial feedback and reimagined health care focused on quality care—not payment. The real-time feedback on costs and outcomes enables Vanderbilt Health to maintain its commitment to providing quality patient care.
“Teachers are doing heroes’ work every day, nurturing future leaders of our community in their hallways and classrooms. It has been a great honor to collaborate with MNPS to provide leading-edge solutions like MyHealth Bundles to people that deserve nothing but the best care we can give,” said C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Health System Officer for VUMC.
“As the region’s largest private employer, we understand the challenges facing employers and employees today,” he continued. “That’s why we are committed to benefits innovation. We work with our fellow employers to share what’s worked for us and deliver strategic solutions that improve quality, increase employee engagement and retention, and make smart business sense. Our work with MNPS is proof that these solutions save time, money and stress, and even more important, deliver improved health outcomes for all.”
Developed by world-renowned experts at VUMC, MyHealth Bundles have been well-received by local, regional and national employers. Several new companies are offering MyHealth Bundles to their employees and families in 2022. MyHealth Bundles can be added to a health plan at any time of the year, not only at the start of a new plan year. Employers report implementation is easy, and there’s no annual participation fee. Learn more at MyHealthBundlesForEmployers.com.
About Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers and is one of the largest comprehensive research, teaching and patient care health systems in the Southeast. The most heavily utilized quaternary, referral healthcare facility in the Mid-South, VUMC sees over 2.3 million patient visits per year in over 150 locations, discharging 66,000 inpatients and performing 67,000 surgical operations. The medical center is the largest non-governmental employer of Middle Tennessee citizens, with more than 25,000 staff, including nearly 3,000 physicians, advanced practice nurses and scientists appointed to the Vanderbilt University faculty. For more information and the latest news follow VUMC on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and in the VUMC Reporter.
Media Contact
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
John Howser
615-322-4747
About Metro Nashville Public Schools
Metro Nashville Public Schools is one of the nation’s top 50 largest school districts, preparing more than 80,000 students for higher education, work and life. With the goal of being the premier large urban school district in Tennessee and beyond, MNPS wants to ensure Every Student is Known by meeting focused outcomes that will help each child achieve growth from an academic and social-emotional perspective. The governing body for Metro Schools is the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Public Education, a nine-member elected body. For more information, visit MNPS.org, or follow us on Twitter @MetroSchools or Facebook /MetroSchools.
Media Contact
Metro Nashville Public Schools
Sean Braisted
615-259-8790
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