Since its creation in early 2023, the Vanderbilt Health Employer Advisory Council has addressed common challenges for area employers. In recent meetings, the council has discussed ways to manage pharmacy spend and mitigate the cost implications of weight-loss medications for health plans.
These discussions prompted the creation of an Employer Solutions GLP-1 Town Hall where Vanderbilt Health experts answered questions about these medications and talked through best practices around coverage and a long-term benefits strategy.
The March 7 town hall covered:
- GLP-1 drugs’ impact on obesity and its co-morbidities
- How increased usage of these medications leads to higher pharmacy benefits costs
- Recommendations for combating high costs and mitigating the impact on health plans
- Strategies for communicating pharmacy benefits to employees
Brent McDonald, senior vice president and chief strategy officer for Population Health at VUMC, moderated the following panel of Vanderbilt Health experts:
- Sabrina Poon, MD, MPH, Medical Director, Office of Episodes of Care, VUMC
- Rick Ohmer, Executive Director of Compensation and Benefits, VUMC
- Jared Schnake, PharmD, Staff Pharmacist, VUMC
- Michelle Ross, RD, LDN, Registered Dietitian, Center for Surgical Weight Loss, VUMC
Watch the webinar and read the transcript below or at this link.
How Vanderbilt's MyWeightLoss Bundles Can Help
Obesity-related complications significantly increase absenteeism and lower overall productivity, while also driving up health care costs. Vanderbilt's MyWeightLossHealth Bundle offers employers a solution for helping their employees become healthier and more productive, while also lowering overall health care costs.
MyWeightLossHealth takes an innovative approach that coordinates all services needed for a successful weight-loss journey. There are two bundle options for patients with a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 35—a Medical Weight Loss Bundle and a Surgical Weight Loss Bundle that includes two procedures: laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (“gastric sleeve”) and laparoscopic gastric bypass (“gastric bypass”).
Learn more about MyWeightLossHealth here.
