Health Costs 2.0: Bending the Cost Curve for Plans, Patients, and Employers

**Attendees Please Note: Photo ID is required by EmblemHealth at check-in.

For special ticket options for Employers, Doctors, Students, Startups, Investors, Networkers, and Sponsors, please visit our Eventbrite site (http://costofcare.eventbrite.com) (note: you do not need to register here if you do there.)

We all know that the cost increases in healthcare are unsustainable. Since the healthcare reform debates in 2008, there has been a profusion of cost reducing innovations and now with important PPACA provisions in the pipe, it is time to take a close look at what is happening to the Cost of Care lately and what can move the needle.

This event will explore some of the newest options for Patients, Employers, Payers and Providers to see what is working to bend the cost curve. First, up to six amazing startups will show us what they have created and how it has been working. Then top leaders in the space will discuss their view of what is working and what is not from their perspective.

Panelists and Presenters

We have a really great lineup. Presenting: WellnessRebates (http://wellnessrebates.com/), Fitango (https://www.fitango.com/about-us.php), Epion Health (http://www.epionhealth.com/), Collaborative Health (http://www.collaborativehealth.net/), ClearHealthCosts (http://clearhealthcosts.com/), Health Options Worldwide (http://www.healthoptionsworldwide.com/) and eCaring (http://ecaring.com/). Our Panelists include Laura Gaffney from New York-Presbyterian, Eli Camhi from VNSNY (http://2013.vnsnychoice.org/), Employer CFO Larry Klein, David Neikrug from HR vendor management firm Optimatum Group (http://www.optimatumgroup.com) and Dr. Eliza Ng from EmblemHealth (http://www.emblemhealth.com). See below for bios.

Thank you to our Venue Sponsor, EmblemHealth

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/2/7/9/4/event_259210132.jpegWe appreciate EmblemHealth's support for this important topic and their dedication to exploring ways to reduce the cost of care while maintaining quality.

*** Event Sponsor: Wellness Rebates™ ***

Thank you to Wellness Rebates™ for sponsoring this event! Employers and Benefit managers can use the code "WellnessRebates" here to get in for free! Make sure you select Employer ticket type at the Eventbrite site (http://costofcare.eventbrite.com).

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/c/a/c/8/event_260811912.jpegWellness Rebates (http://www.wellnessrebates.com) offers Customized Employee Wellness Programs that reduce the cost of care and help keep people healthy. As you know, there’s a movement afoot to change the direction of health and wellness in America. WellnessRebates™ is offering something much better than a fad diet, they offer Customized Employee Wellness Programs that are built to last. They help employees make a cultural shift toward healthy living. Let’s face it, people are creatures of habit and unless we change how we think, we can’t expect our behavior to change. So why change? Because it can lower healthcare costs, increase employee productivity, and well, just make everyone a little happier.

Oh, and did we mention our Wellness Program can cost you nothing? Yep, there’s that too. For more information, call 888.208.2788

About our Venue Sponsor, EmblemHealth

EmblemHealth, Inc., through its companies Group Health Incorporated (GHI) and HIP Health Plan of New York (HIP), provides quality health care coverage and administrative services to approximately 3.4 million people. Groups and individuals can choose from a variety of PPO, EPO and HMO plans, as well as coverage for prescription drugs and dental and vision care. EmblemHealth offers a choice of networks, including quality doctors and other health care professionals throughout the region, leading acute care hospitals across the tristate area, and physicians and hospitals across all 50 states. For more information, visit http://www.emblemhealth.com .

Special Tickets Available!

Sponsorships, Tables, Networking slots, Student, Startup, Investor, and Group tickets available. Please register on Eventbrite (http://costofcare.eventbrite.com/) for these special tickets (you don't need to register here then.)

Get Matched!

Need a co-founder, looking for customers, want to get involved with a great project or company, then you will want to be matched. We love the way our last event broke down who was coming for what reason and made the matchmaking / networking sessions go so much better. If you want a badge with a label, tell us more through our Eventbrite registration page (http://costofcare.eventbrite.com/). Remember, only register here OR there, not both.

You can also call or email us if you don't see a ticket type that suits you at (917) 832-1705 or email us at health20nyc@gmail.com

Agenda

6.00 pm-6.30 pm Networking, meet, tweet and greet
6.30 pm-6.40 pm Introductions and opening remarks
6.40 pm-8.00 pm Seven great presentations on 'bending the cost curve' in healthcare
8.00 pm-8.15 pm Networking Break
8.15 pm-8.45 pm Panel Discussion: What Works in Reducing Costs and Increasing the Quality of Care?
8.45 pm-9.15 pm Open Q&A with panel
9.15 pm-9:30 pm Closing remarks and networking

9.30 on After Event at historic Fraunces Tavern, 54 Pearl Street

Presenters

Victor Adefuye, President, WellnessRebates (http://www.wellnessrebates.com/)

http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/c/c/a/8/event_258592392.jpeg

Wellness Rebates develops comprehensive wellness programs for mid-sized companies that inspire employees to embrace a culture of wellness

Victor joined WellnessRebates because he is passionate about using innovation, creativity and teamwork to tackle America’s biggest challenges, while helping individuals and organizations reach their highest potential. Prior to joining Wellness Rebates, Victor worked with Northwestern Mutual advising small businesses and families on how best to meet their financial planning and risk management goals. He has also worked as a corporate and labor law attorney.In addition
to health care and wellness, Victor is also passionate about education policy, and currently serves on the Education Leadership Council of College Summit, a national non-profit that partners with
high schools in underserved neighborhoodshttp://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/c/8/2/0/event_260811232.jpeg to increase their college-going culture. Victor studied Political Science, Management and Economics at Duke University and is a graduate of The George Washington University Law School. He was born in Nigeria and is the first generation of his family to graduate from college in the United States.

Rebecca Bar, COO, Fitango (http://www.fitango.com/)

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Fitango is an innovative e-health platform founded in 2010 by a group of experienced entrepreneurs and health care specialists. We believe providing patients a place where they can access motivation and support from their social network in conjunction with medical advice from their health care providers can vastly improve their health.

At Fitango, our mission is to help people stay committed to their health and wellness by supporting and improving peoples' adherence to their medical treatment and healthy choices.

Joe Blewitt, CEO, Epion Health (http://www.epionhealth.com/)

http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/4/a/4/e/event_259279022.jpegPatients spend an average of more than 20 minutes in a physician’s waiting room, so why not make the most of it? A cloud-based tablet solution that digitizes the paper-based intake and discharge processes, from patient check-in to payment collection to patient education and more.

Joe was a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force before starting pharma service firm Customer Promotions, Inc. in 1997 where he spent 17 years serving the needs of many Pharma clients. He started Epion in 2011 and is currently in the Health Box Accelerator in Boston.

David Goldstein, President and CEO, Health Options Worldwide (http://www.healthoptionsworldwide.com/)

http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/d/6/e/e/event_263155022.jpegDavid, with Clark Lagemann, founded HOW with a mission to use technology to increase health awareness and help people take action. They focus on creating behaviors that drive earlier clinical recognition of disease. David's prior experience includes both the medical device industry and payment solutions. During his sales and management experience at L5 Surgical, C.R. Bard's Davol and ADP, he led #1 sales teams and created new product offerings and sales trainings still used by these companies. During this time, he learned many entrepreneurial skills to compliment his robust sales background. David continues to share his sales and leadership expertise to both students and professionals by offering trainings and educational presentations at ADP, C.R. Bard, DeVry University, Insight Only, JuiceTank, L5 Surgical and Rutgers University, and is currently a mentor for Tigerlabs’s health accelerator.

Robert M. Herzog, Founder and CEO, eCaring (http://ecaring.com/)

http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/4/4/0/4/event_263297412.jpegRobert M. Herzog has extensive experience founding and managing companies. Prior to eCaring, he acted in senior positions to companies that were acquired by HP and Microsoft, among others. He built his first company into five operating companies in four states with over 200 employees, constructing and operating energy and environmental projects and service organizations. In addition to being CEO of a diverse range of companies, he has detailed experience in marketing, financial and operations positions. Robert has been a pioneer in applying new technologies to business ventures, in interactive media, digital TV, intellectual property services, content development, media, and technology commercialization to companies including: IPnetwork (CEO); Motionbox (CFO); City Winery; Cahners Publishing, R. R. Bowker, The David Sarnoff Research Center, Interactive Video Technologies, (IVT), Sensar, IPnetwork, and The on2 Corp. In public service, Robert created and was Director of New York City's Energy Office, where he managed extensive conservation and alternative energy projects. As an officer with JP Morgan Chase, he assessed new lending opportunities and markets in energy, urban economies and housing. Robert graduated from Williams College, and has a Masters from the New School for Social Research.

Jeanne Pinder, Founder and CEO, ClearHealthCosts (http://clearhealthcosts.com)

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/c/d/e/8/event_258592712.jpegCHC brings transparency to the health-care marketplace by researching and providing prices for medical procedures and items. By revealing prices, we are empowering consumers to make informed decisions about the costs of their medical care and coverage. Jeanne gained a 360-degree view of journalism from working over a 23-year career as an editor, reporter and human resources executive for The New York Times. She founded ClearHealthCosts in 2009, using her journalistic skills to compile medical procedure pricing from different sources: independent reporting, healthcare providers, participating consumers and databases.

Elliot Turrini, Founder and CEO, CollaborativeHealth (http://www.collaborativehealth.net/)

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/c/e/7/4/event_258592852.jpeg

Cost-effectively engaging people in health programs today is very difficult. CollaborativeHealth created RapidHealth, a subscription mobile/online wellness service for employers, healthcare providers, and consumers. RapidHealth uses a proprietary mix of entertainment, advanced behavioral science, and simple and delightful user-experience.

A Yale graduate with a J.D. summa cum laude from Seton Hall University Law School, Elliot is a board member of the American Council on Exercise. He founded CollaborativeHealth in 2007 to help people like his father who struggled for decades with obesity, depression and other medical conditions. Previously, Elliot was the EVP of a 300-employee IT services firm, and Assistant US Attorney for the District of NJ.

Panelists

Eliza Ng, MD, Senior Medical Director, EmblemHealth (http://www.emblemhealth.com)

http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/e/9/a/e/event_263159822.jpegDr. Ng is a graduate of Drexel University (Hahnemann) School of Medicine with a MPH from Columbia. She currently leads a physician team in supporting all aspects of medical management including utilization, case management and medical affairs.

Laura Gaffney, Chief Transformation Consultant, New York-Presbyterian Hospital

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/3/f/f/4/event_260716372.jpegMs. Gaffney joined New York-Presbyterian Hospital in May 2011 to lead a major restructuring effort for the hospital. The multi-year effort began in early 2011 in anticipation of US health care reform. Six teams were initiated focusing on both clinical and operational transformation to increase efficiency while improving quality care and the patient experience. The effort is ongoing.

Prior to joining NYP, Ms. Gaffney had twenty-five years of experience in healthcare including President and CEO of a community hospital and Executive Director of a large chronic care center both in New York City. In addition, Ms. Gaffney was a consultant, a Partner at Ernst & Young, and directed a broad range of large-scale, hospital and health system engagements for academic medical centers, teaching and community hospitals across the US. Her primary focus was in strategy development and implementation, hospital operations/efficiency as well as integration across multiple entities. The topics typically addressed included: program planning and configuration, revenue cycle, managed care and reimbursement, clinical resource design/utilization and capacity management, efficiency in clinical and administrative operations and management, information systems, supply chain, asset management, human resources and the physician/faculty enterprise. Ms. Gaffney has a business degree in finance and accounting from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Larry Klein, CFO, The Carlisle Collection (http://www.carlislecollection.com) and Casuals Etcetera

http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/b/1/3/2/event_260805362.jpegA tough negotiator, Larry Klein has tried it all from going self-insured to cost sharing, to full service. He is open to new ideas and is not afraid to tell you what he thinks.

Eli Camhi, Executive Director, Select / Special Populations, VNSNY Choice (http://2013.vnsnychoice.org/)

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/2/b/f/e/event_260411262.jpegA long-time friend and supporter of H2NYC, Eli is one of the thought leaders in the care of HIV Patients and populations. He has extensive senior management and P & L experience with healthcare delivery systems, Medicaid, federal and state grants, managed care, case management, database design and collaborative internet technologies.

David Neikrug, Chief Executive Officer, Optimatum Group LLC (http://www.optimatumgroup.com/)

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Optimatum Group is a vendor management firm for the HR supply chain. Our turnkey solution creates value for organizations in financial and operational disciplines by optimizing vendor relationships, thereby empowering vendor accountability and maximizing margin expansion. Through Optimatum’s employer sponsored health care group, our clients reap direct efficiencies of 10-12% on their healthcare costs within one year, and 5-7% in subsequent years while maintaining existing vendors and current benefits without shifting costs. For organizations with an edict of expense management coupled with a culture of strong vendor management, Optimatum drives solutions at a time when wastefulness is a luxury we can no longer afford.

Nathalie Bloch, MD, Medical Director, Mount Auburn IPA (http://www.macipa.com/macipawp/)

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Primary Care Physician and Hospitalist. She is a Board Member and Medical Director of the Mount Auburn Cambridge Independent Practice Association, Inc. (MACIPA) in Cambridge, MA, Instructing Physician for the Family Meeting Project at Mount Auburn Hospital, a Fellow for Innovation in Primary Care at Harvard Medical School and Chief Medical Officer for Fitango. Dr. Bloch earned her MD from Sackler Medical School as well as a MC-MPA from Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Alex Fair, MS, Founder & CEO, FairCareMD.com (http://www.faircaremd.com) and MedStartr.com (http://www.medstartr.com)

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/5/7/b/4/event_259282452.jpeg Alex joined this Meetup group while researching how to solve the price transparency problem in healthcare. He is still working on that one, but also created MedStartr along the way and helps run this group. He doesn't usually put himself on his own panels, but since he knows a thing or two about the topic, he is making an exception here. FairCareMD.com (http://www.faircaremd.com) has served over 550,000 patient searches for care and helps patients connect to fairly priced care daily, saving about 46% on average.

This should be a great event. Thank you to EmblemHealth for sponsoring and to the H2NYC volunteer team led by Donna Cusano for making it great!