Cost Saving Tools
MMO Cost Savings Tools
What is SmartShopper?
Helps you save money on several medical procedures. Earn $$$$$ when you use the program and choose a LOW cost, HIGH quality provider for service!
When you need a non-emergent medical procedure, start with SmartShopper.
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They provide you with the options you need to make good health care choices.
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If you choose a low cost, high quality provider – you will receive a check in the mail! Yes!
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Your Personal Assistant can also schedule your appointment.
Call your SmartShopper Personal Assistant team at 1-877-292-1541 Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST.
Wisehealth Consumer Tools
Wisehealth Consumer Tools
It is not easy to make good health decisions while trying to manage out-of-pocket medical expenses. However, healthcare costs continue to rise, and participants need to become more sophisticated in making utilization decisions to lower their out-of-pocket costs. Here are some tips you can use to help stretch your healthcare dollars further.
Choose the right health plan for you. Re-assess your health insurance needs at least once a year; simply because you had been enrolled in a particular plan does not mean that this is the best plan for you. Factor in your payroll contributions as well as what you and your family typically spend on health care annually.
Use providers in your network whenever possible. You will pay less when you use providers, such as doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies that are in your plan’s network. When you and your family use network providers, you save on out-of-pocket expenses because the providers have agreed to accept negotiated prices for their services.
Choose the level of care wisely. Before seeking medical care at an emergency room, consider the severity of your condition and your options. Do you need immediate medical care or can you visit an urgent care facility or wait until your regular doctor is available? Emergency rooms treat patients with the most serious conditions first, so patients with less urgent needs generally have to wait longer to see a doctor. Both you and your plan may end up paying for the unnecessary emergency room staff and diagnostics.
Compare prices of the diagnostic procedures and laboratory services. Not all MRIs and CAT Scans are made the same. Even if the medical facilities are using similar equipment, costs for the same procedure among them may vary dramatically. When possible, compare several service providers and ask questions to understand why the costs are different.
Get routine medical checkups, preventive screenings, and vaccinations. One cannot overstate the importance of preventive medical care. Many chronic conditions develop years before they start exhibiting symptoms. True, not everything is preventable and not everything can get diagnosed at an early stage, but if you believe that preventive care can make a difference, you will feel more in control of your health and healthcare decisions if you are faced with a medical condition. Health plans now have 100% coverage for preventive services, so take advantage of that.
If you have a chronic medical condition, make sure to manage it. It is important for everybody to establish a relationship with a family physician, but even more so for a person who has a chronic health condition. The continuity of care can make a big difference in how well the condition is managed and, ultimately, the difference in your quality of life. Having a relationship with one physician does not mean that you must stay with that physician no matter what; instead, be sure to evaluate how engaged and proactive your physician is and how well he or she is helping you keep your condition under control or better yet improve your health. As a consumer, you should hold your physician to the high level of expectations, certainly, no less than to what you would do with your car mechanic. Take medications regularly but challenge your physician to explain to you why they are necessary and if there are alternatives. Turn to free resources that are part of your benefits, such as the disease management program and Employee Assistance Program, as well as support groups and various non-profit organizations that specialize in your condition.
Get routine dental exams and cleanings. Your plan provides a very inexpensive dental coverage; routine dental care is absolutely free. It is recommended to get a cleaning every 6 months, more frequently for people with a chronic condition such as diabetes or women who are pregnant. At times, dentists are the first ones to spot a health problem through the means of a routine dental exam. A word of caution, frequent dental x-rays often expose people to radiation unnecessary, so as with everything else, question everything related to your health.
Look for a quality healthcare facility that fits your budget. Inpatient hospital care is the biggest ticket item for health plans. Not surprisingly, you as a consumer may bear some of these costs too. Hospitals vary tremendously in terms of the quality of care and costs. While you don’t want to sacrifice the quality of care, you probably don’t want to pay for the unnecessary concierge services (such as fancy fountains, marble floors or a hotel-style room) either. The quality of care is defined by the outcome of your hospital stay; there are comparison tools available to consumers. When it comes to complex and expensive procedures, such as transplants, heart or cancer care, there are designated Centers of Excellence that have a proven record of positive outcomes, which at the end works out to be the best deal for everybody, financially and health-wise.
Scrutinize your medical bills for errors. Another area of the health care system that is far from perfect is the actual payment disbursement system. Aside from the wide-spread fraud that surrounds medical reimbursements, processing errors and neglect play an important role in whether your claims are paid correctly. Over 90% of claims today are auto-adjudicated, which means they flow through an algorithm and humans look only at the ones that the system flags. Know what you and your medical plan is supposed to pay for a particular type of service and make sure that the Explanation of Benefits reflects the charges that you expected to see.
Use a Flexible Spending Account or Health Savings Account to offset some of the out-of-pocket medical expenses. Take time during an annual enrollment to estimate your out-of -pocket medical expenses for the calendar year. You can save up to 30-40% if you pay for services with pre-tax dollars. Review the list of eligible expenses carefully since they undergo changes from time to time.
Resources for Wise Health Care Consumers
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Fair Health Consumer – a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing transparency to health care costs and health care information (http://www.fairhealthconsumer.org/)
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US Department of Health and Human Services tool that compares hospitals (http://hospitalcompare.hhs.gov)
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Choosing Wisely aims to promote conversations between physicians and patients by helping patients choose care that is supported by evidence, not duplicative of other tests or procedures already received, free from harm, truly necessary (http://www.choosingwisely.org/doctor-patient-lists/)
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Pharmacy Checker – a search tool to locate reputable and competitive online pharmacies (http://www.pharmacychecker.com/)
Generic Prescriptions
Personal and Financial Calculators
Personal Calculators
- Rent Vs. Buy Calculator
- College Funding Calculator
- Expense Percentage Calculator
- Retirement Savings Calculator
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Calculator
