Darlene Laursen Medrano

Orthopedic One, the largest physician-owned orthopedic surgery practice in Ohio, wanted to do more to help its employees prepare for retirement. “Our plan participation was below benchmarks, averaging 65% for many years,” says Kim Snyder, benefits analyst for Orthopedic One. “We were concerned that employees were not taking the time necessary to focus on their retirement savings.”

She worked with Medrano to figure out how to get more people involved in the plan.

“I worked in retirement plans for health care with doctors and nurses before, and I knew what their days were like,” says Medrano. “These people are so busy they’re kind of hoping someone else will do it for them. Auto-enrollment started to make a lot of sense.”

They talked through different scenarios and in October 2022 the plan implemented auto-enrollment at 3% with auto-increases every year. “We decided to only auto-enroll people who aren’t doing anything,” says Medrano. “We wanted to leave people who were making a decision alone.”

Medrano worked with Milliman’s communications team to explain the changes. “Communication and education were key – we wanted to ensure that employees affected understood the new feature and had the opportunity to change their election if they wished,” says Snyder.

The change was a success: The plan went from a 65% participation rate to almost 92%. “People didn’t opt out,” says Medrano. “In the world of doctors and the staff and administration, with their busy days and long hours, this was really beneficial for employees.”

Snyder and Medrano worked together to help employees some more. “I was looking at the delay in people being eligible,” says Medrano. Previously, employees had to wait six months after being hired and then could enroll in the 401(k) at the beginning of the next quarter. “Depending on when you hire someone, it might be three-quarters of a year before they’re even eligible to come into the plan.” They realized that shortening the eligibility requirements could help Orthopedic One in a competitive hiring environment, and the plan reduced the requirement to 90 days. “That change to eligibility hopefully helped them in recruiting and retention going forward,” says Medrano.

Snyder nominated Medrano for her responsiveness. “Darlene was always one step ahead of the projects and kept me advised and informed of what needed to be done and the why behind it,” she says. “She is always available and returns calls during her vacation and off hours. She makes me feel like we are her only client when she has numerous to juggle. I have worked with her for over five years, and value our professional relationship.”