Employer Group Forms Evidence-Based Treatment Body

Composed of business leaders, large employers, health plan officials, coverage policy experts, physicians, hospitals and academics, the National Committee on Evidence-Based Benefit Design is co-chaired by E.J. Holland, Jr., vice president of compensation, benefits, labor and employee relations for Sprint Corporation, and Carol Wilkinson, well-being director for IBM Corporation.

“So much of the medical care delivered today is neither recommended nor based on scientific evidence,” explains Helen Darling, President of the National Business Group on Health. “It’s time for that to change. We have an opportunity to promote evidence-based medicine and in turn, value and effectiveness in health care. We can modify coverage policy and financial incentives to reward excellent care.”

The committee’s charge is to:

• create a forum for large employers and national experts to consider a new framework for health care benefits that supports evidence-based medicine
• develop a “message guide” and other employee communication tools related to evidence-based medicine for use by employers
• identify a core schedule of benefits for which there is already scientific evidence of effectiveness
• define a process for quickly translating evidence-based assessments to coverage and provider payment policies
• identify areas for fast-tracked research and technology assessment
• promote an information technology infrastructure for health care
• liaison with the consumer-directed health plan industry to enhance the value of plan offerings, fine tune insured services and help consumers maximize their health care spending.

For more information, go to http://www.businessgrouphealth.org/healthcarecosts/evidenced_benefits.cfm .