GM Employees Get 'Direct' Care in New Health Care Health Program
In an agreement with Henry Ford Health System, called "Direct to Employer," salaried GM employees and their families located in Southeast Mich. will receive healthcare management and wellness services.
General Motors' new "ConnectedCare" plan option will provide access to more than 3,000 providers from an expansive network of primary care and specialty care doctors spanning the communities where GM employees live.
It will be added as a new option for the company's nearly 24,000 salaried employees and their families. It will be part of open enrollment this fall, with service beginning at the start of 2019.
"GM's upcoming ConnectedCare option comes from our ongoing quest to improve employee health, while also seeking to offset rising health care costs for both the employee and the company," said Sheila Savageau, U.S. Healthcare Leader, General Motors.
Enrollees and family members will have dedicated resources for appointment scheduling and other services, including help with selecting a primary care physician. Participants will have access to same-day or next-day appointments with a primary care physician and the ability to see a specialist within 10 business days. Additionally, they will have access to digital health tools including Henry Ford MyChart, which allows patients to access several virtual visit options at participating clinics, view test results, message their doctor, request prescription renewals and pay bills through their smartphone, tablet, or personal computer.
As part of the multi-year contract, Henry Ford will also help ConnectedCare members keep track of their health with regular wellness exams, monitoring of chronic conditions, and preventive screenings for diseases like colon cancer, breast cancer and depression. The health system will also help members choose the right care options, such as walk-in clinics rather than emergency rooms for minor illness and injury. In addition to monitoring member health outcomes, Henry Ford will measure overall customer satisfaction.
"That's one of the aspects that really excites us about a direct to employer arrangement like this, said William Conway, M.D.,, CEO, Henry Ford Medical Group. "It's a new and unique way to both partner with our patients and to hold ourselves accountable, not just for their health, but also for their level of satisfaction with what we're doing."
