Miami-Dade County Public Schools and LG&E and KU Energy Honored for Healthcare Strategy Innovation by the National Alliance

Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health recognized for leadership and Colorado Business Group on Health's Robert Smith acknowledged with President's Award

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions (National Alliance) recognized the efforts of employers and purchasers and member coalitions at its 2022 Annual Forum. Miami-Dade County Public Schools and LG&E and KU Energy received the 2022 Employer/Purchaser Excellence Award; the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health was honored with the 2022 Membership Leadership Award; and Robert Smith, executive director of the Colorado Business Group on Health, was acknowledged with the 2022 President's Award.

"We're pleased to highlight the efforts of Miami-Dade County Public Schools and LG&E and KU Energy as excellent examples of employers that are committed to promoting healthcare value while improving the health and wellbeing of not only their employees, but their communities," said Michael Thompson, National Alliance president and CEO. "We are also recognizing the hard work and dedication of some of our longtime and most active coalition members."

The Employer/Purchaser Excellence Award is presented to a jumbo- and a mid-sized employer or purchaser who demonstrates leadership and innovation in advancing overall health and healthcare value through their approach to benefit programs and design, employee engagement, and support of coalition efforts. Previous award recipients include The Boeing Company, Phifer Incorporated, Qualcomm, Turner Industries, Walmart, and The Walt Disney Company.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) is the largest school district in Florida and the fourth largest in the US with a diverse enrollment of more than 340,000 students from over 100 countries in 392 schools. MDCPS was recognized for its leadership in value-based purchasing and exceptional management throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in handling both the health and safety and mental health needs of its administrators, teachers, staff and their families. The MDCPS goal is to offer benefits aligned with employees' needs, focused on increasing utilization, improving outcomes, removing financial barriers to care, and assuring the program's financial sustainability.

"As Miami-Dade County Public Schools' Administrative Benefits Director and Board Chair of the Florida Alliance for Healthcare Value, and an active member of the National Alliance Purchaser Leadership Council, I am honored to be part of these amazing groups and to be recognized with this award," said Rosa Novo. "My work and commitment to these groups, the employees I represent, and the healthcare community is to continue effort to improve healthcare value, reduce cost, remove the stigma associated with behavioral health, and improve price transparency."

LG&E and KU Energy is part of the PPL Corporation family of companies and is comprised of Louisville Gas and Electric Company (LG&E) and Kentucky Utilities Company (KU), regulated utilities that serve more than 1.3 million customers across more than 90 counties in Kentucky and five counties in Virginia. LG&E and KU Energy is a member of the Kentuckiana Health Collaborative and was recognized for developing strategies to ensure employees and family members had access to primary care at three on-site clinics, integrated occupational care and an on-site pharmacy. All of these played a critical role in keeping employees safe during COVID-19 with fast, quality care such as same-day rapid and overnight PCR testing and immediate referrals when high-risk patients needed additional care following a positive COVID test. This allowed members to avoid potential life-threatening situations while avoiding additional medical plan spend which may have resulted due to lack of quality care.

"Our success begins with the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees," said Vincent Poplaski, vice president, Total Rewards for PPL Corporation. "Across PPL's companies, we're committed to investing in benefit and wellness programs that deliver better health outcomes for employees and their family members, and we're honored to receive this recognition for our work within LG&E and KU."

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH), an employer-led organization that seeks to increase the value of health benefit spending for the region's employers, was selected for the Member Leadership Award in recognition for growing the organization into one of the most respected coalitions in the country. GPBCH actively supports the National Alliance and Neil Goldfarb, its president and CEO, has served two terms on the Board of Directors, including as Board Chair. GPBCH collaborates with various stakeholders in numerous initiatives including as a regional leader for The Leapfrog Group and in promoting the National Diabetes Prevention Program. GPBCH co-founded the College for Value-based Purchasing (with HealthCare21 Business Coalition), an innovative national education program for employers which will be relaunching in early 2023.

"We launched GPBCH in 2011 with eight founding members and now have 50 employer members, representing over 1.5 million covered lives," said Goldfarb. "These employers have demonstrated their commitment to improving workforce and community health and healthcare system quality, safety and value. This award recognizes our shared efforts to drive improvements in our local market and as an enthusiastic member of the National Alliance."

Executive director of the Colorado Business Group on Health, Robert Smith received the 2022 President's Award in recognition for his work in growing CBGH into a leader in value-based purchasing. He was instrumental in establishing The Colorado Purchasing Alliance, a nonprofit cooperative to make high-quality healthcare more affordable, accessible and reliable for Coloradans while easing the burden for the purchasers who pay for it. Robert has become not only the voice for healthcare reform in Colorado but also a respected national leader and obstacles from delivery systems who profit from the status quo have been with determination and creativity.

"In truth, and in the interest of being objective, all I've done is to apply lessons learned for Colorado from other coalitions and coalition leaders," said Smith. "In recognizing the problem that healthcare costs, driven by supplier consolidation, represents for public and private employers alike, we've been fortunate to have the support of the State's administration in leveraging existing legislation to make progress toward employer-led, market-based health reform."

The National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions (National Alliance) is the only nonprofit, purchaser-aligned organization with a national and regional structure dedicated to driving health and healthcare value across the country. Its members represent private and public sector, nonprofit, and Taft-Hartley organizations, and more than 45 million Americans, spending over $300 billion annually on healthcare. To learn more, visit nationalalliancehealth.org and connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

SOURCE National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions

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