2021 Annual Report

Reimagining Health Care

Relentlessly Pursuing a New Model for Delivery of Health Care Benefits

A letter from the Executive Director

2021 was a challenging year as the pandemic continued to impact all aspects of our business and life in general. However, it was also a very rewarding year for our organization as the momentum built over the past several years continued unabated. We remain focused on increasing the value of health care so Wisconsin can be a great place to do business. Highlights include:

Cumulatively, all these efforts demonstrate our continued commitment to responsible corporate citizenship and the community, while assisting employers in providing competitive health care benefits to their employees and their dependents.

Jeff Kluever

Jeffrey Kluever
Executive Director

No One Employer – The Power of the Collective Employer Voice

“BHCG membership puts employers at the forefront of strategies that make a real difference – such as utilizing advanced data analytics to collaborate with health systems to increase health care value.“ – Steven Booth, Chairman, President & CEO, Baird

Never has the power of employer collaboration to address health care value become more evident than it is now. A coalition of employers acting together and speaking with one voice has the leverage and political “cover” to move the market toward the better, more sustainable health care system they want to see. They can more effectively work with providers, health plans and other strategic partners to address pressing issues such as significant differences in cost-effectiveness not linked to measurable differences in quality, medical homelessness and the misalignment of incentives in provider payment models.

Centivo – Health Care Reimagined

As we finalized our strategic planning initiative in 2020, it became clear we needed a different approach to the purchasing of health care. Employers need administrative partners that are committed to better data sharing and transparency, more efficient payment models and a willingness to progressively move the market away from the status quo. These partners should be rewarded for, and committed to, creating this positive change, rather than protecting the current system.

Ultimately, we decided to engage Centivo to develop Wisconsin’s first high-performance health plan and serve as our claims administrator. This offers self-funded employers a way to deliver high quality, affordable health care to employees and their families by directing patients to high value providers and encouraging coordinated care through the use of primary care physicians.

Effective January 1, 2022, BHCG and Centivo offered this high-performance primary care-centered health plan solution to self-funded employers in Wisconsin. It includes broad, intermediate and value provider networks. It also features fully transparent administrative services, efficient claims processing, advanced cost controls, employer analytics and integrated stop loss.

BHCG/GNS Healthcare Physician Value Study 2.0

We commissioned the second iteration of the state-wide Physician Value Study, using data from the Wisconsin Health Information Organization’s (WHIO) extensive all-payer claims database. The analysis was performed by our best in class strategic partner, GNS Healthcare. The results assisted Centivo in the development of the BHCG-Centivo high performance health plan and also has been made available to all health care systems in the state to enhance physician performance.

Navigating a Pandemic

With the pandemic continuing to touch all of our lives and how we do business, it was incumbent upon BHCG as a membership organization to provide support and guidance to our member employers during these challenging times. We provided timely webinars partnering with stakeholders across the state to address the legal and benefits issues related to vaccination management and masking and what employers could do to help stop the spread of COVID-19. We also continue to maintain a webpage with go-to resources for employers.

Our Best in Class Strategic Partners

BHCG provides an array of solutions for employers to manage their health care benefit programs more effectively. These solutions offered by our best in class strategic partners, at favorable rates and terms, have been selected because of their alignment with our mission of improving the quality and cost efficiency of health care for our member employers, their employees and dependents along with the community.

In 2021, we strengthened our relationships with Navitus Health Solutions, Quantum Health and GNS Healthcare, announced our new partnership with Centivo, and identified Artemis Health as our best in class strategic partner for advanced benefits analytics.

On Course for the Clinic

On August 19, 2021 we held our fourth annual golf outing at Ironwood Golf Course to benefit Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers. With the participation of 100+ golfers and the generous support of our sponsors, more than $40,000 was raised.

Said Sixteenth Street President and CEO, Dr. Julie Schuller, “The Business Health Care Group (BHCG) has been a great supporter and partner of the Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, raising $100,000 thus far to benefit the Clinic through their annual golf outing. Your participation in the On Course for the Clinic golf outing is truly appreciated to help us care for every person who walks through our doors.

A big thank you also goes to our premier sponsors including BHCG’s best in class strategic partners, Platinum Sponsor Centivo, Gold Sponsor Quantum Health and Silver Sponsor Navitus Health Solutions, as well as Silver Sponsor Greater Milwaukee Business Foundation on Health. Check out a video and photo gallery of the day’s activities.

Our Mission

The Business Health Care Group leverages member employer purchasing power and knowledge to lead change. We create value through innovative shared strategies to improve health care quality and cost efficiency for employers, employees and the community.