Services
RFP Questions and Answers
Provide an overview of your account support and administration services, including enrollment coordination and ongoing support for Bishop Gadsden employees.
As a local brokerage firm, we believe in hands-on support, education and communication. Our account managers have a combined 28 years of experience in the insurance industry. If an issue comes to our account managers, the issue is acknowledged with a timeline of the estimated completion and step by step communication. Brokers meet with account managers on a regular basis to discuss workflow and activity. Productivity is measured on an ongoing basis. Service activities are also documented in our Account Management System. This system allows us to view all service activities and time spent in certain areas. Our system has reporting capabilities that can be sent to the client.
We also provide our client groups with publications, webinars, seminars, and additional training materials. We have included a few examples below:
- ThinkHR Webinars examples: How to Engage & Keep Great Employees, Forced Workplace Closures, Preparing for Emergencies, Connection Safety to your Workforce, and Transform your Hiring: Conscious Hiring & Development
When it comes to implementing a group like Bishop Gadsden we would conduct our normal on-boarding process. This would include on-site meetings to learn processes and current systems. We would need an agreement in place to access data to start the process of running it through our data tool, Decision Master Warehouse.
We would conduct at least 3-4 meetings per year and add to it as needed based on the scope of ongoing projects. These meetings would include the following at the onset of securing a client:
First Year
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- On-boarding meeting with staff: Get to know staff and processes, claims data gathering, timelines etc.
- Tools Meeting & Training: Meeting to go over the tools and train Bishop Gadsden staff on the tools and how to operate
- Data meeting: Meet to analyze the Decision Master Warehouse claims analysis and how the claims are running and estimated effect on renewal
- Renewal Meeting: Discuss renewal and open enrollment strategy and timeline
- Open Enrollment: Conduct and/or assist Bishop Gadsden in open enrollment meetings in person and/or online depending on the company’s needs and goal.
Second Year
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- Data Meeting: Every six months to review data
- Mid-Year Meeting: Talk about upcoming renewal, initiatives, communication campaigns
- Renewal Meeting: Review renewal and options, plan for open enrollment
- Tools Meeting: Tools training and release of any new platforms
- Open Enrollment: Conduct and/or assist Bishop Gadsden in open enrollment meetings in person and/or online depending on the company’s needs and goals
Please see Innovative Strategic Solutions for enrollment coordination and communication example. See exhibit A, D, E, & F below.
Describe your capabilities in employee communications.
With 5 generations now in the work force, employee communications are more important than ever. Clarke & Company has the abilities to reach employees through all channels to include print, web, email, text, and social media.
We provide our clients with an Open Enrollment communication strategy as well as an ongoing 12 month communication strategy. Our Open Enrollment communication strategy consists of Pre-Enrollment Employee Email Campaigns, Benefit Menu Videos, Health Savings Account Campaigns, Open Enrollment Surveys, How to best Utilize your FSA & Dependent Care Accounts, Complete redesign of all benefit marketing pieces, Benefits 101 Site, Webinars, Social Media campaigns, Smartphone App, and in person meetings.
The on-going communication strategies implemented by Clarke & Company throughout the year highlight specific benefits and continue to provide relevant information surrounding the employee benefit plans. We also take this time to continue to educate employees on high claims cost areas within the plan. Once we have identified some areas of concern or high cost in our claims analysis then we are able to develop an educational campaign to reach employees. This allows us to educate them on how they can be better consumers of health care and help Bishop Gadsden control costs.
A few of our other tools include:
- Online Enrollment Guides- An online benefit guide available online 24/7 for your employees. Our video guide in the benefits library explains every plan you offer your employees. new hires and existing employees can learn about their benefits anytime and anyplace.
- Video Guides & Videos- Instructional videos for plans, terminology, and how to take advantage of tax savings. We can also design and build custom videos to promote your employee benefits and announce open enrollment. More people are using video, should you be using video technology to communicate your employee benefits program?
- Plan Comparison Tool- Employees not sure about which plan option to choose? We have a calculator for that. Not sure if an HSA or FSA is right for the? We have a calculator for that too. Tools are available 24/7 online to help your employees see the savings for their situation.
- Benefit Library- A place where your employees can go to find out more about benefits you offer. Tools, benefit highlight sheets, calculators, certificates and more. All located in one convenient place to your benefit website. Ready to be linked to employees and new hires.
- Podcasts- Available 24/7 to help your employees understand their benefits. An in-depth podcast on each of the benefit plans you offer.
- Benefits 101- A website devoted to benefit plans and terminology. Most employees don’t understand their benefits package or the terminology that comes with it. We make it easy for employees to learn what they need for each plan available.
- Form Library- Need a form? They’re all here in one place. You can find claim forms, Flex and Dependent Care forms, and other that you may need.
See case study 1, exhibit D, H, and I.
Describe your capabilities in ongoing plan performance monitoring, plan performance forecasting, claims experience analysis, benchmarking and reporting.
Clarke & Company has a fully integrated data analytics tool, Decision Master Warehouse, which allows us to produce a health plan and pharmacy management report package to our clients. Our data analytics tool is fully integrated with Cigna including the ability to run additional ad hoc reports as needed. Our data analytics tool has the ability to compare our client’s data to similar industries by region. Each time the report is prepared, the client will receive a “Summary of Findings” that can be discussed with our staff.
Our tool offers benchmarking to a 19.6 million life database. We are able to dig deeper into claims data that is running higher than norms by using ad hoc reporting. We can explore solutions based on disease, utilization, facility, and services. All of this allows Clarke & Company to implement solutions and “test-drive” plan design changes so that you can see the impact before making any decisions. Even if you switch carriers, your prior data remains in our system.
The best way to forecast the future is by using past data. Using Decision Master Warehouse, we can look at two ways to control costs. The first is by plan design, making plan changes designed to alter certain behaviors, either health or service. Plan design could incent the use of maintenance medications and drive urgent care utilization for non-emergency procedures away from the ER. The second way to impact costs is through education: Finding out what our major cost drivers are and utilizing an educational campaign on these diseases for your employees.
When developing a long-term benefits strategy with your group, we would review all plan elements and give consideration to national trends in your industry. The following steps would be taken in order to reach the goals established in our strategic meeting:
- Surveying employees on the benefits to get feedback on the benefit package currently offered
- Continuing to improve how employees are using the core benefits and educate them on consumerism
- Modeling future plan design changes to keep your benefits competitive and achieve cost control
- Considering the funding platform for the medical plan (after an extensive claims review)
- Considering the pharmacy formulary being used in conjunction with the medical plan
- Educating the population on the tax advantage of the Health Savings Account and the Flexible Spending Account
See ded/coins report, case study #2, medical claims report, Rx claims report.
Describe your consulting and educational services in the area of legal compliance.
On a day-to-day basis, Clarke & Company Benefits is supported by ThinkHR. ThinkHR’s Q&A team is 28 certified HR professionals who are supported by a legal compliance team. ThinkHR Live advisors are senior level, PHR-, SPHR-, and SHRM-certified professionals with prior experience as HR directors and managers. In fact, ThinkHR’s team averages more than 15 years’ experience in HR. They are available to our staff as well as clients to assist with any HR/Benefit/Risk/Compliance questions that may come up. This team is available daily via email, telephone, or mobile app. ThinkHR also sends out employer law alerts and updates on state and federal regulations.
Clarke & Company staff is also available on a daily basis to assist in any of these areas. We have a compliance newsletter and blog, and regularly post to social media any updates or changes that would affect employers.
Clarke & Company publishes newsletters and surveys on a weekly basis. We recently had a survey based on HR Risk and another one on employee handbooks. We also send legislative briefs to clients on any regulations or laws affecting benefits.
Clarke & Company provides the following resources to our clients to assist in areas of educational services and legal compliance.
- Access to ThinkHR
- Compliance Calendar
- Compliance App
- Legislative Briefs
- HR Audit
- Compliance tools that cover HIPAA, ERISA, FMLA, ACA
- Compliance newsletters
- Compliance seminars and webinars
- Access to our staff
Access to 28 HR professionals backed by a legal team
We utilize a benefits attorney for these issues. Our attorney is Jason Cogdill. Please see Jason’s credentials: http://www.probenefits.com/participants/about-us/leadership-team/jason-cogdill-2
Depending on the issue and depth of counsel, standard hourly rates would apply. Most issues can be sent to the ThinkHR team at no charge for their opinion prior to going to legal counsel
See exhibits E & F below.
Describe your use of technology to support online employee services and education.
Our ThinkHr platform includes the Learn Pro software which includes over 275 training courses that ensure compliance, reduce risk and drive employee engagement. Plus an intuitive administrative dashboard, robust reporting and Quick Start course tracks.
Our Online Benefit Administration systems partners which help streamline the onboarding and enrollment process for employees while simplifying HR task workflows. We have several different ben-admin solutions to meet the needs of your company to ease the onboarding process, centralize communication, and provide paperless enrollment.
Clarke & Company also has the ability to work systems when new clients already have one in place that they are happy with. The systems that we provide to our clients provide assistance and resource sin the following areas:
- Online employee enrollment
- Routine audits
- Carrier Exports
- Billing
- ACA Compliance & Reporting
- Payroll Connection
- Benefits Communication
- Customer Care Center
- Wellness Tools
- Variable Hour Tracking
- Federal Cobra/HIPAA Compliance
- Wrap SPD Documents
- Dependent Eligibility Audit
- Annual Benefits Statements
See exhibits H & I below.
Describe any additional service options that may be of interest to Bishop Gadsden.
Clarke & Company Benefits also can provide and assist with providing additional comprehensive services:
- Wellness consultation: Clarke & Company uses data analytics to assist clients:
- Direct wellness initiatives
- Advise client on compliance standards
- Facilitate vendor review and selection
- Work with wellness vendor to track and achieve wellness goals
- Benchmark return on investment
- FMLA Administration
- FSA Administration
- HRA Administration
- On site Flu Shot Clinics
- COBRA Administration
- Actuarial Services
Note: Above services can be contracted out to a third party administrator. Clarke & Company Benefits will make recommendations as to what administrative services a client may need and evaluate vendors. Vendor evaluation is primarily based on maximizing workflow efficiency for the client while achieving a high compliance standards.
See all exhibits and links below.
Exhibits
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
Exhibit C
Exhibit D
Exhibit E
Exhibit F
Exhibit G
