SPBA Presents Educational Fall Meeting with Focus on Key Topics in Self-Funding
Presenting its annual Fall Meeting in Memphis, the Society of Professional Benefit Administrators (SPBA) delivered three days' worth of educational sessions related to self-funding. Topics included stop loss, prescription-related costs in health plans and medical second opinions.
CHEVY CHASE, Md., Oct. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Society of Professional Benefit Administrators (SPBA) presented its annual, education-focused Fall Meeting at The Peabody Memphis from September 26-28. It organized three days of informational presentations for SPBA Members that dealt with managing a third party administrator (TPA) firm, navigating issues in the self-funding industry and understanding sound business practices.
Some of the most popular sessions dealt with topics relating to air ambulance challenges, opioid use disorders in the workplace, legal cases in reference-based pricing (RBP) and breakthrough, specialty drugs entering the market.
Another hit session was coordinated by one of SPBA's planning task forces and focused on stop loss insurance. It featured a group of panelists who addressed Member-submitted questions and explained issues that ranged from the underwriting process to coverage options.
"One of SPBA's biggest benefits to Members is education, so we are always paying careful attention to what topics they want to learn more about," explained Anne Lennan, SPBA president. "Things like stop loss and specialty drugs have been top inquiries in the last year, so we felt it was important to dedicate sessions specifically to these subjects."
Another information-filled presentation explored the critical role medical second opinions play in health plans, with Dr. Richard Heinzl and Greg Arms of WorldCare International on hand to share their latest research.
Other topics covered at SPBA's Fall Meeting included:
-Prescription rebates
-Captive insurance opportunities
-SOC/SSAE audits
-TPA reporting services
In addition to all of the sessions, SPBA organized four workshops focusing on topics related to TPA leaders, TPA operations/administration, young professionals and stop loss partners. SPBA also offered a customized IT track with content that dealt with security safeguards, a cost analysis of artificial intelligence (AI) and much more.
"There is so much for TPAs to keep up with on the employee benefits landscape today, and this is one of many ways SPBA is here to help them sort through it all," Lennan said.
An annual Spring Meeting is also hosted by SPBA with focus on regulatory issues.
SPBA is the national association of Third Party Administration (TPA) firms that manage client employee benefit plans. It is estimated that over 75% of U.S. workers and their dependents in non-federal health coverage are in plans administered by TPAs. The clients of TPA firms include every size and format of employment, including large and small employers, state/county/city plans, union, non-union, collectively bargained multiemployer plans, as well as most industries and professions.
SOURCE SPBA
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