The College for Advanced Management of Health Benefits was created to help employee benefit managers meet the growing challenges of providing high quality health benefits and managing rising benefit costs. The College offers a practical, intensive program that focuses on benefits purchasing techniques and skills that emphasize improving the value, quality-cost ratio, and effectiveness of health care services purchased on behalf of employees.

Program Structure

Each regional training program offered by the College for Advanced Management of Health Benefits is limited to 40 participants, to ensure that attendees have an opportunity to interact with faculty and customize learning to their individual company’s needs. Registered participants receive a confirmation packet, which will include a template for conducting a review of the employer benefits design and health benefit cost and claims data. It is expected that each participant will conduct a review at his/her institution prior to attending the training program. This information will be used by the participant during the program to develop a customized action plan which can be implemented within his/her organization. The training program is administered through didactic and small group discussion sessions, including time for application of learning principles to individualized needs. College faculty will follow-up with all participants to check on progress in implementing these plans, and to offer further advice and assistance.

Course Objectives

Graduates of the College for Advanced Management of Health Benefits will be able to: 

1. Describe how the health care system operates today and why a value-based approach to employee health benefit purchasing is needed;
2. Use knowledge and skills acquired in the program to better negotiate and communicate with health plans and insurance carriers, providers, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), benefit consultants, disease management companies, and other vendors;
3. Develop and implement customized action plans for health benefits purchasing within their own organizations, in order to reduce costs, increase quality, an/or improve the value of purchased benefits;
4. Identify and use standardized tools for measuring and reporting the quality and performance of health plans and providers;
5. Monitor the impact of benefit purchasing decisions on costs, quality, and value of health benefits;
6. Access information resources, business coalitions and other regional and national organizations to support benefit purchasing goals.

Format

The program consists of the following components:  

• Instructional modules integrating content and skills development through presentations, case studies and interactive discussions;
• Reference guide and materials reflecting the most current readings, websites, and sources of information on value-based purchasing;
• Skill-building exercises in areas directly related to health care purchasing;
• Customized action plan (CAP) for the individual employer developed by the participant with assistance from nationally recognized experts; and
• Consulting assistance and access to fellow alumni and program faculty.