The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc.
A founder of one of Interpublic’s advertising agencies famously said that the assets of his company rode up and down the elevators every day. Today, Interpublic has more than 46,000 assets. The importance of a comprehensive benefits offering when competing for top talent, and keeping that talent healthy, is more pronounced than ever before.
IPG has remained focused on providing competitive and comprehensive yet affordable health care coverage to our employees. We actively look for ways to enhance quality, access and choice while minimizing cost. We have worked to do so through a focus on program performance, employee health and wellness, and consistent plan monitoring rather than through shifting significant cost to employees. Actions include:
- Active Plan Management: IPG’s plans have performed above peer levels over the last few years. This is a testament to our annual review processes, informed negotiations with vendors and sound decisionmaking by senior management. Management remains dedicated to staying ahead of the curve to further enhance program performance. Frequent subtle changes to employee costs have helped avoid drastic and disruptive plan changes.
- Employee Incentives: We incentivize employees to take responsibility for their health. IPG first undertook a review to identify specific conditions driving program cost. We next implemented programs targeted to these conditions, which educated participants about best practices in treatment. Cash incentives guided them towards in-network centers of excellence and top facilities with high success/low recurrence rates. Programs relating to musculoskeletal decision support and maternity/neonatal service were implemented as a result of IPG claims data, which indicated that, through enhanced care management, cost savings could be realized alongside enriched care levels.
- Targeted Communications: IPG believes that highly informed, educated benefit plan participants make better health-related decisions, positively impacting their overall well-being. Accordingly, we launched a series of branded monthly emails using eye-catching graphics and statistics to engage employees on important health care topics. Recent topics included healthy pregnancy, musculoskeletal programs and diabetes care, all of which were high-cost conditions for the plan. These communications have proven valuable; a recent communication regarding our pharmacy program was directly linked to a spike in employee participation.
IPG will remain active in seeking the best health care solutions for our most important asset, our employees, balancing the need for strong and innovative offerings with ever-increasing costs.