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Phone a friend: Duke Select and Duke Basic members can now speak with a health care professional about their questions 24-hours a day by calling
1-888-662-2296. Blue Care and Duke Options members can call 1-877-477-2424. |
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Savings are in the mail: You can save
money on your recurring, long-term prescriptions by ordering them through the
mail. Home delivery medication can be ordered in a three-month supply for
approximately the same price you would pay for a two-month supply at a pharmacy.
Learn more on the Pharmacy Benefits
Web Site. |
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Open late: Duke Urgent Care has extended its hours of service at both the Hillandale Road and the Fayetteville Road locations from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, weekends, and holidays. Urgent care facilities provide diagnosis, treatment and management of urgent medical conditions and minor trauma when a patient's primary care physician is unavailable ... and it only requires a $35 co-pay while the co-pay for visiting the emergency room is $150. |
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Duke supports faculty, staff and their family members in practicing prevention through a broad range of health management programs that emphasize a proactive approach to improving physical and mental health and preventing disease before it happens. |
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LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke's employee wellness program, offers a variety of wellness opportunities, such as health assessments and education, smoking cessation programs, fitness activities, and nutrition activities to help eligible faculty, staff and family members reach their health and fitness goals. (phone: 684-3136 Option 1, office: 04290 Red Zone, Duke Clinics). |
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Duke Prospective Health, offered to those enrolled in Duke Select and Duke Basic health care plans, is an approach for delivering health care that emphasizes wellness, prevention of disease, and early intervention. Duke Prospective Health works with participants and their personal physicians to identify health risks they may face and help to prevent diseases and chronic conditions before they happen. The program then assists participants with creating a step-by-step plan to make the necessary changes to maintain or improve their quality of life and achieve optimal health. (phone: 1-888-279-9445). |
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Blue Extras, a program provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield to participants of Blue Care and Duke Options health plans, offers a range of free health management services and programs to help you take charge of your health and save money. (phone:
1-877-224-3305). |
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More Than 22,300 Faculty, Staff Enrolled in Duke Health Plans for 2005
In January, more than 22,300 faculty and staff began a new year participating in one of Duke's four health plans, which cover nearly 500 more employees this year than last.
Health insurance has always been among the most popular and widely used benefits at Duke. Participation in Duke's health plans includes about 85 percent of all faculty and staff, compared to the national average of about 60 percent participation for employer-sponsored health plans. Including covered family members, Duke's health plans cover more than 43,000 people.
Lois Ann Green, the director of Benefits at Duke, said that there are several factors that have contributed to a steady growth in participation in Duke's health plans over the last several years.
"One of the main factors for that growth is that Duke has been able to keep its premium increases lower than most other employers without significant changes in benefits," Green said. "The average premium increase for local and national employers for 2005 was more than double the increase at Duke. We've also picked up a larger number of spouses and other family members who lost health coverage with others employers due to layoffs in the area."
Green added that Duke's health plans offer some unique advantages that other employers do not have, such as world-renown medical and research facilities and innovative programs such as Duke Prospective Health. Another factor that has helped increase participation in Duke's health plans was the addition of Duke Basic, a low-cost plan introduced in 2004 in which an individual could get health coverage for a monthly premium of about $20 a month.
Such advantages help explain why nearly 91 percent of those who responded to a survey as part of the open enrollment period last fall responded that Duke's health benefits met their needs and the needs of their family.
Duke also saw increased participation in the Health Care Reimbursement Account, which helps faculty and staff take advantage of tax savings on eligible health care and dependent care expenses. An additional 245 individuals are participating in the Health Care Reimbursement Account than last year.
During the last several years, everyone, including Duke, has looked for ways to deal with the rising cost of health care. The cost of Duke's health plans are directly related to the health and pharmacy claims of those covered by the plans. Higher claims mean increased cost - for Duke and those covered by the health plans. That is why Duke has focused more of its efforts in recent years on preventive or prospective health efforts.
"The concept is simple really," Green said. "If people remain healthy or they understand how to best manage existing health problems, our health claims are less costly. When people neglect their health, don't practice preventive health or don't manage existing health issues, our health claims costs begin to go through the roof. That's why as we begin the new health plan year, we want to encourage everyone to take advantage of the broad range of health management programs available at Duke."
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