When it comes to effecting positive change throughout the organization, Mary Bradley, director of Healthcare Benefits at Pitney Bowes, is a true leader.
Armed with technology, Bradley supports her recommendations for changes with the use of data and statistics. For example, she used statistics in creating an effective program when she discovered a portion of the employees frequently use emergency rooms as their source for primary care. This is an expensive approach for both for the payer and the employee.
She discovered this particular population responded best to benefits communications delivered in print form, so she created a targeted enrollment mailing to the new hires within this population segment. Location intelligence tools were used to create mail pieces that included a listing of the three participating primary care physicians (PCP) closest to the member’s home. It also included a list of recommended preventive screenings for each family member. Depending on age, gender, and family composition, some mailings also included the three closest participating pediatricians and gynecologist practices.
The results speak for themselves. Compared to the new hires in the prior year, with no targeted outreach, primary care visits increased 41% and screenings increased 25%. “It takes a creative team to design effective and efficient solutions for our diverse U.S. workforce,” said Bradley. “We have a solid relationship with our suppliers, frequently blazing new trails.”
While the majority of Pitney Bowes’ 24,000 benefits-eligible employees and 6,000 retirees have opted for the companywide PPO plan, there are some regional offices that continue to prefer their regionally specific HMO. This means that Bradley must maintain multiple plans, which can be especially time consuming and costly when it comes to managing renewals, communication, enrollment, and ongoing analysis.
The successful PB saver plan serves as another example. This high-deductible plan option offers 100% coverage after an employee meets a $2,000 deductible. Communicating the idea of a high deductible may not be popularly received.
However, through a carefully orchestrated pilot program and effective communications, there has been an increase of 17% participation in the PB saver plan. For one PB saver plan participant, “Mary helped me realize that if I had switched my traditional $500 deductible plan to the saver plan, I would only spend $2,000 out of pocket versus the $3,000 I had spent the previous year.”
Today at Pitney Bowes there is a high priority in “helping employees make informed decisions not only during their annual enrollment period but throughout the year,” Bradley said. “My job is to deliver that same commitment to our U.S. workforce and their families by helping them spend their money wisely when choosing and using benefits.”
- Organization: Pitney Bowes Inc.
- Headquarters: Stamford, CT
- Website: www.pb.com
- No. of employees: 33,000 worldwide
- Nature of business: Pitney Bowes is a $5.6 billion company that provides software, hardware, and services that integrate physical and digital communications channels.
Key executives:
- Murray D. Martin, chairman, president, and CEO
- Johnna G. Torsone, executive vice president and chief Human Resources officer
- Howard C. Johnson, vice president, Total Rewards
- Andrew Gold, executive director, Global Benefits
Key solution providers: 
- UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, Aetna, Kaiser, health
- Delta Dental of New Jersey, dental
- Aetna, life insurance
- HighRoads, compliance/ benefits management