The Rhode Island Business Group on Health (RIBGH) and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) are calling for a collaboration among employers, consumers, and medical practitioners to reduce low-value care in Rhode Island.

Each year healthcare costs continue to rise. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s 2018 Employer Health Benefits Survey, employer-sponsored family health coverage increased 5% to an average annual family premium of $19,616 per year. Employers are struggling to pay the ever-increasing health insurance premiums, often having to reduce staffing and employee benefits. Unnecessary tests, medication,s and procedures are not only adding to the cost of premiums, this low-value care also costs employers in respect to employee health and absenteeism.

That’s why employers such as Ocean State Job Lot, Amica Mutual Insurance, and Brown University have implemented Choosing Wisely throughout their organizations. By educating their employees about the importance of communicating with their providers about treatment options, associated risks and costs, employers believe their employees will make better healthcare decisions that will keep them healthy and safe from harm while reducing the costs associated with unnecessary tests and procedures.

Consumer advocacy groups are joining the campaign as well. The United Way and the Pilgrim, East Providence, and Smithfield senior centers are promoting Choosing Wisely to their staff and members of their community.

Since medical practices are employers too, we all need to work together to support initiatives that promote the delivery of high-value care and reduce low-value care.

Join Coastal Medical, Ocean State Primary Care, and University Medicine in becoming a Choosing Wisely employer and practice!

To learn more about the Choosing Wisely-RI campaign and how to become a Choosing Wisely practice, contact Joanne Bilotta, RIBGH Choosing Wisely campaign manager, at jbilotta.RIBGH@gmail.com or (508) 404-6560 to schedule an orientation meeting. For more information about RIBGH, visit their website.