This episode of The ShiftShapers Podcast is called “Disrupting Your Own Disruption” with Eric Silverman, Founder of Voluntary Disruption. Today, host and Chief Transformation Strategist David Saltzman and Eric discuss some major changes to voluntary benefits aka enhanced benefits.

They explore the reasons why enhanced benefits are a practical idea, the improvements in the tech that serves this group, and the strategies to drive engagement among employees and keep benefits attractive.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

• 02:38 Brokers still ignore enhanced benefits
• 09:52 Introducing technology to streamline access to voluntary benefits
• 15:09 Secret to engagement: Help people understand their exposures
• 18:45 The most attractive benefits

Quotes:

07:36 “It’s not exactly the employer that loses as much as it’s the employees. Again, I can’t stress enough, the end-user. Why should an employee be relegated to spend more money for less robust coverage on things that they’re going to buy anyway?”

12:49 “They needed to get into the technological world so we helped streamline and implement our technology completely, again, using that term, the ‘Amazon of Benefits.'”

14:52 “You can still get the participation, engagement, and results even if you don’t have in-person, one-on-one enrollment.”

17:11 “When we implement these things with small to large groups alike, that’s where you truly have the engagement, when they know that you’re only a phone call away, they have a scheduler link.”

19:13 “The most popular plans, still to this day, it happens to be the accident plan, the hospital plan; for any carriers getting really big, medical bridge-type hospital plans, indemnity programs.”

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This episode of The ShiftShapers Podcast is called “The Genomic Revolution – with Darren Rowe”. Today, host and Chief Transformation Strategist David Saltzman and Darren explore the current science of genomics and the potential it holds for precision medicine in the future.

Darren also raises the important social and ethical elements that are inherent with genomics, such as the role of wealth and the possibility of breeding superhumans based solely on their capacity to access this technology. Darren also explains how ROI can be determined in the early stages of genomics today.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

• 04:20 The Genomic Revolution defined
• 07:55 Applying genomics
• 11:25 Genetic editing: a social and ethical question
• 14:29 Precision medicine & insurance companies
• 19:30 Demonstrating the ROI of genomics

Quotes:

03:26 “What are some things that you might want to think about when you’re purchasing a group plan for your employees? Maybe come up with a top 10 things that people need to recognize.”

08:13 “Anytime you can share a story, you’re touching people. They’re getting to know you better. You’re able to reach out and really say hey, I can identify with you. I get it. I’ve experienced this too. So stories are vital.”

17:47 “You’ll always get business from the audience if you present good content and you do some of the tips I shared earlier. But be negotiable.”

18:02 “Speaking should be used as a paid marketing tool for you to get more clients, for you to get in front of those audiences, to get those private speaking training or speaking gigs as well.”

21:11 “The best way to deal with fear is feel the fear, do it anyway, because you’re up there. You just have to get started.”

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This episode of The ShiftShapers Podcast is called “More Effective and Efficient Prospecting – With Kerry Heaps”. Today, host and Chief Transformation Strategist David Saltzman and Kerry start by discussing public speaking, how it improves prospecting, and how imparting helpful information should be your number 1 priority.

Kerry then explains the importance of body language during public speaking and how strategic use of PowerPoints are not only a requirement by large conferences but also serve as an important teaching tool. Lastly, Kerry also shares her own tips to get over the nerves of speaking in front of a live audience.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

• 01:55 Benefits of public speaking for effective prospecting
• 05:05 Focus on imparting helpful information
• 10:51 Making yourself relatable & effective PowerPoint strategies
• 15:13 How to engage large conferences as a speaker
• 18:36 Getting over the fear of public speaking

Quotes:

03:26 “What are some things that you might want to think about when you’re purchasing a group plan for your employees? Maybe come up with a top 10 things that people need to recognize.”

08:13 “Anytime you can share a story, you’re touching people. They’re getting to know you better. You’re able to reach out and really say hey, I can identify with you. I get it. I’ve experienced this too. So stories are vital.”

17:47 “You’ll always get business from the audience if you present good content and you do some of the tips I shared earlier. But be negotiable.”

18:02 “Speaking should be used as a paid marketing tool for you to get more clients, for you to get in front of those audiences, to get those private speaking training or speaking gigs as well.”

21:11 “The best way to deal with fear is feel the fear, do it anyway, because you’re up there. You just have to get started.”

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This episode of The ShiftShapers Podcast is called “Dealing With People You Can’t Stand – with Dr. Rick Brinkman”. Today, host and Chief Transformation Strategist David Saltzman and Rick talk about bringing out the best in people by first understanding intent and criteria.

With these, and the knowledge of 13 archetypes of people you can’t stand, it becomes much easier to understand where they are coming from and to communicate what you want to tell them effectively.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

• 05:01 13 archetypes of people you can’t stand
• 08:12 The Know-It-All: Understanding intent and criteria
• 13:57 The Tank, Winding & Negativity
• 17:31 Listening with the intent to understand
• 19:25 Changing attitudes to deal with people

Quotes:

08:06 “You can think of these behaviors like workout machines in a gym: each one’s got to work out a different muscle group. What a Know-It-All is going to teach us is how to open a closed mind.”

08:26 “Understanding is probably the most powerful skill you can ever develop as a communicator. If you have the ability to put aside something you want to say very badly and temporarily focus in on the other person, then you can’t get into an argument.”

11:47 “In any situation, if you’re trying to understand people, two of the most important things you can ever understand is their intent and criteria.”

19:00 “You really have to train yourself to breathe through your desire to speak and really let the other person go first. And then it’s so easy to get people to realize anything.”

21:46 “So if you’re replaying the past the way it was, you’re creating an association. The next time you’re in that situation, you’ll be even quicker at being intimidated or whatever you don’t want. So you have to break that cycle.”

Resources:

“Dealing with People You Can’t Stand: How to Bring Out the Best in People at Their Worst” by Dr. Rick Brinkman

“Dealing with Meetings You Can’t Stand: Meet Less and Do More” by Dr. Rick Brinkman

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This episode of The ShiftShapers Podcast is called “Employee-customized Wellness Programs – with Daniel Freedman”. Today, host and Chief Transformation Strategist David Saltzman and Daniel discuss wellness challenges in the workplace, expanding wellness to include emotional support, and migrating these classes to the online space.

The key difference is the social aspect and Daniel provides examples of how companies that cater to the social needs of their employees see a boost in happiness and productivity, even as people from across the world work from home amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

• 02:08 Employers and how they view wellness in their companies
• 06:31 Challenges to wellness: relatability & social connection
• 11:05 Communicating wellness in the workplace
• 14:49 Specialty and emotional support classes
• 16:53 Sharing wellness exercises with family and friends

Quotes:

06:05 “It’s the reason why we are focused online is because that’s where the need is. That’s where the challenge is. Most people never go into a gym or studio. Most people are struggling and they need both the programming and the social motivation to do it.”

07:57 “So number 1, the big gap right now, has been a lack of choice and diversity when it comes to programming. People react to what’s relatable to them. You show them something that’s not relatable, they’re just going to ignore it.”

08:48 “The key to both initiating and critically sustaining behavioral change is social support.”

17:13 “As as you can imagine right now, with the current health crisis especially so, where people are stuck in their own homes and they’re missing that social connection with others, what they’re able to do is they’re actually seeing and hearing each other.”

19:48 “If I can just open up my phone or my computer and invite my wife in her office to do a 15-minute mindfulness class with me, that’s increasing the odds that I’m going to do it and that’s going to increase the odds that she’s going to do it.”

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This episode of The ShiftShapers Podcast is called “What is Stress – and How Can We Cope? – With Lynn Jonen, PhD” and today, host and Chief Transformation Strategist David Saltzman and Lynn discuss the problems caused by stress, understand the underlying causes, and explore various solutions.

This discussion is especially relevant nowadays with the drastic changes brought about by COVID-19 and the corresponding stress that it causes on people. David and Lynn also talk about spiritual health and its role in keeping stress at bay.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

• 02:26 Defining stress responses
• 06:59 Managing stress
• 15:55 Techniques to intervene and control stress
• 18:33 The significance of spiritual health
• 21:09 Social distancing: shifting from physical distancing to social connection

Quotes:

09:33 “They can make you increasingly more vulnerable to the ill effects of stress which tend to be more illness with lower immune function, more digestive problems, reproductive difficulties, difficulties with higher-level cognitive thinking.”

12:53 “It does have, when stress is good, if you’re at work and you have a big project or a presentation, a little bit of adrenaline can help sharpen your thinking and focus.”

14:50 “Stressful events are stressful because the individual perceives them that way.”

17:27 “Meditation and mindfulness are so popular because they ask that we focus on the present moment at the exclusion of future worries and past regrets.”

20:20 “Prayer is a wonderful way to manage stress and feel that connection, creativity. Looking at your values, looking at your sense of meaning and purpose in life and maybe talking to someone, seeking support when you need help sorting that out.”

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This is part 2 of The ShiftShapers Podcast episode called “Reading the Regulatory Tea Leaves – with Jessica Waltman” and today, host and Chief Transformation Strategist David Saltzman and Jessica discuss transparency changes on the regulatory front and how these changes can affect you and your clients.

In particular, Jessica breaks down into plain language the transparency rules that affect hospitals and the differences with the rules for insurers and employer-sponsors in disclosing information. Jessica also explains how the new rules affect regular consumers and how requests for information can be made.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

• 02:17 Transparency rules: 1 enforced & 1 pending
• 04:49 Hospitals to make their rates public: online & list of common services
• 09:00 Transparency for insurers, employer-sponsors & plans
• 13:42 Ceding liabilities

Quotes:

04:02 “The hospitals have sued the Trump administration over this rule and they are trying to stop it from being implemented.”

05:27 “It’s really looking at what’s the hospital take-home for these services. It’s not really looking at what you or I might pay if we went into the hospital.”

09:12 “What the employers and the insurers are going to be asked to do is they have to disclose the price to consumers. They have to make it available.”

13:42 “If you’re a fully-insured regular small group of 20, you have liability but you can cede your liability to your carrier via your contract.”

14:28 “In a self-funded scenario, the ultimate liability for this getting done as proposed rests on the employer-sponsored plan.”

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This is part 1 of The ShiftShapers Podcast episode called “Reading the Political Tea Leaves – with Jessica Waltman” and today, host and Chief Transformation Strategist David Saltzman and Jessica discuss health insurance and health-related matters in today’s political climate.

Jessica, who is Principal at Forward Health Consulting, provides easy to understand insights about what is happening with the Affordable Care Act or ACA and how scrapping it affects much more than just Obamacare. She also provides a fearless forecast on the future of the ACA under a Sanders, Biden, and second Trump administration.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

• 02:21 Supreme Court to rule on the ACA
• 10:57 Separating Obamacare from ACA
• 14:22 Predicting healthcare in the next administration

Quotes:

07:08 “So we’re going to hear one hour of arguments and you’re going to have to bring these issues to us. One, is this challenge to the ACA even legal at all?”

08:07 “And then three, if it is true, and the mandate’s invalid, then can it be separated from the rest of the ACA or should the entire law be struck down?”

11:16 “The part that everybody talks about, things about as Obamacare, is really about 50 pages in the front. So it’s not really that big.”

16:01 “Bernie Sanders wants to have a single-payer system in the United States. He wants everyone to have free healthcare with no co-pays, no premiums.”

20:34 “My guess is that Joe Biden, having his very long legislative history and then also serving as vice president, is a little more flexible than perhaps Bernie Sanders.”

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This episode of The ShiftShapers Podcast is called “Innovation and Problem Solving, with Jayne Morgan, M.D.” and today, host and Chief Transformation Strategist David Saltzman, together with Jayne, Director Of Innovation at Piedmont Healthcare, discuss innovation and how it is applied at Piedmont.

Also discussed is diversity in clinical trials; why it is lacking and the progress of making it more inclusive to more minorities. The role of the FDA is also clarified when it comes to making changes in addressing health gaps and producing solutions that affect all demographics of people.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

• 03:02Accelerator and devices at Piedmont
• 07:13 Digital-based innovation and ongoing projects
• 09:50 Process of innovation from concept to implementation
• 13:12 Diversity in clinical trials
• 17:38 Role of the FDA in clinical trial diversity

Quotes:

07:30 “We will be starting with hospital-based problems and systems, looking at process improvement… inventions that address specific pain, one’s within the hospital-system itself, inventions that perhaps can be a jump to some of the internal apps that we already currently use.”

10:03 “If you don’t have the fortitude, I would say that that is probably one of the largest factors that contributes to that large failure rate, is that people are not clear on what they’re getting into and what the time commitment is.”

13:54 “Access to clinical trials traditionally, and certainly in the United States, has not been something that has been readily available to minority communities. And there are a number of reasons for that. Number 1 reason is probably trust and trust in the system or lack thereof.”

16:59 “As we move forward into personalized medicine and customized medicine, genome mix, by whatever term that you know it, is we do not participate in trials and have a plethora of participation that represents a swathe across all of America, indeed across all of the world.”

18:03 “Now, unofficially, the FDA is continuing to move in that direction and more forward-thinking institutions are also beginning to move in that direction such that we can ensure that the health disparities, the health gap in these countries, don’t continue to widen, fueled and fed by lack of access to clinical trials.”

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