Webinar archive
Health Center Transitions: Honest Perspectives on Switching to a New Partner
For many employers, the prospect of changing health center partners can feel overwhelming. The unknown costs, required resources, member disruptions, and experience can create too high of a hurdle to make a change.
In this webinar, consultants, benefit leaders, and project managers who have successfully transitioned their health center partners share candid insights about their journey. While the process requires careful planning, the right approach can not only minimize disruption, but enhance your healthcare offering. Here are six key takeaways from their discussion.
Key Insight #1: Transform Due Diligence into Strategic Planning
The health center evaluation process offers an opportunity for employers to strategically re-imagine their health center’s ideal state and assess their healthcare delivery goals. Our clients and consultants used this time to address critical elements that may have been missing with previous health center partners, like specific services, care coordination, virtual access, and benefit integration. By viewing this due diligence period as more than a procurement requirement, they were able to focus on the employee experience and build partnerships that aligned with their organizations’ evolving needs.
Key Insight #2: Embrace Imperfection in Implementation
A key revelation from our discussion: no implementation is perfect, and acknowledging this up front builds trust. Cassondra Hepburn, Jackson Healthcare’s VP of Benefits & Well-being, shared her appreciation for Nate saying, “There are going to be some hiccups,” instead of claiming a seamless transition. Success comes from prioritizing the employee experience through careful change management and clear communication, even when challenges arise.
Key Insight #3: Focus on Care Team Continuity
The providers are the backbone of the member experience. Our panelists shared practical strategies, from implementing retention bonuses for key staff to rethinking care models to ensuring the right cultural and skill fit.
Key insight #4: Stay Flexible with Strategy
Your initial plan may need adjustment as implementation unfolds. Former Head of Benefits, Jennifer Bryer, explains how her organization pivoted from their original nearsite strategy to focus on enhancing the Advanced Primary Care onsite experience. Her team also modified their approach to Physical Therapy services based on early results. These strategic shifts weren’t setbacks—they represented valuable learning opportunities that led to better outcomes.
Key insight #5: Choose Partners, Not Just Vendors
Finding the right partner is more art than science. The most successful transitions occur when organizations select partners who truly understand their culture and goals. According to Alliant Employee Benefits’ Executive Vice President, Abby Davis, health center partnerships are unique among benefits because they’re tangible–you can physically experience the facilities and meet the Care Teams. This tangibility makes cultural alignment and trust especially crucial for long-term success.
Bonus Key Insight #6: Personalized Planning Starts with Proactive Discovery
Crossover’s Senior Director of Program Operations, Jason Blote, explains how his team poses targeted questions early on to gain valuable insights into the motivations driving the transition. This due diligence allows us to tailor our project plan to the unique needs of each client, ensuring that the outcome aligns with their goals.