News

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Ed Pudlowski presented at a Colloquium of all Sections of the International Actuarial Association (IAA).  The Joint Colloquium (JoCo24) was held in Brussels in September 2024 and sponsored by the Institute of Actuaries in Belgium 

Ed Pudlowski presented a comparison of operating models of the various health systems of the countries across the globe. "Understanding the structure of a health system in a jurisdiction is important in assessing its ability to respond to the needs of its people when crises arise like the spread of infectious disease, new viruses, health-related issues associated with climate change, epidemics, and pandemics.  Identifying gaps in effective and efficient care delivery are key to improving systems to better serve the entire population of a given country".

Ed Pudlowski presented with a panel of industry leaders on Measuring the Value of Innovative Healthcare Solutions in April 2023.  The event, sponsored by the Conference of Consulting Actuaries, featured Jaya Kushalani of Transcarent, Nalene Langley with Avalon Healthcare Solutions, Robert Owen of Quantum Health, and Sara Teppema with Wildflower Health along with Ed.

The session focused on the actuarial best practices for developing value propositions for point solutions or Innovative Healthcare Solutions.  Panelist shared the various approaches deployed to validate financial value, the importance of quality data, performance guarantees, and assessing non-financial value.

At the Annual Meeting of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries in October 2022, Ed Pudlowski had the honor of introducing keynote speaker, Crystal Washington, who discussed leveraging technology for better business results. Ed also introduced Andrew Tarvin who delivered the closing address on the use of humor for effective communication.

Ed presented at the conference on Developing Your Personal Brand where he addressed younger actuaries on the importance of establishing positive traits that define you as a “go to” resource for colleagues and clients.  Additionally, Ed was a panelist in a Business Development workshop where he discussed the importance of building relationships that go beyond the goal driving business results.

At the Annual Meeting of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries (CCA) in October, 2021, Ed Pudlowski presented with Mark Stadler, CEO of AccessHope, and Jeff Dobro, Chief Innovation Officer of Transcarent, focusing on the inefficiencies, high-cost, and gaps in care within the US healthcare system that has resulted in over $14 billion in investments in innovative. The panel addressed the various types of programs that have been proven to drive results, reducing health care spend and improving quality of care.

At the same meeting, Ed also presented on the topic of professionalism and ethics for the health care actuary. 

For more information on Innovation in Healthcare, see Ed's podcast series sponsored by the Conference of Consulting Actuaries at  Healthcare Podcast (ccactuaries.org) 

Ed Pudlowski shared his views of the US Healthcare system in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic with a panel of experts from the US and United Kingdom.  The webinar was sponsored by the International Longevity Centre UK and was entitled "COVID-19 in the UK and US: Understanding the impact on insurance, retirement income and other financial services risks".  A replay of the webinar is available at COVID-19 in the UK and US: Understanding the impact on insurance, retirement income and other financial services risks - ILCUK 

A paper expanding on Ed's comments during the webinar entitled "US Health Care in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic" is available for download below under "Articles". The paper was also published by the Conference of Consulting Actuaries and can be found at New Paper Published on COVID-19 Pandemic issues in the United States (ccactuaries.org)  A shorter version was published by the European Actuarial Association and is also available below for download and at TEA-27-SEPT2021-VERSIE3.pdf (actuary.eu) 

Greger Vigen, Mark Wernicke, and Ed Pudlowski authored a paper entitled "Value-Based Care through Physician Groups: An Actuarial Perspective." 

Sustainable Value-Based Care programs, whether through Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), Medicare Advantage programs, or commercial networks need strong performance from providers, including physician groups.  Some groups sustain better performance, defined in terms of higher quality and lower spending for buyers. This paper offers real world insights into the business approaches used by the better performing provider groups, including how physicians organize themselves to meet buyers’ goals. 

See "Articles" section below for a full copy of the paper entitled "Value-Based Care through Physician Groups - An Actuarial Perspective." 

On, June 4th, Ed spoke on the webinar "Numbers matter – Coronavirus in the UK and US. What we know and what happens next" sponsored by International Longevity Centre UK. (replay available at https://ilcuk.org.uk/webinar-numbers-matter-coronavirus-in-the-uk-and-us/)..  Additionally, on May 12, Ed presented with an international panel of experts in the webinar “COVID-19 Pandemic – International Health Care Perspectives, Lessons. What Next?” (replay available at https://www.actuview.com/iaahs-live-session-on-covid-19_299f7d382.html) The webinar was sponsored by the International Actuarial Association as part of their virtual Paris Colloquium 2020.

Ed has also been asked by the Society of Actuaries to participate in a multi-disciplinary working group to offer guidance to insurance regulators and carriers on best practices for modeling the cost effects of COVID-19 on health care insurance rates for 2021.

Purchasers of large group health plans have a myriad of choices when it comes to innovative solutions, or disrupters, designed to improve care and reduce the cost to the participant and the plan. With the expansion of these disrupters and failed promises from some entities, plan purchasers are now demanding a greater level of support for the value propositions, including analyses that are specific to their populations and claim utilization profile. 

Ed Pudlowski and Mac McCarthy co-authored a paper published in Benefits Quarterly (produced by the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists) which addresses best practice approaches to analyze stated value propositions of healthcare disrupters. 

See "Articles" section below for a full copy of the paper entitled "Evaluating the Value of Health Plan Disrupters."

Rounding out Ed’s term as President of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries (CCA), he provided the opening address to the largest number of attendees for a CCA Annual Meeting in its history. Ed’s address focused on the accomplishments of the Board of Directors of the CCA over the past year which resulted in an increase in membership to the highest level in the CCA’s nearly 70 years of existence. 

Ed also addressed the initiative started earlier in the year to rebrand the CCA to appeal to a new generation of actuaries as well as established actuaries who join the CCA for high-quality continuing education and professional networking opportunities. Ed summarized the CCA's perspective by stating “we empower and propel leaders, providing a meaningful perspective, to advance the practice”. 

At the Annual Meeting of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries, Mac McCarthy (pictured above) spoke on best practices for evaluating and selecting innovative healthcare solution providers for health plan sponsors. Mac addressed the need for plan sponsors to identify their cost drivers, develop success metrics, and design the appropriate study methodology to assess the value of an innovative healthcare solution. Mac also discussed how to design the appropriate study methodology for a given solution and the available data.

Ed Pudlowski spoke about the opportunities and risks involved in creating and managing an Association Health Plan, including how best to differentiate an offering through benefit design, pricing, funding, and the use of innovative healthcare solutions. Ed also participated as a panelist addressing professionalism and ethics for healthcare actuaries.

The Conference of Consulting Actuaries held their annual Healthcare Conference at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC April 10th and 11th, 2019.  Mac McCarthy (pictured above) conducted a session on how healthcare providers can best leverage actuaries.  Mac also presented in a session on actuarial professionalism and ethics on healthcare actuaries as expert witnesses.

Ed Pudlowski moderated the key note session on how purchasers can advance value in the marketplace.  The key note speaker for the session was Michael Thompson, CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.  Ed also conducted a session on healthcare actuarial modeling with Gary Miller, Vice President and Senior Actuary with Claros Analytics.  

(See "Articles" section below for a copy of the presentation)

Healthcare intervention (or demand management) strategies are widely used in the general service industry to enable effective and efficient use of capacity and improve quality of care.  Demand management programs are often key success factors for employers in their ability to manage health care cost and annual increases that continue to exceed general inflation rates.

Mac's and Ed's discussion explored how these programs have been used to control costs, discussed how “success” is defined, and how it may be measured to demonstrate value.

We can help plan sponsors and intervention program providers determine the effectiveness of these programs and validate the value these programs offer.