Press Releases

New Officers Elected to Midwest Business Group on Health Board

By MBGH Information posted 06-24-2024
Sargento Food’s Sherri Samuels-Fuerst Named Chair CHICAGO – June 24, 2024 – The Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH), one of the nation's leading business groups of private and public employers, announced its new elected officers for its Board of Directors. “MBGH’s strong and diverse board is essential to our success and continued growth,” said Cheryl Larson, President & CEO of MBGH and Board President. “We are fortunate to have such a dynamic group of human resource and health benefit experts to offer guidance in our efforts to help employers manage the cost of benefits on behalf of their organizations, employees and families.” In addition ...

The Leapfrog Group’s Spring 2024 Hospital Safety Grades Announced

By MBGH Information posted 05-01-2024
24 Illinois Hospitals Earn an A for Patient Safety CHICAGO – May 1, 2024 – The Leapfrog Group , a national nonprofit representing hundreds of the nation’s most influential employers and purchasers of health care , driven in Illinois by the Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH), announced the spring 2024 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades . In Illinois, 109 hospitals were graded, and 24 earned an A, 29 earned a B, 41 earned a C, and 15 earned a D. MBGH , a non-profit organization representing employer purchasers of health care , and The Leapfrog Group’s Illinois Regional Leader , annually encourages hospitals statewide ...

Employers Acting as Early Adopters and Catalysts for Change as Health Care Purchasers per MBGH Survey

By MBGH Information posted 03-06-2024
CHICAGO – March 6, 2024 – A growing number of employers see themselves as catalysts for change or early adopters in developing innovative health benefit programs for their employees and families (53% up from 42%) according to findings from the latest purchaser survey conducted by the non-profit Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH). “Unsustainable and rising medical and drug and costs have a far-reaching impact on the ability of businesses to remain competitive or offer salary increases for their employees,” said Cheryl Larson, MBGH president and CEO. “As a result, employers are getting engaged in health reforms and more creative in their contracting ...

The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2023 Hospital Safety Grades Announced: 27 Illinois Hospitals Earn an A

By MBGH Information posted 11-06-2023
Illinois ranked 28 th in the country with almost 25% of hospitals achieving an A grade CHICAGO – November 6, 2023 – The Leapfrog Group , a national nonprofit representing hundreds of the nation’s most influential employers and purchasers of health care , driven in Illinois by the Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH), announced the fall 2023 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades . In Illinois, 109 hospitals were graded, and 27 earned an A, 24 a B, 50 a C, and eight a D. MBGH , a non-profit organization representing employer purchasers of health care , and The Leapfrog Group’s Illinois Regional Leader , annually encourages ...

MBGH Kicks off New Policy Initiative to Tackle High Hospital Prices for Businesses & Families Across the Region

By MBGH Information posted 09-27-2023
Hospital prices are the leading driver of high and rising health care costs for America’s working families and the employers that provide them health benefits. To lower the cost of health care across Illinois, the Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH) was selected as one of 15 regional business coalitions by the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions to participate in the Hospital Fair Price initiative. A cross the country, employers provide health coverage in the commercial market for more than 180 million people . Over the past several decades, hospitals and health systems have consolidated while dramatically raising ...

Illinois Spring Leapfrog Hospital Patient Safety Grades Announced

By MBGH Information posted 05-03-2023
Data reveals the average risk of three of the most harmful healthcare-associated infections spiked to a 5-year high during COVID-19 pandemic CHICAGO – May 3, 2023 – The Leapfrog Group , an independent national watchdog organization representing the nation’s most influential employers and purchasers of health care, driven in Illinois by the Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH), announced the spring 2023 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades . In Illinois, 111 hospitals were graded, and 29 earned an A, 30 a B, 44 a C, seven a D and one an F. Hospitals earn a letter grade reflecting how well they protect patients from ...

Midwest Business Group on Health Announces Keynotes for 43rd Annual Employer Benefits Conference

By MBGH Information posted 03-22-2023
Reshaping Today’s Health Benefits is focus of May 9-10 event CHICAGO – March 22, 2023 – Health care market disruption, changing employee needs, economic volatility and evolving fiduciary legal requirements are among today’s challenges faced by employers. These themes and strategies to address are included in the Midwest Business Group on Health’s annual conference at the JW Marriott Chicago, May 9-10. Keynote speakers and topics are: William Shrank, MD, Advisory Partner, Andreessen Horowitz and Visiting Fellow at the Duke-Margolis Health Policy Center – Are We Still Paying for Waste and Low Value Care? What Employers Can and Should ...

Check out The Center for Biosimilars' article on Employer Playbook Strategies for Biosimilar Adoption

By MBGH Information posted 03-09-2023
A new resource from the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions aims to help plan sponsors adopt biosimilars into their pharmacy benefit plans. View Full Article on The Center for Biosimilars

Employer Priorities Include Employee Engagement, Health Benefit Communications and Managing Costs

By MBGH Information posted 03-01-2023
CHICAGO – March 1, 2023 – Key threats to employer-provided medical coverage include high-cost pharmacy and medical claims, medical inflation, and million-dollar treatments being approved by the Federal Drug Administration. These are among the findings of the latest survey of employers conducted by the non-profit Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH). “Employers are faced with a growing number of fiduciary responsibilities and must pay attention to the value of services they purchase,” said Cheryl Larson, MBGH president and CEO. “As a result, we see a greater focus on efforts to improve prescription drug and healthcare prices and transparency. Employers ...

Check out the 2023 biosimilar trends update report from Cardinal Health

By MBGH Information posted 02-28-2023
From the publisher of this report : In this report, we analyze the perspectives of more than 350 providers in the therapeutic areas with the most potential for disruption in the year ahead:rheumatology, gastroenterology, dermatology and ophthalmology. Combined with perspectives from leading experts, we give a view of the industry and the imminent market shift that will come from competition with Humira™ and biosimilar utilization. We also analyze the latest industry data on utilization, government pricing reform, and payer coverage. View Report

Illinois Fall 2022 Leapfrog Hospital Patient Safety Grades Announced

By MBGH Information posted 11-16-2022
State falls to 28 for US ranking of states with highest number of A graded hospitals CHICAGO – November 16, 2022 – Marking the 10 th anniversary of the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, The Leapfrog Group , an independent national watchdog organization representing the nation’s most influential employers and purchasers of health care, driven in Illinois by the Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH), announced the fall 2022 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades . The Leapfrog Group has a 10-year history of assigning letter grades to general hospitals throughout the United States, based on a hospital’s ability to prevent medical errors and harm ...

Check out the 2022 biosimilar trends update from Amgen Oncology

By MBGH Information posted 07-31-2022
From the publisher of this report : Amgen’s 2022 Biosimilar Trends Report is a point-in-time overview of key trends in the US biosimilars marketplace, and it is intended to be a resource to help stakeholders better understand the current and future state of the biosimilars marketplace, and key considerations related to the evolving biosimilars landscape. The information provided in this report is for background and informational purposes only and is not intended to promote Amgen’s products or any other products. View Report

Illinois Spring 2022 Leapfrog Hospital Patient Safety Grades Announced

By MBGH Information posted 05-10-2022
State falls to 27 for US ranking of states with highest number of A graded hospitals CHICAGO – May 10, 2022 – The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit representing hundreds of the nation’s most influential employers and purchasers of health care, and driven in Illinois by the Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH), announced the spring 2022 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades . The independent grading system assigns letter grades to general hospitals across the US based on over 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries, and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm. Statewide, 107 hospitals ...

Midwest Business Group on Health Hosts 42nd Annual Employer Benefits Conference

By MBGH Information posted 04-21-2022
Beyond the Pandemic: Employers Uniting to Accelerate Change in Health Care & Benefits focus of May 4-5 event CHICAGO – April 21, 2022 – Employers continue to be challenged by rising health care premiums and structuring benefits to support a changing workforce. The Midwest Business Group on Health’s annual conference will offer strategies and practical solutions to help employers achieve high-quality care while making progress towards equity, transparency and better health for their employees and families. The event has returned to in person at the JW Marriott Chicago, May 4-5. “We are so excited to once again host our annual conference in ...

Specialty Drug Costs, High-cost Claims & Medical Inflation Among Greatest Employer Threats in 2022 Per MBGH Survey

By MBGH Information posted 02-27-2022
CHICAGO – February 28, 2022 – When asked about their role as purchasers of health care, the majority (46%) of employers said they are following the leader, while 32% identified as early adopters, and only 5% as catalyst for change (down from 18% last year). These are among the findings of the latest survey of employers conducted by the non-profit Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH). “The reduction in employers that see themselves as catalysts for change from our last survey is likely due to competing priorities brought on by the pandemic,” said Cheryl Larson, MBGH president and CEO. “They also face what is being likened to as another pandemic – the ...

Leapfrog Announces 2021 Top Hospital Award for Illinois Hospitals

By MBGH Information posted 12-07-2021
Four area hospitals receive national distinction CHICAGO – December 7, 2021 – The Leapfrog Group announced today that four hospitals in Illinois have been named to its 2021 national list of Top Hospitals: AMITA Health Resurrection Medical Center, Chicago Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, DeKalb Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital, Palos Heights University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago The elite award is one of the most competitive honors American hospitals can receive in safety and quality. The winning facilities will be officially recognized today as part of Leapfrog’s virtual Annual Meeting . The Midwest ...

UChicago Medicine Helps Employees Prevent Type 2 Diabetes with Lifestyle Change Program

By MBGH Information posted 11-18-2021
First year savings estimated at $205,000 and weight loss of almost 2,000 pounds for participants CHICAGO – November 18, 2021 – The impact of type 2 diabetes is staggering, costing US employers $327 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity in 2017 alone*. As this condition is preventable, the University of Chicago Medicine is participating in the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP), a lifestyle change initiative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Initial results were positive with 288 employees engaged in a full year of support losing 1,791 pounds, a projected savings of $205,000 in avoidable health care costs** ...

Illinois Fall 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Patient Safety Grades Announced

By MBGH Information posted 11-09-2021
State falls to 24 from 17 for US ranking of states with highest number of A graded hospitals CHICAGO – November 10, 2021 – The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit representing hundreds of the nation’s most influential employers and purchasers of health care, and driven in Illinois by the Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH), announced the fall 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades . The independent grading system assigns letter grades to general hospitals across the US based on over 30 national measures of preventable errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. The fall 2021 grades represent the largest set of hospitals ever graded with ...

New Officers Elected to Midwest Business Group on Health Board - GE Healthcare’s Pam Hannon Named Chair

By MBGH Information posted 06-24-2021
CHICAGO – June 24, 2021 – The Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH), one of the nation's leading business groups of private and public employers, elected new officers for its Board of Directors. The newly elected officers of MBGH’s Board of Director are: Chair – Pam Hannon, Retirement & Healthcare Leader, GE Healthcare Vice Chair – Amy Katzoff, Senior Director, Benefits HRIS and Mobility, Huron Consulting Treasurer – Carol Partington, Corporate Senior Manager, Total Benefits, Elkay Manufacturing Secretary – Darin Hinderman, Global Health Strategy Manager, Total Rewards – Human Resources, Caterpillar Inc. Past Chair, Jason Parrott, formerly ...

2021 Action Brief: Car T-Cell Therapy

By MBGH Information posted 06-20-2021
The last several years have seen significant growth in the number and utilization of specialty drugs. Cancer immunotherapy, in particular, has experienced growth in the number of available treatments, oftentimes offering a lifeline for otherwise terminal conditions. CAR T-cell therapy, immunotherapy approved for several types of cancer, is one of the new biologics that has entered the market. Although CAR T-cell therapy is currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)to treat several rare cancers , there is reason to believe that the indications for this therapy will expand over the next several years, carrying significant implications for both ...