Albertsons Extends BridgeHealth Surgery Benefit to 30K Employees

Albertsons Cos. has beefed up its employee benefits package by expanding associates’ access to BridgeHealth, a Denver-based provider of value-based health care services.

The grocer identified BridgeHealth as a way to control the cost of expensive surgeries while boosting employees’ health and wellness. A year-long pilot gave 7,000 Albertsons employees and dependents across four states access to top-ranked surgical centers at no cost to the employee. The pilot achieved a favorable ROI over the first 12 months, as well as significantly lower surgical complications and readmission rates, while achieving a 90 Net Promoter Score from participants.

“We want our employees to have access to the best,” noted Cathy Lord, Albertsons’ VP of Human Resources. “With BridgeHealth, employees on many of our health plans can receive care from some of the best surgeons across the country at no cost to them. Because they’re getting access to high quality providers, their health outcomes are better on average than if they found a provider on their own.”

Albertsons is now offering the benefit free of charge to its nearly 30,000 employees on company-sponsored Albertsons and Safeway health plans. The benefit also covers dependents.

As well as providing access to high-quality care and considerable cost savings, BridgeHealth offers members who use the service a dedicated care coordinator, who manages all aspects of the surgery, from records collection and surgery preparation through travel planning and recovery. To spur use of this service, Albertsons has waived employee deductibles and co-insurance associated with the surgery and pays for any travel and lodging expenses for the member and a travel companion.

“We were honored to have been chosen by an innovative employer such as Albertsons Cos. to conduct the pilot and are looking forward to serving more of their population going forward,” said BridgeHealth CEO Mark Stadler. “While we know that our service predictably delivers hard-dollar savings and improved health outcomes, it is our 90-plus Net Promoter Score that we are most proud of. Achieving and maintaining that level of member satisfaction is a rarity in health care and something we work hard every day to maintain.”

Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under various banners. The company is No. 3 on Progressive Grocer’s 2018 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States.