This episode features an interview with Brian Olsen, Partner of Employee Benefits at Sterling Seacrest Pritchard. Brian is an experienced Client Advisor specializing in creative employee benefits strategies to mitigate risks of health plans for companies ranging from 50 to 5,000 employees. His expertise resides in data management solutions and analysis, pharmacy cost containment, and complex contract negotiations. In this episode, Sasha and Brian discuss the intricacies of working in the TPA space, the importance of clinical data in managing healthcare costs, and how to advise clients on network selection, PBMs, and stop-loss insurance strategies.
This episode features an interview with Brian Olsen, Partner of Employee Benefits at Sterling Seacrest Pritchard. Brian is an experienced Client Advisor specializing in creative employee benefits strategies to mitigate risks of health plans for companies ranging from 50 to 5,000 employees. His expertise resides in data management solutions and analysis, pharmacy cost containment, and complex contract negotiations.
In this episode, Sasha and Brian discuss the intricacies of working in the TPA space, the importance of clinical data in managing healthcare costs, and how to advise clients on network selection, PBMs, and stop-loss insurance strategies.
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“The TPA is the quarterback for a client's self-funded plan. Pulling together all the different players: the PBM, the stop-loss, the broker, the client. Making sure everybody is working as one to execute the plan for the self-funded health benefits. The biggest benefit is a client's flexibility as they're coming to design that game plan. What kind of network do we want to use? How do we want to pay certain types of claims?” – Brian Olsen
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Episode Timestamps:
*(01:40): Brian’s career journey
*(05:49): Understanding the TPA model
*(12:42): Pharmacy benefit management insights
*(18:02): Non-ERISA business and transition challenges
*(26:27): Importance of clinical data insights
*(30:07): Brian’s advice for those new to the industry
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Links:
Connect with Brian on LinkedIn
Connect with Sasha on LinkedIn
Learn more about Collective Health
Sasha Yamaguchi: Let's face it, healthcare is confusing and costs are continuing to rise. Employers are looking for ways to improve the health of their people and their bottom lines. The good news? Many leading companies are leveraging self-funded health plans and innovative benefit solutions to do just that. Learn from some of the best minds in employee health.
Sasha Yamaguchi: Welcome to the Benefits Playbook, Strategies for Self-Funded Health Plans. I'm your host, Sasha Yamaguchi, Commercial Leader at Collective Health. On today's episode, we are joined by Brian Olsen, Partner, Employee Benefits at Sterling Seacrest Pritchard. Brian is an experienced client advisor specializing in creative employee benefit strategies to mitigate risks of health plans for companies ranging from 50 to 5,000 employees.
Sasha Yamaguchi: His expertise resides in data management solutions and analysis, pharmacy cost containment, and complex contract negotiations. That's a lot. Thank you so much for being here with us today, Brian.
Brian Olsen: Yeah, excited to be here.
Sasha Yamaguchi: You specialize in quite a bit.
Brian Olsen: You know, it just rings to say that I'm single.
Sasha Yamaguchi: You have a lot of time.
Sasha Yamaguchi: I mean, you spend a lot of time, right, on work. Okay, now's the time to do it. So I'm really excited to have you. For the audience listening, Brian and I met recently. He does a ton in the TPA space, so I thought it'd be a really cool conversation to talk to somebody that does mostly. TPA business, which is third party administration.
Sasha Yamaguchi: So excited to have you. I would love to start, let's just kick off, other than you being single, start with your career journey, what led you to Sterling Seacrest Pritchard, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Brian Olsen: Sure. Yeah. So unlike most people in our industry, I actually went to college specifically for insurance.
Brian Olsen: So my specific degree was a bachelor's in risk management and insurance and a minor in actuarial science. So I have a love for this industry. The University of Georgia has a great program and was just excited to graduate with the number one program behind my back so I could get a job. But yeah, kind of went straight into the brokerage side, but not specifically in the insurance field when we're so on the HR technology front.
Brian Olsen: So payroll, then admin, applicant tracking systems, time and attendance. That was kind of my bread and butter in college and then translated that to an HR technology role outside of college. It set a great foundation to understand the fundamentals of how TPAs work. You know how payroll and Benadmin rates the same way a TPA and a PBM integrate too.
Brian Olsen: So, making sure the data flow between all the certain vendors are working accordingly, but just making sure to understand the rules of the road, if you will. So yeah, love to apply the old technology foundation to the more complex side of insurance.
Sasha Yamaguchi: That's really fascinating because almost no one goes to college for this.
Sasha Yamaguchi: So I think that's really a cool fact that you did that. How did you know about this field?
Brian Olsen: So I started off not in insurance, but in physics. I wanted to be a nuclear physicist and loved math. And after bombing a certain physics class, my old college roommate suggested that I look at business school, applying math.
Brian Olsen: And he pointed me to actuarial science, which was run out of the risk management department. So yeah, just. Through exposure, I was like, you know, I'll just do insurance.
Sasha Yamaguchi: Love it. Well, and a lot of people get into it because of, they hear about it through family or friends or, so really, I think that's great you started with that through college and then got into our business.
Sasha Yamaguchi: So I think, tell us about your specific role and how you work with employers, with your clients. What is your day to day like?
Brian Olsen: So formerly I'm a producer, but I just made partner this past 2023. So as a shareholder of the firm, I get to really design my own daily routine, running my book of business, which is made up of about 25 different employers.
Brian Olsen: And as of today, they are all self-funded with a specific TPA, one that is tailored to their exact needs. So every day looks a bit different, whether that's a quarterly, monthly, or weekly claims review with a client, identifying potential cost containment opportunities, or just really celebrating a great month of lower claims than what they would have been fully insured.
Brian Olsen: You know, as we're preparing for a client's renewal, it could be. Doing a PBM RFP, it could be doing a TPA network analysis, identifying cost containment opportunities, but then measuring how it would integrate into their overall health plan ecosystem. TPA going to support it, or are they going to go tell me to pound sand because it kind of competes with one of their internal programs?
Sasha Yamaguchi: Got it. Well, one congratulations on becoming partner, which is exciting. Thank you. And. Uh, really happy for you. Sounds like you have a lot going on and every day is different, which I feel like is what is enjoyable about our jobs, right? Every day we're doing something completely different. So one of the reasons I wanted to have you on is because you do so much, clearly all of your business
Sasha Yamaguchi: is with a TPA versus a traditional carrier. So kind of starting with basics for those listening, can you talk a little bit about the TPA model compared to a traditional model? And then in your opinion, what are the benefits of that TPA model as you're looking at that for your clients? And let's just kind of start with the basics.
Brian Olsen: So, best way to understand it is the TPA is the quarterback for a client's self-funded plan. Pulling together all the different players, the PBM, the stop loss, the broker, the client, making sure everybody is working as one to execute the plan for the self-funded health benefits. The biggest benefit is a client's flexibility as they're coming to design that game plan.
Brian Olsen: What kind of network do we want to use? How do we want to pay certain types of claims? I'll give you the best example is, you know, when you're fully insured and you're signing on with a policy through a carrier. Claims are paid one way and you sign on that on the front end. If you want to make a change mid year, it's almost, Impossible to do so because the pricing was built in on the front end.
Brian Olsen: Whereas you're self-funded, you can make that type of change. So real life example is employee or member goes to the doctor and they're getting some lab work done. They get there and they're like, Oh, wait a minute. It's deductible and coinsurance for any lab work versus their old plan was. Everything's included in the office code bay.
Brian Olsen: If you want to make that change to benefit the employee, you can make that change, call it that day, and even retro to the effective date of the plan. Not many people get that change and CFOs wise are typically the ones that bring that to our attention.
Sasha Yamaguchi: I love that you hit on mid year. You don't have to wait until The annual renewal, if you feel like there needs to be a change, like in your plan for whatever reason, you have control over that.
Sasha Yamaguchi: So I think that's a great example. When you think about TPA, is there a certain size? Do they have to be very large employers? Can you do it on any size group?
Brian Olsen: A TPA could fit anybody. I don't think there's any size requirement. It's more so the mindset of the employer. My smallest group that was ever self-funded was 25 employees.
Brian Olsen: But they were a very flexible mindset. And because the TPA environment works a little bit differently, you know, different ID card types dependent upon the network, they really were very gung ho about communicating to their employees about how the plan worked. And their employees are very receptive of it versus you might find some more white collar traditional firms that are on the smaller end really just want status quo and they might not make the best fit or a certain TPA that has a lot of resources maybe backed by a BUCA would be the best fit.
Brian Olsen: I think there's really, there is a TPA out there for every type.
Sasha Yamaguchi: Yeah. And I think you hit on that a minute ago because you, you said. 25 of your accounts and they're all with a TPA that fits their specific need. So I think one question I would have and for those listening that are considering TPA model, what do you look at for your clients and then how do you kind of connect it to which TPA, you know, makes sense.
Sasha Yamaguchi: So obviously it's what your client is looking for, but maybe give us one or two examples of client A has these specifics and this type of TPA works for them. Client B may need a completely different type of TPA.
Brian Olsen: So let's say, you know, Client A today is with UHC, fully insured. That kind of really sets the stage of the possible TPAs out there.
Brian Olsen: And I'll say the first step, but he needs to evaluate when determining the best TPA is the network component. If you're with UHC today, that somewhat restricts you from having UHC with a TPA. Looking at the available networks out there, you got Anthem, Aetna, and Cigna. Their high cost claimants are dialysis and infusion medications.
Brian Olsen: That cuts out a couple networks and really leaves us with Anthem and Aetna. So then looking to see which TPAs out there have the access to them and Aetna, and then which networks Or which TPAs have the ability to do certain cost containment programs on top of those networks. You'll hear me reference all these like, which TPAs are allowed to do, who's wanting to work with who.
Brian Olsen: The TPA environment is very much like a high school lunchroom. There are cliques, there are certain rules, so and so is going to work with so and so, so and so might not work with the other people. Best way to think about it is that scene from Mean Girls, and they're describing all the cliques in that lunchroom.
Brian Olsen: Making sure that your client is aligned with CLIC or POSSE that best fits them. You have to kind of remove yourself out of the process as a consultant. So, like, I was a nerd in high school, and I want all the TPAs that have the bells and whistles and the fancy claim adjudication program. My client might want something totally simple, so it's really important to remove myself from the process and finding out what is best for the employer based on claims, current situation.
Brian Olsen: And what type of member experience they're looking for.
Sasha Yamaguchi: Yeah, I love that you hit on that and I feel like you just made a really good point in that even though you and your background and what you think is the right thing because of data, because of whatever claims may not be the right fit for your client and they need something very simple, they just need to get started in the model.
Sasha Yamaguchi: And then I think member experience, which I know we'll hit on, is another big factor of It's almost like you need to rank their needs and then start looking at the TPAs that make sense based on that.
Brian Olsen: Right.
Sasha Yamaguchi: Do you know off the top of your head how many total TPAs you work with? Probably, I mean, actively, probably four or five, right?
Brian Olsen: I'd say probably ten plus.
Sasha Yamaguchi: Isn't that wild? And I don't think people realize how many are out there either.
Brian Olsen: If you can think of as many payroll providers out there, it's probably the same of PBMs and TPAs out there.
Sasha Yamaguchi: So, I love that you said, first and foremost, network. I think that's a key part, right, of which network do they want, but then which TPA is aligned.
Sasha Yamaguchi: The other big piece I would love to hear about from you is pharmacy. So I think you've got medical and then pharmacy is another big piece when it comes to What plans, what, you know, companies, how do you look at the PBM side and maybe for the audience explain what a PBM is at a high level, but then how do you look at that piece of where you're placing a client with a TPA, with a PBM partner, you know, share a little bit around that.
Brian Olsen: Sure. So PBM or Pharmacy Benefit Manager is the prescription component of a self-funded plan. So, if you're thinking about your ID card with a TPA or a BUCA fully insured, probably the bottom left hand or the bottom right hand corner, you'll see RX group, RX bin, PCM. Those are the components being graded to your TPA or fully insured carrier with the PBM or the pharmacy component.
Brian Olsen: So you're really joining together two companies that are administering two different benefits. That's medical through the network. Pharmacy through the PBM and TPA has been around for a while and they have found out that that's probably the most complicated portion to integrate. So to benefit and reduce the amount of new integrations that they have, TPAs have their preferred PBM partners, but most will tell that they're willing to integrate with everybody.
Brian Olsen: I always suggest that they have it as preferred, probably for good reason, but to always evaluate the contract that they have through that PBM. So there are so many different components that go into running a very seamless self-funded plan. The one that usually causes the most issues is the members data being housed accurately in both the TPA and the PBMs databases, so that when they go to the pharmacy that first time with a,
Brian Olsen: quote unquote, not a direct ID card from, let's say CVS. They have their TPAs ID card. They want to make sure that they go to that pharmacy and that they actually are able to fill that prescription. The data that they're passing back daily is probably just a uncomprehensible amount of data that there's so much room for error that you want to make sure that they already have that process and procedures of data sharing down pat.
Brian Olsen: I can tell you horror stories about the first time we ever tried to write a new integration between a TPA and a PBM. One day, everything was fine. The next day, everybody was turned on the PBM side and no one could get their prescriptions. And that happened for probably three weeks where we were having to reinstate everybody's coverage.
Brian Olsen: That's a tough one.
Brian Olsen: Yeah. It was not great.
Sasha Yamaguchi: So I actually love that you just made this point because as you know, and so collective health as a TPA, we get asked all the time about PBM partners. And I love that you just made the point of, sure, we could integrate, we could figure it out if we really wanted to, but the point you just made I think is super important of, it is better to go with somebody that has been integrated for a while.
Sasha Yamaguchi: Because we've figured out that data feed, and I think that's really, really important and a good point of just not adding partners every day, but really making sure we nail the basics with the partners we have, then expanding upon that. So I love that you just made that point, because Pharmacy 1 is just important, and data and members having access is the most important thing being able to pick up your prescriptions.
Brian Olsen: Pharmacy is probably the biggest driver for employers to make that transition from fully insured to self-funded. So when consultants or anybody. comes to a TPA and a PBM, let's say they are preferred partners, but you are wanting to bring in third party cost containment system, you want to make sure that you verify that they are willing to integrate or add that cost containment on the front end before you present it to the group as a possibility, because based on the way the TPA and the PBM have their integration set up, If you try and throw something in there that mucks up the works or really disrupts how the integration is set up, it could really cause some problems down the line.
Brian Olsen: And TPAs or PBMs might just shut it down completely. So verifying a cost contaminant strategy on the front end is super important before you decide to move forward with any party.
Sasha Yamaguchi: Yeah, I love that and I think finding a partner that you know can do that well then allows you to have that option upfront for your clients.
Sasha Yamaguchi: 'cause you know it's gonna work. Yes. Seamlessly.
Brian Olsen: Trial by fire is the best way to learn in this industry because I have, I have felt the fire on some of these groups where I promised a cost containment program on the front end and realized that I can't do it on the back end.
Sasha Yamaguchi: No, and I think in, in especially the side of the business that you're in being the broker, the consultant, the advisor, that's so important because you're suggesting.
Sasha Yamaguchi: Things to be put in, and if it doesn't go well, it doesn't go well because the companies need to figure something out, but it's on you for suggesting it. So that is a lot of pressure.
Brian Olsen: Yeah, knowing what's on the front end is a lot easier than trying to explain something new on the back end.
Sasha Yamaguchi: Great piece of advice.
Sasha Yamaguchi: So you are doing a lot of non ERISA business as well, and I think in all the years, so I've been doing this a while, over 20 years, most non ARISTA business is very traditional. But, I loved when I heard that almost all of your non-ERISA business is on a TPA model. So can you share a little bit about that progression and how, maybe even how you got one of them to switch?
Sasha Yamaguchi: Because I think they're the least risky groups, so would love for you to walk us through like how that is working for your, your block of business that's non ERISA.
Brian Olsen: The best way is to lay out a roadmap for everybody. You know, here's our day to day experience today, fully insured. You need to line up everything about what's going to change on the back end for these non ERISA groups.
Brian Olsen: Call it union, church, city, municipalities. They want to know exactly what's going to change on the back end, and really every group out there wants to know what's going to be different after they make the change. It might be you slowly piecemeal the change, or you have to write a very complex, call it Process and Procedures document, or P& P that we call it, to show them how it's going to change.
Brian Olsen: You know, you're moving from a monthly invoice to a monthly invoice. Weekly invoice and a monthly invoice. Your claims are going to be submitted to a network or the TPA and then go to the network. So really giving the client employer the full picture of how the plan works down to the most minute detail is the best way to help them prepare and also to CYA on the back end.
Sasha Yamaguchi: Now, I love that. And so, what is the thing they're most nervous about going from a traditional carrier to a TPA? Is it the way the billing is handled? Is it the way everything's with different partners? Is there any one thing that they get the most nervous about based on just their business?
Brian Olsen: Yeah, it's usually the large claimants and how simultaneous or advanced funding is administered.
Brian Olsen: You always hear self-funded, that's really a scary term for most employers. What if we get a million dollar claim? Nowadays with gene therapy and so many new gene therapies coming onto the market, that is a real possibility for some employers. So, making sure that the TPA is able to administer.
Brian Olsen: Simultaneous funding, so let's say the group has a 100,000 spec, making sure that that million dollar claim comes in, they're only funding to the 100,000, and the TPA knows to go and get 900,000 from the stop loss carrier, versus having the employer fund a million dollars and then waiting for that funds on the back end.
Brian Olsen: Making sure that their cash flow stays as close to their old, fully insured. Day to day funding operations as possible is super important with making that transition.
Sasha Yamaguchi: Yeah, that makes sense. Cause if it's a big swings up or down. You know, and it's something they've been used to for probably 20 years and then it changes.
Sasha Yamaguchi: I think that's a really good point.
Brian Olsen: It's the number one hesitation is what if we get a million dollar claim, but being able to give them those steps. And I will say that the TPA network and Stop Loss Care all need to be in alignment. Because there are some networks that a stop loss carrier won't do the simultaneous funding on and some TPAs whose claim adjudication system kind of does simultaneous funding.
Sasha Yamaguchi: No, and I think that's a really good point that I'm glad we're hitting on is when you're looking at the TPA model, the stop-loss piece, we've talked about the PBM piece, but I think the stop loss piece and What's great is you can choose a stop loss vendor that, you know, may be the right fit, but that extra layer of that advanced funding can be a deal breaker for some clients.
Brian Olsen: And I'll say, you know, most networks, the provider networks, UHC, Cigna, they all typically have their own stop loss arm as well. So if you really want to make sure that the stop loss is going to have as close to advanced funding as possible. Your best bet is more than likely going to be the same party of the network and the stop loss carry.
Sasha Yamaguchi: We've talked a lot about the different components. If you think about a client that you've had that just, you had to finally get them over the hump, what would you say the top hesitation, one or two things, other than Stop loss, you know, is it, they feel like they have to administer a lot more. Any other hesitation that you feel clients have when moving to this model?
Brian Olsen: You know, I would say just the member experience and the overall feel of the program is what the billing, but more so. What is the doctor's office going to say when my employee shows up with a collective health ID card or a Meritain or a UMR ID card? How are they going to respond when they're typically seeing just an Anthem, UHC, Aetna, or Cigna ID card?
Brian Olsen: Because a lot of the times, it'll be, we don't accept Meritain insurance. But equipping the employees and the other participants with call it a FAQ or a here's what to do when document on the front end is, okay, well, you do accept Meritain insurance because you're part of the network, or you do accept collective health insurance because if you're part of the Anthem network.
Brian Olsen: So giving the tools to equip members with when they go to that first doctor's visit after the transition is super important.
Sasha Yamaguchi: Yeah, I think that's key because. The pharmacists don't know, the doctors don't know, right? And there's so many companies and carriers and TPAs out there. I think that's a really good point.
Sasha Yamaguchi: And any employer listening, you know, to hear that advice of communicate, over communicate is even better.
Brian Olsen: Yeah.
Sasha Yamaguchi: Which is great and something that you all support. Are there any programs at your firm? Anything we haven't talked about that kind of you all do specific for your clients?
Brian Olsen: So it's the most simple thing ever, but we have a document called the plan cost tracker, which basically aggregates all the different invoices, expenses, stop loss reimbursements, budgets, funding, everything into one document.
Brian Olsen: So it looks at the member enrollment, Calculates budget per month and then on a week by week basis, we take in all the check registers, invoices, monthly admin costs, so that very easy for a CFO or a CHR or really anybody that wants to know how the plan is performing, there is a big green or red button down at the bottom that says we are under budget, a little over budget, or we are way over budget and we really need to cauterize the wound
Brian Olsen: for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sasha Yamaguchi: That's amazing. I think that's great. It's the first I've heard of something like that where you're putting it all together to help them have a full picture at any point in time.
Brian Olsen: And then the second component is we love clinical data. So looking at the pre cert files, so things that are coming down the pipeline haven't been a claim yet, I think is one of the most powerful things a broker can do for their employers.
Brian Olsen: Now, not every TPA network is willing to provide that data on the front end. We really try to align our clients with TPAs that will provide it so we can get in front of that member to maybe steer them to a cost containment program Or make the employer aware of it. You know, we have a large client coming down.
Brian Olsen: We have a gene therapy, get ready for a million dollar check register, but hopefully with some simultaneous reimbursement.
Sasha Yamaguchi: Right. Advanced funding. I actually, I love that you brought this up because this was going to be an area I wanted to hit on a little bit more, especially because you were talking early on about how much you love data.
Sasha Yamaguchi: And I love that you hit on clinical data because. We, of course, get asked for data all the time, but share a little bit more and maybe go a little deeper on why that data is important. And you made a comment about getting ahead of a claim before it hits. So how are you reviewing that with your client?
Sasha Yamaguchi: What are you looking for? And then for all of us out here on the TPA side, you know, why is that so important that we get you just as much as possible? If you could add in point solutions, if it makes sense, I would love to hear from you why it's important to also start getting data from all of these kind of ad hoc vendors.
Brian Olsen: So the pre cert file is most high dollar claims or most elective procedure claims, call it. An ACL repair or a infusion claim for Remicade. These are all going to be subject to pre cert, so medical necessity on the front end where providers doing documentation and then having the TPS clinical team review it.
Brian Olsen: That data is so important because it can be provided to some point solutions where they may suggest physical therapy for 10 weeks before ACL surgery is reprieved or. We might try and do an at home infusion for Remicade. So it's the same exact claim on the infusion front for the member. It helps drive down plan costs and it also gives us the flexibility to put in like plan incentives.
Brian Olsen: If you do try physical therapy and it doesn't work, we'll waive the deductible and coinsurance on the actual surgery when that happens. Or if you do home infusion, we'll waive the deductible, co-pay, coinsurance, whatever it is to incentivize the member to make that type of payment. On the fly change than what they initially may have requested via pre cert.
Brian Olsen: A lot of these big point solutions are all targeting those elective surgeries. So getting data on the backend to measure their efficacy or the actual savings that they're projecting is super important to make sure that, you know, we're not paying a fixed fee or percentage of savings when it's overinflated.
Brian Olsen: So it's more for measuring the actual savings that we have by those programs being in place.
Sasha Yamaguchi: That's great. And I think hopefully as we build out more and more, it helps you have that data to be reviewing the programs. Do you also, I guess last question on that, and for those listening, do you take that data each year and help your clients with plan changes, right?
Sasha Yamaguchi: What's working, what's not working, maybe share a little bit on that.
Brian Olsen: Sure, so we'll intake it and dependent upon the partnership with the TPA, we have our own. In house data analytics partnership with Springbuck, but you may find that other TPAs have, you know, Cedargate, their own homegrown version. We'll import that data for those groups, but then also leverage the data that's housed in, you know, other platforms available.
Brian Olsen: And we'll review that on a monthly basis, weekly basis. And as we're coming up for renewal. It really helps drive the conversation of, here's what we might want to tweak, you know, do we want to put more aggressive prior authorization requirements in on the medical, pharmacy side, and instead of just, you know, suggesting it off the cuff, we can bring the data to help back any suggestion that we make to our clients.
Sasha Yamaguchi: Yeah, that's great. Wrapping up, I feel like during our conversation, you gave a lot of great advice for brokers, for employers, even for TPAs, but anything you would share with new folks coming into our industry, whether they're coming out of college or just starting in insurance, what advice would you give them from like a broker perspective, you know, after the couple of years that you've been doing this and of course making it to partner, which is great.
Brian Olsen: I would say really invest in continuing education and go where other brokers aren't. So, you know, when I was coming into the industry, self-funding was not that heavily prevalent. So I saw a gap in a niche and decided to make that my niche to go where other brokers didn't want. It is more work, but it's also way more fun and you can drive a lot more value to your clients.
Brian Olsen: For those specifically wanting to learn and get engaged with the self-funded industry, Getting engaged with the Self-Insurance Institute of America, or SIIA. Every year they have a national conference, and it is the best way to make relationships in the self-funded industry. TPAs, PBMs, stop loss carriers, they are all there, so you can really understand the rules of the road.
Brian Olsen: And when you walk into that conference hall the first time, It truly does feel like that scene from Mean Girls in the lunchroom.
Sasha Yamaguchi: I love, I just love how you explain that. It's great. It's a perfect way. All I keep thinking is someone going, you can't sit with us.
Brian Olsen: That's right.
Sasha Yamaguchi: I love that you said go where other, where others aren't.
Sasha Yamaguchi: And I feel like I, I love that because all of us can go the easy route of the way it's been done for years and years. And, and then you said it's work, but it is worth it. And I believe that it's, you know, working at Collective Health, we are 10 years in, but it's like, so we, it is a harder push, but it makes it really feel good when you go where no one else is and then you're successful.
Sasha Yamaguchi: So I thought, I love that advice. Yeah.
Brian Olsen: Nothing is more like heartwarming than seeing a client a year after they've made a transition. And being able to walk through all the savings. Here's where you were a year ago, and here's where we are now. Beating trend, our claims are down, and it's just going to continue.
Brian Olsen: Knock on wood.
Sasha Yamaguchi: I agree. I actually got the chance, a client asked me to sit in on their annual strategy with their broker, and it was the first time in a while I had done that. And it was their meeting, but I got to just participate and they had great savings and it was to see it directly from a client's perspective.
Sasha Yamaguchi: And their move from fully insured to self-funded and then with us, it was, to your point, just now really cool to see that firsthand. So I agree.
Brian Olsen: And they might complain a little bit, but it's all worth it. You can always talk through it.
Sasha Yamaguchi: Yeah. There, I mean, nothing's going to go 100 percent smooth at any point in healthcare.
Sasha Yamaguchi: It's how you handle it. Well, this was great. I think I know everyone that's listening is going to learn so much about our business, about the TPA model, all the great work that you're doing. Please share with everybody if they want to reach out to you on LinkedIn or obviously the firm.
Brian Olsen: So best way to reach out is via email.
Brian Olsen: It's B as in Brian Olsen, like the twins at sspins.com. I'm also on LinkedIn, just Brian Olsen. And then a ton of letters afterwards. C E B S C S F S C P B S.
Sasha Yamaguchi: I will not try to explain any of those acronyms, but I should know them. I'm sure it's
Brian Olsen: just a really long way to say single, but into self-funding.
Sasha Yamaguchi: That should be your tagline.
Brian Olsen: That's going to be my little bio on my LinkedIn.
Sasha Yamaguchi: That would be cute. That would be a cute bio. Well, this was great. Thank you so much. I think we've learned a lot and it's been a great conversation.
Brian Olsen: Yeah. Thank you guys for having me.
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