Frequently Asked Questions
American Specialty Health Questions
Complementary Health Care Questions
| American Specialty Health Questions |
Who is American Specialty Health?
American Specialty Health, Incorporated (ASH) is a diversified specialty benefits
company for physical medicine, complementary health care, wellness, and disease
management for obesity. Through its subsidiaries, ASH provides benefit, disease
management, wellness, affinity discount, and consumer retail programs to health
plans, insurance carriers, employer groups, and trust funds nationwide.
What companies make up the ASH complementary health care
organization?
The ASH family of companies includes the following subsidiaries:
- American Specialty Health Insurance Company (ASH Insurance)
- American Specialty Health Networks, Inc. (ASH Networks)
- American Specialty Health Plans of California, Inc. (ASH Plans)
- American Specialty Health IPA of New York, Inc. (ASH IPA-NY)
- American Specialty Health ODS of New Jersey, Inc. (ASH ODS-NJ)
- American Specialty Health Systems, Inc. (ASH Systems)
- American Specialty Health Networks of South Dakota, Inc. (ASH Networks-SD)
- American Specialty Health Clearinghouse, Inc. (ASH Clearinghouse)
- Healthyroads, Inc. (Healthyroads)
When and by whom was ASH founded?
ASH was co-founded by George DeVries (current ASH chairman, president, and CEO)
and two other individuals in 1987. The initial vision for ASH was to provide
health maintenance organizations (HMOs) with chiropractic programs and insurance
benefits, allowing members direct access to contracted providers. ASH continued
to grow over the next decade, and a corporate reorganization in 1999 brought all
individual ASH subsidiaries under the American Specialty Health, Incorporated
banner.
What are ASH’s key milestones?
ASH has achieved numerous key milestones over the years. Browse to
History & Growth to view details.
What services does ASH provide?
Through its subsidiaries, ASH provides specialty benefits for physical medicine,
complementary health care, wellness, and disease management for obesity programs
nationwide. Benefit programs include chiropractic, physical therapy,
occupational therapy, acupuncture, massage therapy, dietetic counseling,
naturopathy, vitamins and minerals, fitness clubs, and exercise centers.
Wellness programs primarily address the topics of weight management, tobacco
cessation, and healthy living, but also help individuals achieve their personal
health and wellness goals in the areas of nutrition, exercise, and stress
management.
In addition to providing these programs to health plans across the country, ASH
subsidiaries also provide these programs directly to employer groups and trust
funds. Value-added affinity and consumer retail programs are also available.
Where is ASH headquartered? How many employees does ASH
have?
ASH is located in downtown San Diego. The company employs almost 600 people in
its corporate office and has satellite offices in California, Arizona, Colorado,
Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey,
Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and Washington, DC.
What were ASH’s revenues in 2004?
Revenues have grown from $26,000 in 1987–1988 to more than $120 million projected
for 2005.
How many providers are in the ASH network?
ASH has a nationwide network of more than 20,000 complementary health care
providers—including chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists,
dietitians, and naturopaths—and more than 7,000 fitness clubs and exercise
centers.
How do providers become part of the ASH network?
All potential ASH providers for clinical services must meet stringent quality
standards before they can become part of the ASH network. Such providers undergo
a quality evaluation that includes a review of providers’ licensure and records,
as well as an inspection of provider offices. ASH’s credentialing and review
staff work closely with state and federal agencies to ensure that all such
contracted providers are qualified to perform the agreed-upon services.
What is American Specialty Health Insurance Company (ASH
Insurance)?
ASH Insurance, formerly known as Western Diversified Life Insurance Company, is a
health insurance company domiciled in Illinois and approved for business in 42
other states and the District of Columbia. Through this company, employers in a
growing number of states are able—usually for the first time—to directly
purchase supplemental complementary health care benefit plans from a specialty
benefits health insurance company. This makes options such as chiropractic,
acupuncture, massage therapy, dietetic counseling, and naturopathy more readily
accessible to local workforces. ASH products are currently approved in 20 states
and the District of Columbia. Available options vary by state.
What is Healthyroads?
Healthyroads is a health education company offering wellness programs designed to
help individuals achieve their personal health and wellness goals in the areas
of weight management, tobacco cessation, and healthy living. Healthyroads
motivates members through telephone-based health coaching and education provided
by a team of dietitians, RNs, personal trainers, and other health educators;
Web-based educational information and interactive tools; targeted, educational
resources developed by Healthyroads’ clinical and creative staff; and customized
meal and exercise planning—all with the purpose of helping individuals live
longer, healthier, and more active lives.
Healthyroads also offers online and paper-based health risk assessments (HRAs) to
help individuals recognize their health risk factors and personal health
challenges—and identify the steps they can take to make positive, long-term
changes to their health and behavior.
| Complementary Health Care Questions |
What is complementary health care, and how is it
different from alternative medicine?
Complementary health care is a term used to describe therapies and
treatments not practiced by traditional medical doctors, but often used in
conjunction with or as a complement to traditional medicine. These therapies
include chiropractic care, acupuncture, and massage therapy as complements to
traditional treatments such as physical therapy or pain medication. They also
include dietetic counseling and naturopathy, as well as mind-body techniques
such as mental imagery and relaxation skills.
Some traditional medical doctors recommend complementary health care therapies
for their patients as part of their overall treatment. These therapies
historically have not been covered by traditional health insurance plans.
The term alternative medicine is used to describe therapies or treatments
that are used in place of traditional medical care. Such therapies might include
treating cancer with a special diet rather than through surgery or chemotherapy,
as might be recommended in Western medicine.
ASH does not offer or recommend alternative health care. Instead, ASH offers
complementary health care, which complements traditional health care options.
For example, through complementary health care a member who has cancer might
choose to use techniques such as massage therapy and relaxation skills in
conjunction with his or her chemotherapy sessions.
How long has complementary health care been around?
Some complementary health care therapies, such as acupuncture, have been around
for more than 2,000 years. Others, such as naturopathy, are relatively new and
continue to evolve as technology, best practices, and scientific research
advance.
Is complementary health care a big industry in the United
States?
Complementary health care has grown in recent years to become a $40 billion
industry. Despite rising health insurance premiums, interest in complementary
medicine and health education programs is at an all-time high. In fact, a
Consumer Reports reader survey published in August 2005 found that nearly half
of respondents reported using complementary or alternative treatments during the
past two years. Health care experts believe that the industry will continue to
grow as more consumers choose complementary health care therapies to improve
their overall health and well-being.
Who is a “typical” consumer of complementary health care
services?
Like traditional medicine, there is no “typical” consumer of complementary health
care. In some cases, individuals use complementary health care therapies because
acupuncture, massage therapy, or other services have been recommended by their
medical doctor. Many patients choose complementary health care when traditional
therapies have failed to bring the desired results, or when they prefer to try
less invasive therapies—or in order to ensure that they have tried all options
for attaining the best possible outcome when treating their health condition.
According to a 1998 study conducted by Harvard Medical School researchers,
consumers make almost twice as many visits to complementary health care
providers every year than they do to primary care physicians, and an estimated
four in 10 Americans use some form of complementary health care every year. With
regards to lifestyle, consumers who use complementary health care are more
likely to exercise, eat well, and be in better overall shape.
Is complementary health care included in most health
benefit plans?
Historically, complementary health care has not been covered by traditional
health insurance plans. But more and more, consumers are seeking out health care
options that go beyond traditional medical care. These same consumers want to
experience a greater sense of empowerment in making health care decisions, along
with maintaining greater control over their own health. In many cases, offering
the opportunity to explore less invasive treatments is a key component of
meeting this consumer demand. Today, some specialty insurers, HMOs, and other
organizations provide coverage for this care.
Progressive employers recognize this growing demand and are embracing services as
lower-cost “complements” to traditional employee benefit packages. In an era of
benefit takeaways, higher deductibles, and increased employee copays,
complementary health care allows employers to offer a new benefit with a high
perceived value for a cost that is usually just 1–2 percent of an employer’s
total health care premiums.
Additionally, employers today are increasingly focused on implementing wellness
programs that address obesity, smoking, and other health concerns that
contribute to rising health care costs. According to a July 2005 Deloitte &
Touche poll, 95 percent of employers surveyed have recently implemented or are
considering implementing wellness programs to control health costs and improve
employee productivity.
What evidence exists to show that complementary health
care therapies are effective?
A growing body of clinical evidence supports the clinical benefits of
chiropractic, acupuncture, massage therapy, dietetic counseling, and
naturopathic services. Evidence-based complementary health care therapies such
as these have proven effective in treating a wide variety of medical conditions
and in helping individuals meet their health and wellness goals. Among the
research supporting the efficacy of complementary health care:
- Dozens of clinical studies have established the safety and effectiveness of
spinal manipulation, the primary therapeutic tool used by chiropractors, for the
treatment of back pain, neck pain, and headaches.
- A June 2003 Annals of Internal Medicine meta-analysis of 39 randomized
clinical trials found chiropractic care to be more effective than sham
treatments for acute and chronic low back pain.
- An October 2004 Archives of Internal Medicine study supported by ASH
demonstrated that more conservative and less invasive care is less costly,
finding that employers who offered health care benefits for chiropractic care
realized fewer hospitalizations for back pain, a reduction in the number of back
surgeries, and lower overall health care treatment costs versus employers who
did not offer chiropractic coverage.
- A meta-analysis of 33 randomized trials published in the June 2005 Annals of
Internal Medicine found acupuncture to be more effective than sham treatment
for short-term relief of chronic low back pain. And a study published in the
December 2004 Annals of Internal Medicine found that acupuncture appeared
to help relieve pain and improve function for patients with knee osteoarthritis.
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