Montefiore Medical Center wanted more than simply a benefit enrollment solution. They sought a comprehensive benefit communications portal for employees where they could take control of their own benefits program.

Challenge

Montefiore Medical Center is one of the top hospitals in the country for investments in medical innovation and cutting-edge technology. Because of its stellar reputation, the hospital was growing at a rate of 100 new associates each month. Yet Montefiore was still using a paper-based system for open enrollment. With more than 6,500 associates, the amount of paperwork for the HR benefits team was daunting. Three team members were responsible for managing more than 35 benefit plans with 106 employee eligibility groups, coordinating all communications and answering questions—up to 200 phone calls a day. Clearly, it was time for Montefiore Medical Center to adopt cutting-edge technology in its HR department.

Solution

Montefiore needed a partner with significant benefits expertise and flexibility. Hewitt stood out from other providers because benefits enrollment and administration are its primary business focus, its Core Benefit Administration system could accommodate Montefiore's complex benefits program, and it offered established interfaces with the hospital's benefit carriers and HRIS and payroll systems. To ensure rapid implementation success, a Benefits Service Team (BeST) provided a dedicated group of professionals to offer support such as training, data transfer and day-to-day project management. The BeST methodology ensured benefits continuity, eliminated handoffs and included easy access to a wide base of resources.

Results

Montefiore saw an immediate acceptance to the new Core Benefit Administration system with more than 2,300 employees participated in the online passive enrollment. Employees saw the advantages of having one place to access benefit information 24/7, manage their own dependent information, and review benefits statements online. The HR team has less paperwork and phone calls to handle, along with access to new administrative tools and reports. Now they can pull the data they need in a matter of seconds, instead of days. And the HR team is focusing their time and talents on exploring new benefit strategies and educating associates about new benefit offerings.