The highest-ranking private national PPO plan was Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS). This was great to see because I've always recommended PHCS and personally felt they were best option for largest group of buyers, but I had no hard evidence to back up this opinion.

PHCS health plans are available in some form to everyone in all 50 states through a variety of insurance plans and uninsured plans. The insurance plans are available to perhaps 80% of small businesses and 50% of healthy individuals, but individuals with health problems will have trouble finding one of these plans. Beware of uninsured “discount plans”. The concept is good, but price is not. It is highly unlikely that this is a good financial deal for any buyer. Unfortunately these plans are hyped on Web and junk e-mail to point where we cannot seem to get away from them.

The most attractive feature of PHSC health network plans is that they often can be combined with other cost-saving plan design features like preferred-risk and preferred-industry discounts, high deductible plans and Medical Savings Accounts. With high deductible plans, keep in mind that you still benefit from direct in-network claims processing and substantial provider discounts even if your bill is lower than policy deductible. A benefits consultant can design a plan to fit almost any budget simply by adjusting levels of insurance coverage.

Most health plans today offer a variety of PPO network choices, and it is often possible to use more than one PPO network within a single health insurance plan. In some locations a small local PPO may be strong choice, but might not even be listed in CR rating system due to its size. Often an individual or small business located in a rural area may wisely select a PPO based solely on participation of dominant hospital system in their own community despite a lower rating in CR survey.

In any event, I think that most of us would agree that "more news is good news" when it comes to providing public information about quality of our nation's health insurance plans.

Sample Agenda:

1. Coffee & Donuts -- Warm Up Activity

This is time of day when you want to focus on a sense of appreciation & opening lines of communication. Use simple activities that they can do around table while they enjoy your morning goodies. An example might be, "For each member of our team finish this sentence, _____ has helped me this week by __________," or "What I appreciate most about _____ is ____________."

2. Team Building Time

I've included some team building resources with this column. Select an activity from one of these resources or use one you already know. Focus on activities that meet specific needs of your team (learning to communicate more clearly, learning to trust each other, using active listening skills, etc.) Frequently these are physical activities that will get people moving, interacting, and talking. Don't be afraid of a little noise or a little chaos at this point if it feels creative & productive.

3. Produce something visual

The more is all about building positive feelings of appreciation & contributions. However, many team members may walk away from such a morning feeling like they didn't accomplish anything. So this last section is for them! Pick a project/activity that will produce a visible product. At your first retreat an excellent project would be to create a group mission statement. Once you've met a few times you may want to create a team Wall of Wonder. A mission statement is a 10-word phrase or sentence that captures what your team is all about & what your purpose is. A wall of wonder is created by listing all of team accomplishments over a period of time (3 months, 6 months, 1 year) on a large poster which can then be displayed.

4. Have a fun & social lunch!

5. Brainstorming Session

By now everyone should be relaxed & loose. Ready to focus on more creative endeavors such as problem solving & goal setting. During this first session, select one problem that your team is currently facing. If you're not sure what's causing problem then start there, but try to keep moving so that you not only identify problem in your process, but also come up with solutions & assign responsibility for implementing your solution. When you get to implementation -- use volunteers whenever possible, but be sure to spread tasks out over as many team members as you can. That way everyone has a sense of contributing to solution.

6. Skill Building

If you have new information or skills that you want to teach your team, this is an excellent time to do it. There are few distractions & you can build in however long you feel training needs to be successful. Just make sure that you find ways to make your training interactive or you will quickly lose energy & creativity you've spent day building.

7. Planning & goal setting

As day winds down, this is a good time to talk about where you'd like to be in a year or 5 years as a team or an agency. Try to get your team members to provide details as they talk. The more details you can coax out of them, clearer everyone will "see" this vision. Then identify 1 or 2 things that you as a team or as individuals can do NOW that will move you closer to that vision.

8. Put closure on day

End day with a short & sweet activity. Everyone's brain will be tired by now & often they will be tired of sitting. You want them to leave laughing & smiling. Pick an activity that is uncomplicated, engaging, & humorous. An easy physical activity may be just ticket.

9. Something to remember you by

Dismiss team, with a small momento of day. A simple idea is just to make postcards with inspiring words on front & their assignments from afternoon work sessions on back.

10. Don't forget to have fun!

If you have done your planning well, then you should be able to relax & enjoy retreat along with your staff. It's important for them to get a fresh perspective on you as well as each other. This is a great time to let them know that you are accessible, eager to hear their ideas, & appreciate their efforts. You may be surprised to learn that they appreciate yours as well!

Copyright 2001, Lisa Simmons