Progressive Benefits Solutions, LLC

Keith A. Torello, Principal,Ryan S. Torello, Principal,Jeff D. Torello, Principal,Scott E. Torello, Principal, Bud Torello, Principal

This is because of the way these stakeholders may look at the operations of an employee benefits solution (purchase, implementation, and management of the programs) using a mix of different paper-based and software integrated solutions. Their siloed view holds them back from putting together the ‘bigger picture.’ As a result, benefits administration can be perceived as overly expensive and convoluted, with a multitude of duplicate data and processes.

Nonetheless, all hope is not lost! The stakeholders are increasingly becoming aware of the advantages that an integrated benefits administration model can bring. The challenge, however, lies in finding the most fail-proof method of connecting these disparate moving parts of benefits administration in a single plane of glass. Rising to the critical challenges of such an intricate digital makeover, Progressive Benefits Solutions (PBS) comes to their rescue.

Drawing upon its years of experience in the healthcare and benefits administration marketplace, PBS is a technology-based company that offers the perfect blend of flexibility and robustness to the stakeholders to collaborate and offer seamless benefits administration and more. PBS’ solution can effortlessly manage benefits administration, build private exchanges for carriers and broker agencies, 401k retirement plans, and Pre-Tax Consumer Directed Health Plans (CDHPs) including HRAs and HSAs, and regulate all the processes for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) administration and the Affordable Cares Act (ACA) without breaking a sweat. “We are more than just a simple ‘shop and enroll’ suite; we are a third-party administrator that oversees and serves all the needs of the broker/employer community through a highly configurable rules-based platform,” says Keith Torello, principal of PBS. “While placing all of these varied functionalities together, we ensure effective connections between the benefits administration system and the other corresponding systems through our propriety interface software,” he adds. So, if a piece of information is updated in the benefits administration system, the same change is properly incorporated in the relevant carrier, employer payroll and PBS serviced systems. The idea is to provide a highly streamlined service to clients so that employers and brokers spend less time on paperwork and more time supporting their business growth.

Under the Hood of Excellence

PBS predominantly partners with two industry-leading technology providers to design its integrated benefits administration solutions. The Benefits Administration System is used to build all the benefits options into one place, both medical and ancillary plans, which are then electronically interfaced with the various benefit carriers, payroll systems and third-party brokers. This creates more plan options for an employee to choose from and also shines the light on the employers for being more thoughtful and compassionate toward their workforce. The Consumer Directed Health Plan (CDHP) platform, alongside, handles the pre-tax consumer-driven health plans and the COBRA processes. “And, we have built integrations in a way that all these systems can electronically speak to each other and all the carriers,” says Bud Torello, Principal of PBS.

PBS is a technology-based company that offers the perfect blend of flexibility and robustness to the stakeholders to collaborate and offer seamless benefits administration and more.

Next-Generation Benefits Administration for the New Era

Today, the business landscape is in the middle of a perfect storm. Stranded in a pandemic-stricken world, with increased pressure on digitalization on one side and greater awareness of people’s health needs on the other, employers are realizing the importance of integrated benefits administration models more than ever. At the same time, as every individual—be it employers and brokers or the employees—is operating from home, the need for having an online solution that exchanges data safely and seamlessly across the entire benefits administration continuum is becoming increasingly prominent. Fortunately, PBS is perfectly positioned at the eye of this storm to help every stakeholder meet all the demands with ease.

One of the noteworthy features in that regard is offering direct access to employees working remotely to make enrollment changes to their benefits plans. What makes it even stronger is that PBS has a SOC II certification—evaluated by Marcum, one of the largest public accounting and advisory services firms—to assure users that their data is well protected. Together, the sense of ease of use, flexibility, and data security helps in generating more awareness and education among the employees about different benefits plans. Simultaneously, it also greatly simplifies the benefits administration for employers who are also working remotely.

De-Risking the Onboarding Process

The PBS team has unparalleled expertise in ‘all things benefits.’ Adjacently, they employ a unique methodology for handling the onboarding process to create the best possible outcome for their clients.

It usually starts with the understanding of the client’s corporate structure. This involves collecting crucial information like the corporation’s name, its different departments, categories of employees, and the nature of business, among others, via a spreadsheet.

Following this, PBS connects with the brokers, who provide them the different plan documents from carriers, along with the rates for employer contributions. PBS then goes through the elaborate process of shortlisting the plan documents more suited for the client based on their organizational structure. PBS is of the belief that instead of burdening the employers with a series of paperwork, their proficiency in reading and interpreting different plan documents makes them more suited to handle the herculean task. And upon approval from the employer, PBS can set up appropriate plans in the benefits administration system. “This consultative approach has radically reduced the turnaround time,” according to Bud, for a client to shortlist the appropriate benefits plans as well.

As the next layer, PBS works with payroll vendors or employers to load the census information for both employees and their dependents. Once that is done, PBS conducts the initial testing to check if all the layers are working as per the intended corporate structure and if the specific employee classes are receiving the information pertinent to them. Only when all the checkboxes are ticked, and the employer gives the go-ahead, the solution is finally rolled out to employees.

Since PBS prioritizes the needs of its client as much as the technology itself, it often goes beyond just the implementation of a robust benefits administration system. To illustrate this, Bud presents an instance when PBS worked with a particular client that was operating in several different locations with two major categories of employees—union and non-union personnel. “Considering the permutation of different levels of employees and job locations, there were over 60 different stacks of benefit plan combinations that had to be offered uniquely to each employee,” explains Keith. So, it was almost impossible for the client to manage their benefits administration manually and disjointedly from different locations. So, when PBS came into the picture, not only did they help the client eliminate a mountain load of paperwork for the coordination and enrollment of the right benefits package to the right employee, but they also made the process as simple as possible.

In another instance, as Ryan Torello—principal of PBS, notes—a large physician’s group wanted to go one step further with benefits administration and create a special reporting that connected the benefits with their financial system and manage their costs by physician and departments on a monthly basis. “It was a critical task because the group had to be divided by providers and then by different departments or practice services,” Ryan mentions. But, PBS was able to tackle the challenge without any hiccups. In fact, this turned out to be the biggest differentiator story for PBS because not only were they able to streamline the employee benefits administration process for the client, but they provided what the physician’s group needed to allocate the benefit costs to the organizational structure of the practice. This is more than just Benefit Administration.

Illuminating the Path to Success

Penning numerous similar success stories since its inception, PBS is now laser-focused on removing all the siloes around benefits administration. The core idea is to help the broker-employer community to reduce errors and improve efficiency, while also ensuring that every employee gets the benefits that they’re entitled to in a timely manner. The company’s role is being recognized even more during the COVID-19 pandemic, with businesses increasingly wanting to leverage a solution similar to PBS’ for streamlining their benefits administration process remotely. In that pursuit, PBS is swiftly expanding its base across the country. Right now, the company boasts its presence as far south as Alabama, west to Arizona and California, and to central areas like Michigan and Utah. And as PBS is poised to grow more in the upcoming months, their team is moving forward with one strong conviction: the future is not just about integrating the benefits administration model but also facilitating a better symbiosis between technology, its stakeholders, and processes.