CASE STUDY

The Best of Both Worlds—Achieving ROI and ROE

How Landmark School got off the “Hamster Wheel of the Less Bad Renewal” to gain financial stability and high-impact employee gratitude.

AT A GLANCE

Organization:

Landmark School (Specialized Independent School)

Location:

Beverly & Manchester by the Sea, MA

The Problem:

The “Independent School Struggle”—feeling that insurance was something done to them rather than by them.

The Solution:

Implementing the Captivated Health model for a second time (under the same leadership) to capture surpluses and data.

Key Results:

Built robust financial reserves; targeted mental health support for dependents; shifted from “transactional” insurance to a “Return on Experience” (ROE) model.

THE CHALLENGE

Running blind on the “Hamster Wheel”

For years, Landmark School felt trapped in a cycle where they had no opportunity to manage their own outcomes. Traditional carriers provided “off-the-shelf” plans with no transparency into what was actually driving costs.

The Passive Position: Leadership felt they were simply recipients of bad news every renewal season, with no levers to pull to improve the situation.
Data Blindness: Without specific data, they couldn’t know if their employees were getting wellness visits or if their pharmacy spend was being used efficiently.
Budget Volatility: The “premium rollercoaster” made long-term financial planning nearly impossible for the school’s leadership.

THE SOLUTION

Data-Driven Education & Strategic Incentives

Having seen success with Captivated Health at a previous institution, Dean Sidell implemented the model at Landmark to gain “the best of both worlds”—financial ROI and employee ROE.

The Surplus Strategy: When claims came in under projection, those dollars stayed on Landmark’s balance sheet, allowing them to build a “war chest” for future healthcare needs.
Targeted Mental Health: Data revealed a specific need for mental health support among the children of staff and faculty. Because they owned the plan, they were able to provide specific services to meet that need.
HSA Incentives: Rather than just “telling” employees to make better choices, Landmark rewarded them. They provided high-quality, cost-efficient options and incentivized those choices with direct contributions to employee Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).
High-Touch Care: Leveraging their location near Boston, the school used its data and control to help employees access world-class cancer facilities and specialists.

THE RESULTS

“It’s Return on Investment for the school and Return on Experience for our people. The gratitude we receive is enough to make it worthwhile.”

1. Financial Stability

By exiting the “fully insured” marketplace, Landmark gained a soft landing. They no longer face the 10-15% “market trend” increases; instead, they manage their own risk cell with like-minded schools that share a similar risk profile.

2. A “Culture of Gratitude”

The flexibility of the plan allowed Landmark to provide services that traditional insurance simply wouldn’t cover. By helping families navigate complex health crises (like cancer or pediatric mental health), the school built an emotional bond with its faculty that far exceeds a standard paycheck.

3. Precision Management

Through non-specific data reporting, the business office can now see exactly how the plan is being used. This allows them to direct education where it is needed most—ensuring that every dollar spent is solving a real problem for a real person.

THE TAKEAWAY

Landmark School proved that health insurance doesn’t have to be a “black box” expense. By combining the financial benefits of a captive model with a focus on the “Return on Experience,” they transformed their health plan into a tool that supports both the school’s balance sheet and its people’s lives.