Employee Benefit News Profiles Three Successful Wellness Programs

Employee Benefit News reports on three different employers whose wellness strategies go beyond basic biometric screening and poorly targeted initiatives to address the whole person, including things like behavioral psychology, physical health, social well-being, and career well-being. EBN profiled three progressive employers - Nationwide Insurance, Heartland Health and Cerner Corporation - who have developed strategic and innovative wellness initiatives that succeed in part because benefits and business leaders have ingrained wellness as a core part of their business strategy and culture.

Milliman Article on the Effect of the ACA on Workers' Compensation

Derek Jones at Milliman provides insight on how the Affordable Care Act's changes to the health care system may impact the workers' compensation system. There were no significant elements of the ACA directed at workers compensation, so it can reasonably be assumed that the workers compensation market was largely ignored when the ACA was written—but there are numerous potential indirect effects on the workers compensation system that will likely vary by state. As the most significant elements of the ACA, including health insurance mandate and the implementation of health insurance exchanges, become effective in 2014, employers and providers of workers compensation benefits may soon begin to see some changes in the way benefits are administered and health care services are paid for.

How the Right On-site Facility Lowers Costs, Improves Health Management

Smart Business recently published an interview with Leonard Eisenbeis, director of Clinical Health Operations for UPMC WorkPartners, an affiliated company of UPMC Health Plan, about the benefits employers can see from implementing on-site health care facilities.

On-site workplace centers have grown in recent years from being traditional in-house occupational health clinics where someone who was injured on the job could get basic care, to more extensive total health management centers that offer acute care treatment, health and wellness programs, health coaching, behavioral health assistance and chronic disease management.

“Studies have shown that only about 25 percent of large, self-insured firms offer some type of workplace center,” said Eisenbeis. “But, studies have also shown that the number of companies planning to open a worksite center doubled between 2007 and 2011 because employers are looking for a way to lower health care costs and support their bottom line.”

Walgreens' Worksite Health Centers Accredited

According to Benefits Pro, about half of the primary care worksite health centers managed by Walgreens Employer Solutions Group are now accredited as medical homes, according to an announcement by Walgreens and the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care. Walgreens also plans to receive accreditation for all of its employer-based primary care centers during the first half of 2013.

During the accreditation process, which takes one year, AAAHC representatives visited worksite health centers at multiple Walgreens’ client sites and conducted on-site surveys to determine whether these facilities satisfied AAAHC criteria as a Medical Home. As part of the requirements to be accredited as a medical home, they must be patient-centered, physician-directed, comprehensive and accessible. The medical homes also are to coordinate care with all of the patient's primary care and specialty care provider teams.

Worksite clinics and health centers that adhere to medical home principles may be more likely to help the sponsoring employer save money in the long run, since medical homes focus on prevention and wellness by keeping employees healthy and managing employees' chronic diseases. Employees who have access to a worksite clinic for these services may be more adherent to treatment regimens, considering the convenience of an on-site facility.

New Accreditation Program for Healthy Workplaces

On June 12, 2012, HealthLead, the first accreditation for healthy workplaces was launched at a forum at The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. Joined by representatives from business, government, and non-profit organizations, leaders of US Healthiest introduced this new rating system designed to help organizations improve employee health as a business performance strategy.

Among the first 12 employers to receive accreditation: the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (Arlington, VA); ING DIRECT (Minneapolis, MN); The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH); Target Corporation (Minneapolis, MN); and Intel (Santa Clara, CA).

HealthLead provides independent, third-party verification that an employer meets high standards for a culture, environment, policies, benefits and programs that support employee well-being. It is modeled on the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification rating system, and its recent release follows two years of development and pilot testing of a comprehensive set of standards and application and evaluation processes.

Workplace Clinics Are Expanding Focus Beyond Injuries, Preventive Care

A Kaiser Health News report explains the shift in employers' offerings at workplace clinics. On-site workplace clinics used to be primarily focused on patching up people who got injured on the job. Then companies added primary care and started emphasizing preventive screenings and other "wellness" services. Now, some big employers are beefing up their clinic offerings further with a host of add-ons, including physical therapy, dental and vision exams, mental health counseling and even acupuncture and massage.

In 2011, 31 percent of employers with 500 or more workers had on-site clinics, and another 9 percent said they were considering them, according to the annual survey of employer health plans by human resources consultant Mercer.

The new services may not always improve a company's bottom line. But they're a convenient perk for busy employees and can help maintain employee productivity by reducing absences. In addition, in competitive industries such as technology and financial services, such benefits can help retain employees and attract new ones, experts say.

  

Pain Pills Add Cost And Delays To Job Injuries

The New York Times reports that workplace insurers spend an estimated $1.4 billion annually on narcotic painkillers, or opioids. But they are also finding that the medications, if used too early in treatment, too frequently or for too long, can drive up associated disability payouts and medical expenses by delaying an employee’s return to work. Workers who received high doses of opioid painkillers to treat injuries like back strain stayed out of work three times longer than those with similar injuries who took lower doses, a 2008 study of claims by the California Workers Compensation Institute found. When medical care and disability payments are combined, the cost of a workplace injury is nine times higher when a strong narcotic like OxyContin is used than when a narcotic is not used, according to a 2010 analysis by Accident Fund Holdings, an insurer that operates in 18 states. The drugs are widely prescribed to treat common problems like back pain, even though there is little evidence that they provide long-term benefits. Along with causing drowsiness and lethargy, high doses of opioids can lead to addiction, and they can have other serious side effects, including fatal overdoses.  Along with causing drowsiness and lethargy, high doses of opioids can lead to addiction, and they can have other serious side effects, including fatal overdoses.

Employers offer carrots to get workers healthier, while sticks lurk in the background

Companies keep increasing carrots to get workers to lead healthier lives, but some are considering sticks for unhealthy behavior.

For a decade, Baptist Health South Florida has been a leader in urging its 13,000 employees to lead healthier lifestyles — offering such benefits as free 24/7 gyms at work and discounted low-fat meals in the cafeterias.

When it came to choosing the carrot or the stick for promoting wellness and reducing skyrocketing healthcare costs, Baptist has offered the carrot. Many major employers are making similar moves elsewhere in South Florida and around the country. Read the full article...

Comprehensive Workplace Health Programs to Address Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Tobacco Use in the Workplace

The Affordable Care Act’s Prevention and Public Health Fund is supporting a $9 million national initiative to establish and evaluate comprehensive workplace health programs to improve the health of workers and their families. Through a competitive process, two contractors have been chosen to support this initiative. Read on...

Webinar: Overview of the CDC National Healthy Worksite Program

Register Here

Tuesday December 20, 2011

2:00PM-3:00PM EST

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently began a program to engage and recruit 70-100 small, medium, and large businesses and lead them through the process of building a core workplace health program. A webinar will be held on Tuesday December 20, 2011, 2PM-3PM EST to discuss the goals, objectives, and activities involved in the National Healthy Worksite Program. Register at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/703198246.

Wellness programs boosted by incentives

Melissa Van Dyke of the Incentive Research Foundation said the foundation's report found offering incentives increases employee wellness participation by a minimum of 60 percent.

"Incentives also have a long-term impact," Van Dyke said in a statement. Some of the promotional products used in incentive programs range from body mass index calculators and jars filled with almonds instead of candy to wristbands, pedometers and backpacks. Many carrying printed cards with health tips, Van Dyke said. Read the full article...

Affordable Care Act helps improve the health of the American workforce, increase workplace health programs

Awards aim to improve nutrition and physical activity, cut tobacco use among workers
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced awards of approximately $9 million for comprehensive workplace health programs across the nation. The initiative, funded by the Affordable Care Act, aims to help workplaces support healthy lifestyles and reduce risk factors for chronic diseases in order to improve the health of American workers and their families. Read the full release...

Partnership for Prevention: Leading by Example Reports Available

Partnership for Prevention, with support from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), is proud to have developed two new publications: "Leading by Example: The Value of Worksite Health Promotion to Small- and Medium-Sized Employers," which you can dowload it here, and "Leading by Example: Creating Healthy Communities through Corporate Engagement," which you can download here.

Experts: Company wellness programs save money in long term

Snyder's-Lance, based in Hanover, has seen positive results from their wellness program, which began about 14 years ago, said Anne Vallotton, the director of Occupational Medicine and Employee Wellness for the company.

The program sponsors events, from blood pressure screenings to health fairs with early detection screenings, to encourage employees to lead healthier lifestyles, said Vallotton, who spoke at the conference. The company also sponsors an on-site family care clinic, available to all employees and their families.

About 79 percent of Snyder's-Lance employees take advantage of the wellness benefits offered by the company, Vallotton said, which has saved the company "significant" money over time in health care costs and worker's compensation benefits. Read the full article...

VOTE for DFWBGH's Road Trip! program

DFWBGH's Road Trip! program has been selected from over 4,000 possible candidates to participate in a vote-gathering contest, called "Aetna Voices of Health", which honors Martin Luther King, Jr. for his vision of racial equality and the unveiling of his new monument in Washington DC.

Please visit the Aetna Voices of Health website and vote for DFWBGH and Road Trip!
(You can vote 10 times, so use the back arrow to return to the voting page after each of your first 9 votes. Remember: Every vote you cast brings us closer to the grand prize!)

Watch DFWBGH's 3-minute video about Road Trip! and find out more about this innovative worksite employee engagement and empowerment program that's receiving rave reviews from employers who tried it.

My Job Made Me Healthier: 4 Inspiring Stories

According to recent research, such programs around the country save $1.9 trillion in healthcare costs per year. Makes sense, since a large portion of healthcare costs are spent treating preventable conditions.

Here are the inspiring stories of four people who participated in such programs and got healthier on the job. Read on...

Oregon Healthy Worksites Toolkit: Putting wellness over illness

Recently, the state of Oregon unrolled a public-private initiative to help workplaces "flip the switch" -- incentivize their employees to stay well.

Google the Oregon Healthy Worksites Toolkit and you'll find a range of strategies that businesses have embraced to engage their employees. Rejuvenation Hardware, for instance, which has stores in Portland and Seattle, will open its third store soon in Los Angeles; hence Rejuvenation made a gentle game out of metaphorically "walking to Los Angeles."

Employees logged their miles on foot. Some lost weight and others got swept up in the camaraderie of exercising together, realizing how much better they felt when they were more active. Read the full article..

'A healthy work force is a more productive work force'

With help from her employer, Deerfield resident Leah Molay has gone from walking a mile and a half a day to walking about 10 and has lowered her blood pressure and cholesterol and dropped 105 pounds.

She’s among 13,000 — nearly 40 percent — of Allstate employees who signed up for a new walking-focused, technology-driven wellness program that includes competitions with awards.

Free karate and yoga classes; biggest-loser weight reduction contests with prizes, and incentives to encourage employees to go to the doctor are among creative initiatives that have emerged in wellness programs at small and large employers. These programs are expanding and increasingly making use of technology. Read the full article...

Worksite wellness proves to be a cost-effective recruitment, retention tool

The key to great perks is to make them exciting and keep them on-brand. Below, you’ll find how six brands — from small startups to larger companies — reward their employees and maintain happy and efficient workers. While they aren’t all tech or digital companies, they all excel in the digital and social media space, and other startups (and large corporations) could learn a thing or two from them. Read the full article...

Leading by Example

Partnership for Prevention, with support from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), is proud to have developed two new publications: "Leading by Example: The Value of Worksite Health Promotion to Small- and Medium-Sized Employers," which you can dowload it here, and "Leading by Example: Creating Healthy Communities through Corporate Engagement," which you can download here.