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At HealthFitness, our experience shows a direct correlation between participation and ROI. Yet, engaging employees to participate in health management programs is no easy task. In fact, the National Worksite Health Promotion Survey reported that the number one barrier to health promotion program success was lack of interest among employees. To fuel participation, research shows that monetary rewards are more effective at driving healthy behavior than the outcomes (feeling well) that come from the behavior itself. As a result, a growing number of employers are using incentives to engage employees in healthy behaviors and position their company to achieve significant health care savings. For HealthFitness client American Electric Power (AEP), a company with 21,000 employees working at more than 500 worksites across 11 states, this is definitely proving to be the case. HealthFitness partnered with AEP to tailor the type of incentive most appropriate for its population and culture as part of a long-term strategy to meet participation goals. By offering a meaningful incentive, AEP generated a 65 percent participation rate among employees in its health risk assessment during the first year. Typically, we see companies achieve 5 to 20 percent participation with no incentive, up to 40 percent participation with a moderate incentive, between 50 and 85 percent participation with a good incentive, and as much as 95 percent participation with annual premium reductions of between $300 and $600. Read more about AEP’s incentive strategy and successful health management solution by downloading our issue brief, “HealthFitness guides incentives strategy to spark participation in American Electric Power’s health and wellness initiative,” at http://www.hfit.com/briefs.cfm. In our issue brief, you will also learn how incentives play a pivotal role in delivering results through a 21st Century Health Benefit Design—our fundamentally different approach to employee health. Plus, you’ll find out how our 21st Century Benefit Design empowers clients to change habits and manage chronic conditions now, helping them to avoid health care cost increases in the future. For additional information on how our 21st Century Benefit Design can help you achieve positive outcomes today and positive ROI in the future, please do not hesitate to contact your program manager. Yours in good health,
Gregg O. Lehman Inside HealthFitness Mind Your Health topics include:
Watch for details on these seminars in the September issue of HealthWire. HealthFitness’ New HRA Detects Health Risks Among Client’s Global Employee Population To contain these costs, multinational employers can use data collected with HealthFitness’ new INSIGHT® International Health Risk Assessment (HRA) to tailor benefits and health improvement programs to specific cultures, and reduce health care costs among their entire employee population. HealthFitness’ INSIGHT International is a brief, easy-to-complete HRA that is translated and culturally validated by in-country translators. For employees, the HRA raises awareness about health risks and gives personalized feedback about lifestyle changes to improve their health. Data collected from the HRA provides employers with identification of the top six chronic conditions and health risks among employees at domestic and international locations. INSIGHT International:
By the end of 2008, HealthFitness will offer INSIGHT International in 11 languages, which are slated to include: English (U.S.), English (U.K.), Spanish (Puerto Rican, Latin America), Brazilian Portuguese, Canadian French, Swedish, Japanese and German. By the end of 2010, HealthFitness expects to have INSIGHT International available in 33 to 35 languages, including several from Asia and the Pacific Rim. In addition, HealthFitness has developed a global model for service delivery of health promotion, health risk reduction and chronic condition management that can be adapted to the local country and culture. This model includes a consulting component that partners HealthFitness with the employer to develop global strategy; design, implement and provide the supporting services; and measure the outcomes. INSIGHT International is a global extension of INSIGHT, HealthFitness’ established health risk assessment. More than 90,400 client employees have completed an INSIGHT HRA to date in 2008. To learn more about using INSIGHT International with your employee population, contact your program manager. HealthFitness Expands eHealth Content, Providing Five Times More Health Information Online Health Library™ from EBSCO Publishing is URAC-accredited with content written and reviewed by qualified medical experts. It is organized and accessible in a Web-friendly format that is designed to be used the way consumers seek information on the Internet. Content is available in Spanish as well as in English, and is written in layman’s terms so consumers can easily understand it. According to research from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 80 percent of American Internet users have searched for health information topics online. The information now available to HealthFitness clients includes disease fact sheets, information about procedures and tests, magazine-style articles about wellness topics, alternative and natural treatments, a drug database that provides details about prescriptions and a medical dictionary. Illustrations and animations help support understanding of the material, which can be seamlessly integrated into a client’s employee health portal. “Health Library offers tools that HealthFitness clients can use to help employees better understand their health status, and to make conversations with their health care providers more robust when they do seek care,” said Gregg O. Lehman, Ph.D., president and CEO of HealthFitness. “Informed consumers can take steps to improve their own health, and Health Library is a trusted resource they can turn to at any time to get the answers they need.” Industry Insights Results from the survey showed:
The survey analyzed responses from 64 Fortune 500 companies on topics ranging from medical plan costs, employee cost sharing, consumer-directed health care and other plan design issues. NBGH is a nonprofit devoted to representing large employers' perspective on national health policy issues and providing practical solutions to its members' important health care problems. The complete survey report is available to NBGH members at www.businessgrouphealth.org. The Buzz from Recent Research It has been estimated that at least 50 percent of adults 50 and older worldwide have low vitamin D levels. The problem is also thought to affect many younger people. Possible reasons include decreased outdoor activities, air pollution and a decline in the skin's ability to produce vitamin D when exposed to ultraviolet rays as people age. Research has also linked low vitamin D levels with high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, other contributors to heart disease. Higher intakes have been shown to protect against fractures or falls and boost muscle strength. As a result of this mounting evidence, a growing number of experts are now pushing for an increase in the recommended intake of vitamin D. Current guidelines recommend Americans in the 50-plus age bracket to get 400 to 600 international units (IU) of vitamin D; those younger than 50 should get 200 IU. But a growing number of individuals—including experts at the Harvard School of Public Health and the National Osteoporosis Foundation—say that’s not enough, and that 800 IU, or even 1,000, would be better for overall health. Although the current research suggests that more vitamin D is needed, mega doses of vitamin D can be dangerous and skin cancer risks from too much sunshine are well known. It is important for individuals to discuss vitamin D needs with a health care provider, particularly before taking any supplements. Sources: Giovannucci E, Liu Y, Hollis BW, Rimm EB.25-hydroxyvitamin D and risk of myocardial infarction in men: a prospective study.Arch Intern Med. 2008 Jun 9;168(11):1174-80.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18541825?ordinalpos=5&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum New Cholesterol Screening Guidelines for Children Fueled by Obesity Epidemic The AAP now recommends cholesterol screening, with a fasting lipid profile, for high-risk children between ages 2 and 10. High-risk children include those who have a positive family history of lipid abnormalities, premature heart disease or other heart disease risk factors, such as being overweight or obese, hypertension, smoking history, and diabetes. The committee also recommends screening for children whose family history is not known. The AAP also advocates lipid-lowering drug therapy for children 8 years or older who continue to have a high LDL even after making dietary changes and increasing physical activity. These new, more aggressive cholesterol screening and treatment guidelines for children are supported by the increasing rate of childhood obesity in the U.S. and its negative effect on other conditions including cardiovascular disease. HealthFitness’ Research Development and Outcomes team reviewed the literature and has summarized the academy’s recommendations below:
While these new guidelines have created controversy among health professionals, they have also brought to light the importance of starting lifestyle changes early. Parents and caregivers should consult with their pediatrician about what is best for their child’s health. “While HealthFitness’ solutions do not directly work with children under the age of 18, we believe this is an important issue for the families we counsel and provide services to,” HealthFitness Chief Medical Officer Jim Reynolds, M.D., said. “We believe the epidemic of childhood obesity, like adult obesity, is driven by nutritional and physical activity issues that can best be addressed by changing the eating and activity patterns of the entire family.” Source: Daniels SR, Greer FR, and the Committee on Nutrition. Lipid screening and cardiovascular health in childhood. Pediatrics 2008; 122:198-208. Best-in-Class Practices and
Awards Using key steps of a 21st Century Benefit Design, Piedmont generated 80 percent participation in its health risk assessment (HRA) and biometric screening during the first year, surpassing its goal of a 70 percent participation rate. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Piedmont is a gas distribution company with approximately 1,900 active employees. HealthFitness began partnering with Piedmont during spring 2007. Key elements contributing to Piedmont's burgeoning culture of health include: * Leadership support and involvement. Piedmont CEO Tom Skains is visible and participates in the screenings and HRAs, as well as other wellness programming. Additionally, two members of the executive management team are executive sponsors of the wellness initiative and routinely lend their names to projects and programming. * Integrated health-related programs. In just 12 months, Piedmont has integrated its wellness initiative into all corners of the company by offering healthier food options during corporate meetings and events, by instituting a free "Fruit on Fridays" campaign at all of its locations, and by encouraging physical activity through on-site yoga and other programming. Plus, the company has increased programming to include a fitness reimbursement program, a wellness champion network across the company, wellness challenges, and ongoing awareness/education campaigns. Piedmont also added health and wellness to its internal mission statement to reinforce the company's commitment to employee health. * Use of incentives to encourage employees to make the right choices. Piedmont offers meaningful incentives to employees for individual participation and team competitions. For example, employees who complete the health screening and HRA are eligible to receive additional vacation time. In the company's regional contest, the region with the highest percentage participation in both the screening and HRA receive breakfast served by regional executives from the other regions, as well as a small prize. * Long-term commitment. Results from health screenings and HRAs showed that more than 63 percent of Piedmont employees had five-plus risk factors. Reversing this trend will not happen overnight. Piedmont's executive management team and board of directors view employee health as a long-term investment and plan a long-term commitment to its wellness initiative. Since the company's health improvement program launched, it has also been winning fans among its employees, including Jerry Deal in Nashville, who was diagnosed with diabetes at Piedmont's on-site work screening. "I had been to the doctor six or seven months before and he told me everything was good. But then when I was at the screening, the nurse told me I needed to get up and go now to the emergency room. She said my sugar level was at 235," he said. "From that moment, I have changed. I have started exercising. I ride a bicycle a minimum of five miles a day, 20 minutes a day, and since I've started, I've lost 30 pounds." ISP Improves Employee Health by Integrating Health Management with Fitness HealthFitness client International Specialty Products Inc. (ISP) is one such employer. And results from a T1-T2 health risk assessment report comparing 2006 and 2007 already shows a positive effect from the company’s integrated approach. HealthFitness partnered with ISP to open its 4,500-square-foot on-site fitness center in 1998. In January 2006, HealthFitness began integrating health management solutions. In one year, ISP:
Programs offered through its integrated health and fitness management program include group exercise classes, HealthFitness’ Your Weigh…Together weight loss program, health coaching, monthly health education seminars, biometric screenings and health risk assessments. To date, feedback from participants shows ISP’s program is providing a return on the company’s investment. “Through the combination of Your Weigh…Together and wellness seminars, I’ve been able to reduce my weight and maintain it, as well as lower my bad cholesterol and raise the good,” said one employee. Another employee added, “The coaching sessions are great; they have become visits with a good friend. Both my primary doctor and my cardiologist are pleased with what I have available to me here and encourage me to use the program. The program has been a great benefit to me and has been a tremendous help in addressing specific issues and improving my overall health.” To further engage its population in healthy behaviors, ISP began an incentive program in 2008 that allows employees to save $270-$465 on their 2009 medical benefits, depending on their medical plan, when they participate in a health improvement program. ISP is a leading global supplier of specialty chemicals and performance-enhancing products for a wide variety of personal care, pharmaceutical, food, beverage, and industrial applications. News from the Wire To read Lehman’s response to this report, click here. Where We’ll Be Next DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance Health Enhancement Research Organization |
