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To maintain a competitive edge in the global marketplace, companies need solutions that dramatically reduce health care claims, costs and absenteeism. And in light of current economic conditions, the need for solutions that positively affect the bottom line has never been greater. But as the incidence of chronic illness continues to climb, organizations can count on a future of increasing health care costs among employees unless they are willing to adopt a fundamentally different approach to employee health. At HealthFitness, we call this approach a 21st Century Benefit Design. To successfully create a culture of health through a 21st Century Benefit Design, bridging all employee health-related programs with consistent data collection plus meaningful and actionable output is critical. The typical company’s health-related programs include health benefit management, workers’ compensation, long-term disability, safety and occupational health and others—and these departments are likely housed in separate departments throughout the company. Unless data from these programs is integrated, however, it’s impossible to obtain a complete picture of what a company is spending on health care and the return it’s receiving on its investment. Integrated data also show employers which programs produce the best and most quantifiable results, both in lowering health care costs and boosting productivity. For example, when FPL Group (FPL), a Florida energy company with more than 15,000 employees working in 33 states, integrated its employee benefits, the company saw a reduction in lifestyle-related health care claims that equals a 3:1 return on investment. Through our partnership with FPL, the company has also been able to keep health care cost increases in the single digits, when most companies saw much higher rates. Visit http://www.hfit.com/briefs.cfm and download HealthFitness’ issue brief, “Integrated Health Benefit Design Powers Florida Utility Company’s Workforce” to learn more. I then encourage you to contact your program manager to discuss how our integrated health benefit design can help you deliver the results your company seeks. Yours in good health,
Gregg O. Lehman Inside HealthFitness One of our board members is William Haskell, a professor of medicine (active emeritus) in the Center for Prevention Research and the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, School of Medicine at Stanford University. He has been a member of the Stanford University faculty for the past 35 years, with primary interests in the prevention of chronic diseases, especially cardiovascular disease. Haskell is a fellow in the American Heart Association, the American Association of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and the American College of Sports Medicine. He has served on numerous national and international panels responsible for developing guidelines for physical activity and health, preventive cardiology and health promotion. During 2007-08 he has been chairman of the DHHS Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee that is providing the scientific rational for the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans–2008 to be released in October 2008. A copy of the scientific report and other information about development of the guidelines can be obtained at http://www.health.gov/PAguidelines/. He is the author or co-author of more than 350 scientific articles, reviews, and chapters and books in the areas of preventive cardiology, cardiac rehabilitation, health promotion, and physical activity/performance. Haskell also was a 2007 recipient of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Honor Award, which is given annually to an individual who has made a major contribution to the advancement and promotion of the science of physical activity, in addition to being an advocate of the PCPFS' mission. Visit http://www.hfit.com/sboard.asp to learn more about members of our Science Advisory Board. Industry Insights Key topics discussed at the conference were: · The need for bipartisan, public/private partnerships to drive health care transformation. In a general session titled, “Decision 2008: The Politics of Health Care,” Dan Bartlett, former counselor to the President of the United States, and Terry McAuliffe, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and chairman of Hillary Clinton for President, both pointed to public/private partnerships as the solution to health care reform. “We need collaboration if we ever want to develop universal care,” McAuliffe said. · The growing use of technology to determine health care decisions. Forrester Research revealed survey data that shows 56 percent of consumers said they research health topics online. Additionally, consumers are increasingly interacting with one another to learn more about procedures and typical costs through Web-based communities such as Patientslikeme.com and Trusera.com. ·
Growing
demand among employers to focus on prevention. Robert Jaqmin,
M.D., principal at Hewitt Associates, shared results from a 2008
Hewitt study on employer wellness programs, based on 5,000 companies
and 30,000 employees.
According to the survey, “keeping employees healthy” ranked
number two on the top list of priorities of employers in 2008. Last
year this objective did not make the top five. ml:namespace
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/> America’s Health Insurance Plans is a national association that represents nearly 1,300 member companies providing health insurance coverage to more than 200 million Americans. Visit www.ahip.org for more information. Survey
Reveals New Trends with Incentives for Health
Management Major U.S. employers using incentives to promote health management programs rose from 62 percent to 71 percent between 2007 and 2008, according to a report released in late June. The survey also found that gift cards are the most popular incentive employers offer this year, with premium discounts and cash incentives following closely behind. This is the second year the ERISA Industry Committee, the National Association of Manufacturers and IncentOne Inc. conducted the survey. Responses revealed a wide range in the value of incentives offered for a host of different programs. For instance, incentives for weight management programs ranged from $5 to $500, and for smoking cessation programs from a low of $5 to a high of $600. The average value of incentives per person per year ranged between $100 and $300, with an overall average of $192 per person per year. The survey of 225 major U.S. companies employing 7.6 million employees also researched employer expectations for ROI for health management programs, and found that 83 percent of those who have measured are seeing program returns of better than break-even. The percentage of employers who have successfully measured ROI for their health and wellness programs almost doubled since last year, but still remains less than 30 percent. Read the full report at http://www.incentone.com/files/2008-SurveyResults.pdf. How
to Effectively Motivate Healthy Lifestyle Changes Among
Employees This is a key question that Liz Boehm, principal analyst at Forrester Research, addressed during her presentation, “Truth about Health Care Consumerism: What It Takes to Change Health Behavior,” at a half-day executive seminar in Minneapolis hosted by Silverlink, a provider of health care communications. Her answer: awareness, perspective and psychology. Lack of awareness. According to Boehm, many consumers lack an awareness of the options available to them, as well as lack a level of self-awareness of their actions. For example, she cited Forrester's survey data that showed only about 8 percent of U.S. consumers are aware that their own noncompliance with prescribed medications is an issue. Another Forrester survey showed that 65 percent of U.S. adults have never heard of, or have heard but are not familiar with, health plan or employer-sponsored health coaching or advice. This survey also showed that 57 percent of U.S. adults have never heard of, or have heard but are not familiar with, a workplace-based wellness incentive program. Perception. Boehm said that while health is a universal need, it’s not a universal want—at least when people compare it with wanting to do activities such as watch TV, drink alcohol and eat high-fat foods. Many consumers, she added, view wellness as a tradeoff between something concretely good for something abstractly good. Psychology. Boehm cited research that showed people feel the pain of loss more acutely than the joy of gain. For example, she said, for many people the pain of loss from not eating a favorite unhealthy food is greater than their joy of gaining health. To more effectively engage consumers in healthier choices, Boehm recommended that employers use customized solutions, tailored to consumers’ readiness to change, lifestyle preferences and capabilities, and confidence. She also highlighted the need for incentives, which help make the abstract benefits of health more near-term and concrete. Additionally, she said employers must make healthier choices convenient—to eliminate as many barriers to success as possible. For more information on Liz Boehm and her recent findings, visit
www.forrester.com. Forrester Research is an independent technology
and market research company. The Buzz from Recent Research Experts believe the more brain cells a person generates the better off he/she will be in later life as he/she combats the age-related cognitive decline that many people experience. One way to do this is through neurobics—a term for engaging different parts of the brain to do familiar tasks. Examples of neurobic activities include: · Brush teeth, style hair or dial the phone with the nondominant hand. · Take a different route to work. · Walk the dog in a different area. · Set up a chess board at the office so anybody can assess the game and make a move anonymously. · Take in the colors, smells and tastes of a farmer's market. · Close your eyes and identify what's on your dinner plate by smell, taste and touch. The more people mentally stimulate and challenge their brain, the more new nerve pathways they form. In addition to neurobics, other ways to invigorate the brain include: · Playing a musical instrument · Learning and practicing a new language · Playing games like chess, bridge and Stratego · Receive adequate sleep · Exercise regularly · Reduce stress; stress keeps nerve cells from growing New
Guideline Calls for Patients with Hypertension to Home Monitor Blood
Pressure This guideline especially includes those with diabetes, coronary heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and those who don’t continue treatment consistently, or whose blood pressure goes up as soon as they see a medical person in a white lab coat (white-coat hypertension). The medical groups claim that regular use of home monitoring will not only improve the control of high blood pressure but will improve the quality and cost of delivering care to the 72 million people with hypertension. Close monitoring of high blood pressure is important because hypertension increases a person's risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney failure. Home monitoring can encourage patients to get involved in their own care. Home monitoring can also help distinguish between white-coat and sustained hypertension by providing an average blood pressure measurement over time. The groups caution, however, that patients should use only monitors that have been validated for accuracy and reliability according to standard international testing protocols. Some devices currently on the market don't meet these standards, so patients should check to make sure their device meets specifications outlined by professional agencies. Source: http://hyper.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/HYPERTENSIONAHA.107.189011v1 Best-in-Class Practices and
Awards The HealthFitness team at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing site in Georgetown, Ky., is delivering just that. The HealthFitness team at Toyota ended fiscal year 2007 ahead of budget in both top-line revenue and bottom-line profitability for the company’s on-site fitness management services, making 2007 a record-breaking year. In recognition of the team’s ability to maintain/reduce operating costs year over year for the last five-plus years, and reduce the company’s subsidy for the program by more than 25 percent, Toyota selected HealthFitness as a nominee and finalist for its prestigious Annual Purchasing Policy Award last year. In addition, the HealthFitness team has substantially increased membership and recreation participation, and partnered with employees to help them improve their health by losing weight, reducing their risk for high blood pressure, and increasing physical activity through programs such as Your Weigh…Together, HealthFitness’ group weight management program. Toyota selected HealthFitness to plan, design and manage its 40,000-square-foot fitness facility in Georgetown in 1992. HealthFitness provides fitness management and health improvement programs to the site’s 6,000-plus eligible population. Gannett’s Weight
Loss Challenge Featured in Fitness
Management As part of the challenge, participants either registered in teams of three or four, or as individuals who were later placed on a team after the close of registration. Everyone received pre- and post-assessments consisting of height and weight, body fat, body mass index, waist and hip and blood pressure measurements, and they were asked to visit Health/Works weekly to record their weight. During the five weeks, 56 participants lost a total of 243 pounds, with an average weight loss of 4.3 pounds. The challenge was also good for the facility. The number of visits by employees to Health/Works during the challenge increased from 3,095 to 3,667 (an 18 percent increase). Using a results calculator tool, the HealthFitness-designed challenge provided a potential health care cost avoidance of $7,007 for Gannett employees. The McLean, Va., site of Gannett selected HealthFitness as its partner for fitness management in 1987. In 2004, Gannett launched a nationwide wellness program through HealthFitness, which includes an eHealth platform, telephonic coaching, stress management and smoking cessation programs. Duke Medicine’s
Long-Term Commitment Delivers Improved Health, Significant
Savings Key practices contributing to Duke’s success include integration of programs from several vendors, promoting healthy eating and exercise through on-site fitness programs and a campus farmer’s market, and aggressively addressing population health risks through targeted programs. Learn more by downloading the issue brief, “Laurels Abound, But No Rest for Duke: Health Promotion Pioneer Pushes Ahead to Create Healthier Environment.” In the issue brief, Duke’s Vice President for Human Resources H. Clint Davidson Jr. details the evolution that Duke’s health management program has undergone since its start as a general wellness initiative in 1988. The issue brief is available free of charge at http://www.hfit.com/briefs.cfm. Five HealthFitness
Clients Win American Heart Association Fit Friendly Company
Award Awarded annually, platinum-level recognition is given to companies that offer employees physical activity support, increase healthy eating options at work and promote a wellness culture, as well as demonstrate at least one behavior change, achieve at least one cost savings outcome and achieve a positive return on investment. Visit www.americanheart.org/fitfriendly for more information. Where We’ll Be Next |
