Posts from — November 2008

Wellness Competitions Are Popping Up Everywhere

Wellness Competitions are definitely hot right now and they are encouraging more and more people to get healthy and live better. Whether it is a city or a school or a social group or even a whole state, competitive spirits are being ignited by the challenge to be the healthiest team. The Wellness Competitions are usually about a six months to a year in length and they are made up of several teams, these teams all get points for physical activity, selecting healthy foods, and just making better life and health choices overall.

The best part about Wellness Competitions is even though there really is only way “real” winner; everyone that participates in the challenge is a life winner.

Wellness Competitions provides incentive to Get Healthy

Establishing a Wellness Competitions in your office is a great way to get employees to participate in your established Corporate Health Promotion Program. Have employees form teams and receive points for everything from attending a company Health and Wellness Fair to getting a health risk assessment to beginning an physical activity regimen. At the end of the year, the teams will win prizes based on the number of points they have accumulated.

Wellness Competitions Enhance Corporate Health

Not only will Wellness Competitions improve the health of your employees, it will improve the overall health of the corporation by offering benefits such as fewer injuries, worker’s comp claims, decreased health care costs, better employee attendance, and better company morale.

Like we said earlier, everyone is a winner in a Wellness Competitions!

The 61st annual World Health Assembly is taking place this week in Geneva, Switzerland and at this assembly; the World Health Organization (WHO) is presenting its report titled “Preventing Non-communicable Diseases (NCD) in the Workplace through Diet and Physical Activity.”

The report calls for Corporate Health Promotion Programs to be promoted and implemented worldwide.

Importance of Corporate Health Promotion Programs

The report notes that Non-Communicable Disease related deaths have surpassed transferable disease related deaths and have become the leading global killers. Examples of Non-Communicable Disease’s are heart disease, diabetes and stroke. In 2005, 60% of worldwide projected deaths were caused by non-communicable diseases. They are predicting that this health trend will continue through at least 2030.

Diet, caloric intake, lack of physical activity and tobacco use are the major risk factors in the cause of Non-Communicable Disease’s. Now more than ever, the understanding of the importance of health and wellness is crucial.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs are Effective Tools

The report notes that Corporate Health Promotion Programs are found to be effective in improving health-related risk factors, such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The report also notes that Corporate Health Promotion Programs will improve the health of employees, improve the company image, improve employee morale, reduce employee absences and sick leave, increase employee productivity, and reduce company health care expenses.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs Monitoring

Finally, the report mentions that to have a successful Corporate Health Promotion Program, monitoring and evaluation through Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals and health outcomes are essential and should be included in the Wellness Program implementation. The evaluations ensure that the Wellness Program developed meets the proper needs of the employees. Workers should be reevaluated on an on-going basis to make sure the Wellness Program is still working, or to see if there are any adjustments that need to be made.

Wellness Program ROI: Fact or Fiction?

Corporate Health Promotion Programs … do they provide a strong return on investment? This is a question that we are sure goes through ever corporation’s mind. HR Magazine addresses the Wellness Program ROI topic in their June 2008 issue.

Wellness Program ROI: The Bottom Line

According to the article, titled “Finding Wellness’ Return on Investment,” determining Wellness Program ROI is not an easy thing to do for businesses because it involves a lot of different variables and time.

However, the corporations that have taken the time to determine the Wellness Program ROI of their Corporate Health Promotion Programs have found that it is quite significant. Not to mention, the Wellness program’s effect on the improvement of employee health and the slowing of the rate of their employee health care expenses.

Wellness Program ROI Alliance

Wellness Program ROI is such an important aspect of today’s company culture, that several large corporations have come together to form the Alliance for Wellness ROI, Inc. According to the HR Magazine article, The Alliance for Wellness ROI was specifically created to address the lack of consistency in proving the value of Corporate Health Promotion Programs.

The alliance, formed by Henry Ford Health Systems, BMW of North America, Kraft Foods Global, MasterCard Worldwide and Schlumberger Limited, strongly believes in showing the value of Corporate Health Promotion Programs and want to develop a standard for how Corporate Health Promotion Programs are measured.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs Components

According the alliance, the following components should make up an company-provided employee Corporate Health Promotion Program:

Employee assistance Program
Disease Management Program
Fitness and physical activity Programs
Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals
On-Site health care Programs
Personal wellness profiles
Preventive Health Screening and Biometric Testings and immunizations
Tobacco-cessation Programs
Phone based Corporate Health Promotion Programs
Weight Management / Loss Programs
Self-Care Programs.

Wellness During the Summer

Wellness is important all year long; however if your employees haven’t gotten on the Wellness bandwagon, then now is the perfect time to get them there.

Summer is an ideal season to get back into shape and improve overall Wellness.  The weather is beautiful, employees can get outside and they are motivated by the thought of having to wear clothes with less coverage.  Fitness, or lack of physical fitness, is apparent in the summer.

Wellness in the Summer has Advantages

There are many advantages to beginning a Wellness Program in the Summer.  Employees are more likely to get outside and walk or participate in group activities during the summer than they are in the cooler months of the fall and winter.  The summer months are also a great time to begin a Wellness challenge with your employees and celebrate the completion of the challenge with a member picnic or cookout.  Finally, it always seems easier to eat healthy during the summer with all the fresh vegetables and fruits that are available during this time.

Wellness Program Kick-off

We recommend following these steps when starting a Wellness Program in your office.

Pick a wellness coordinator for the Wellness Program who is willing and able to see it through.
Ensure that you have the support of company leadership.
Formulate a Wellness committee
Use a Wellness Program survey to uncover the obstacles and goals of your Wellness Program
Provide Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals
Analyze the Wellness Program and changes as needed
Remember to stress that the Wellness Program is for the workers.  Corporate Health Promotion Programs have been found to prevent obesity, cancer, heart disease and hypertension.  taking part in in a Wellness Program that provides all that should be an easy decision for the corporation and for the employees.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs and Health Care Costs

Corporate Health Promotion Programs are more important now than ever.  According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, with the troubles in the economy it seems that the costs of organization offered health care keep continuing to grow and it doesn’t seem like it is going to change.  The article notes that during the year 2008, U.S. corporations can expect to see an increase of 10% in health care costs.

This increase in health care costs is causing some small corporations to reduce their employee health benefits or get rid of them altogether.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs for Healthier Lifestyles

Corporate Health Promotion Programs do provide an option for small corporations.  The corporations can provide discounted co-pays and deductibles to those employees that fully participate in the provided Corporate Health Promotion Program.  Full participation means getting health screens, receiving a health risk assessment, and then working with their wellness coordinator to work towards a healthier lifestyle.

The healthier the employees, the reduce the overall health care costs for the corporation.  Just one lengthy hospital stay can almost deplete a small business’ health care budget.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs and Your Bottom Line

Corporate Health Promotion Programs provide many advantages to a corporation’s bottom-line. Wellness Program Statistics from Prudential Insurance show a benefit expense of $312 per individual enrolled in a Wellness Program compared to an expense of $574 per employee that wasn’t enrolled.  Coors Brewing Company showed a positive side-effect of member absenteeism dropping by 18%, thus greater production and less health care costs overall.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs are an excellent investment, at least according to Lincoln industries in Nebraska.  CNN reported on this 565 employee business their committed investment in their employee’s wellness.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs are part of business Culture

The Corporate Health Promotion Programs, according the story, has been in place for 16 years at Lincoln, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.  The business has three full-time employees dedicated to the Wellness Program and the wellness of the employees, who receive workplace massages and a round of instructor-led stretching before they start their shifts.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs Assessed

According to CNN, one of the stipulations of the Corporate Health Promotion Program, which employees are not required to participate in, is that they receive quarterly checkups where assessments are completed on their weight, amount of body fat and flexibility.  Based on these health assessments, the employees are then ranked from platinum all the way down to “non-medal”.  To become platinum level, where you receive a business-paid climbing trip, you must achieve certain physical fitness levels and be a non-smoker.  Smoking cessation classes are part of the Corporate Health Promotion Program.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs Bring a Big Savings

The Wellness Program has been a wise investment for Lincoln Industries.  By having healthier employees, they have seen an average of $2 million in savings in health care costs per year.  The savings don’t stop there, since instituting a Corporate Health Promotion Program, workers’ compensation claims have gone from $500,000 per year down to less than $10,000 per year.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs Are Becoming Increasingly Popular

Corporate Health Promotion Programs are Are Becoming Increasingly popular outside the workplace, showing the ever-increasing importance of disease prevention and health risk management.  Private insurance businesses, as well as state Medicaid and Medicare offices are working on ways to improve the health of the people they insure in hopes to save money in the long run.  They are finding that mini-Workplace Corporate Health Promotion Programs are definitely the way to go.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs Help with Early Intervention

According to an article that appeared in The Indianapolis Star, corporations, insurers and government agencies are turning to “early intervention to change the behavior of those struggling with common but dangerous health conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, heart failure and coronary heart disease.”

The strategies that they incorporated to improve their beneficiaries’ wellness postcard reminders for different lab tests or check-ups; and possibly even phone calls from nurses to work with the patients to make sure that they are taking their medicines properly and following the lifestyle changes that were suggested by their health care provider.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs Provide Quality Benefits

There are more benefits to a Wellness Program than just the savings that an organization or a state agency will see; there is the benefit to the actually patient.  The patient is going to get the motivation and the incentive to get better or to manage their health and their health risks by having to answer to someone, whether that someone is a full-time wellness employee at their business or a nurse affiliated with their insurance business.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs are proven to increase productivity and decrease health care costs.  For a business, that makes a difference in the bottom-line. Today, more than 81 percent of America’s businesses with 50 or more employees have some form of Wellness Program with the most popular being exercise, tobaccos cessation classes, back care programs, and stress management. The majority of corporations offer Corporate Health Promotion Programs simply because they think the benefit is worth the cost. Yet business leaders continue to ask themselves how to control huge annual increases in medical insurance premiums and health care costs.

For many corporations, health costs can consume 50% of company profits or more. Some employer’s look to cost sharing, cost shifting, managed care plans, risk rating, and cash-based rebates or incentives and rewards. But these methods merely shift costs. Only Corporate Health Promotion Programs stand out as the long-term answer for keeping employees well in the first place.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs are an example of health care reform that works. Results from America’s finest corporations, summarized here, are reason enough to consider offering Corporate Health Promotion Programs.  This investment in your most important asset - your employees - can have a positive impact on your bottom-line.

Wellness Program Statistics:

Providence Everett Medical Center, a member of the Wellness Councils of America, in Everett, Washington, saved an estimated 3 million or a cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 3.8 over 9 years of an outcomes-based Corporate Health Promotion Program. By offering financial incentives and rewards ($250 - $325) to employees who meet specific organizational and employee health initiatives the Wellness Program continues to meet cost containment expectations in the area of health care use, sick time, injuries, while improving health habits and self-care practices.

During the first 4 years of the Wellness Program there was a 28 percent average reduction in health care utilization compared to nine other Providence hospitals that were used as a control group.

Du Pont saw that every dollar invested in their Wellness Program saved $1.42 over two years in lower rates of absenteeism costs at Du Pont Co. (Well workplace Gold in Delaware). Absences from illness unrelated to the job among 45,000 blue-collar staff members dropped 14 percent at 41 industrial sites where the Wellness Program was offered, compared with a 5.8 percent decline at 19 sites where it was not.

The Travelers Corporation claims a $3.40 return for every dollar invested Corporate Health Promotion Programs, yielding total company savings of $146 million in benefits costs. Sick leave was lowered 19 percent during the four-year research study. In addition to improving the overall health of 36,000 employees and retirees by reducing poor health habits and increasing good ones, The Travelers realized cost savings by decreasing the number of unnecessary visits to a doctor and emergency rooms. In a similar but smaller research study, members of a Travelers fitness center Wellness Program were absent from work significantly fewer days than non-members.

The Wellness Program at Reynolds Electrical & Engineering Company, based in Las Vegas, cost $76.24 per employee during the two years it has been in operation. Over 50% of the 1,600 employees participated in the Corporate Health Promotion Program. Participants significantly lowered cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and weight and experienced 21 percent lower lifestyle-related claim costs than non-member. Resulting savings: $127.89 per member in the Wellness Program with a benefit to cost ratio of 1.68 to 1.

Superior Coffee and Foods, a Bensenville, Illinois-based subsidiary of Sara Lee Corporation, attributes impressive results to the success of the corporation’s complete Corporate Health Promotion Program. Superior showed 22 percent fewer admissions to a hospital, 29 percent shorter hospital stays, and 42 percent lower expenses per admission when comparing costs for this division’s 1,200 employees with costs for other divisions. Long-term disability costs were down by 40 percent.

With health costs per employee at $6,000, nearly twice the national average, Union Pacific Railroad introduced their Wellness Program to its 28,000 employees, mostly union and blue collar, in 19 Western and Southern states. Beginning with a modest health self-care initiative at an annual cost of $50 per person, the Wellness Program achieved a net savings of $1.26 million. In addition, a voluntary Wellness Program to help employees decrease health risks projected a cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 1.57 after one year. Workers in a treatment group decreaseed their risk of high blood pressure (45 percent) and high cholesterol (34 percent); others moved out of the at-risk range for weight problems (30 percent); and 21 percent stopped using tobacco.

Average health costs of high-risk Steelcase employees- those whose lifestyles include two to four health risks such as smoking, little exercise, overweight- are 75 percent higher than those of low-risk employees. But high-risk employees at this Grand Rapids, Michigan-furniture manufacturing corporation who enhanced their health habits through the company’s Wellness Program and became low risk cut their average health claims in half thus lowering their health insurance costs by an average of $618 per year. If all high-risk employees (20 percent of the total employee population) in one location changed their lifestyles to become low risk, the projected savings could total $20 million over three years.

Workers at Berk-Tec, a small manufacturing corporation in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, learned self-care techniques and decreaseed their corporation’s health care costs in one year. By using a self-care guide, the 938 employees and their family members made smart health decisions and saved $21.67 per employee and dependent a nearly 18 percent reduction in costs. By combining reductions in doctor visits and emergency room use, the business saved $39.06 per employee a 24.3 percent decrease in costs over the previous year.

A health claims-based research study of 72,000 people insured through 285 Wisconsin school districts found a lower demand for health services among those with access to Corporate Health Promotion Programs and self-care programs. Reductions in health services results in savings for the Wisconsin Education Insurance Group of as much as $4.75 for each $1 spent, higher savings were found in the group receiving access to a 24-hour phone-based nurse advice line, a self-care reference book, and health education materials.

CIGNA’s Healthy Babies prenatal Wellness Program delivered an average savings of $5,000 per birth by offering expectant mothers with educational materials and rewarding early and regular prenatal care. And 80 percent of participants had normal births without complications compared with 50 percent for non-member.

With savings estimated to be as high as $8 million, the California Public Workers’ Retirement System sent its 55,000 retirees a health rist assessment followed, in some cases, with individualized reports and letters and self-care materials to encourage change and help reduce health risks among retirees and at the same time reduce the health care claim costs. In another research study, Bank of America retirees in California who chose the full Wellness Program and demand reduction program showed a decrease in total direct and indirect costs of 11 percent compared with an increase of 6.3 percent for those who completed only a simple health questionnaire.

With lower health care claims, health costs decreased 16 percent for employees in the City of Mesa (Arizona) who participated in the complete Corporate Health Promotion Program. The city realized a return of $3.60 for every dollar invested in the wellnss program for the city employees.

To prevent back injuries among its employees, a county in California targeted white- and blue-collar staff members, offered classes and fitness training. As a result, there was a significant increase in employee morale, lowered worker’s comp claims, health costs and sick days related to back injuries producing a net cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 1.79.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs: Benefits

Corporate Health Promotion Programs provide Long-Term Benefits

Corporate Health Promotion Programs, according to an article in Crain’s Detroit Business, come in two choices:  Corporate Health Promotion Programs or Medical Insurance products that aim to reduce costs if healthy habits are followed.  Both options are a good choice, but only one will really provide long-term medical benefits for your employees and reduce costs over the years.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs provide Help

Insurance-based products provide employees the opportunity, according to the article by Jay Green, to save money on their premiums if they follow certain steps, including performing an online health assessment, visiting their doctor, and agree to adopt a healthy lifestyle.  These plans usually involve one coach call to the employee during the first 90 days.  We wonder if these brief wellness encounters will actually change a individual’s lifestyle.

It is the overall change in a individual’s lifestyle, as well as disease prevention that will lead to reduce health costs in the future.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs provide convenient Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals and health screening for things like diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure.  As the article notes, these have initial start-up costs, but the savings accrue over time and employees are more likely to stay active in an worksite employee Health Promotion Program.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs Get Results

Finally, the article notes that businesses with an effective Wellness Program can expect to see “500 percent reduce absenteeism, 400 percent fewer disability claims, and 350 percent reduce health care costs.”  These are numbers that are very hard to argue with.

Businesses are no longer able to trim extra savings out of their medical insurance programs, and the majority of corporations have been cost shifting, asking employees to cover more of their health care costs. Health insurance costs continue to climb (10 percent or more per year) at 2-3 times the general inflation rate. With nowhere else to turn, corporations are – more than ever – looking to get employees engaged in Corporate Health Promotion Programs as a means of slowing health care costs and improving productivity.

For example, last year 53 percent of large corporations offered Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals for their staff, up from 35 percent just two years earlier, according to a Mercer survey. Change is being driven by cost, but Corporate Health Promotion Programs a win-win solution for both corporations and employees.

Here are other Wellness Program trends organizations are implementing:

More corporations are integrating Corporate Health Promotion Programs into their benefits plans. If they want the best plans or the lowest personal costs, they need to participate in the Wellness Program and meeting minimum goals.

More corporations are offering worksite weight loss programs as a component of the Corporate Health Promotion Program, especially after Duke University’s new research showing the high cost of overweight employees and increased cost for worker’s compensation for sedentary and overweight employees.

Businesses are offering more Corporate Health Promotion Programs designed to assist employees with chronic health conditions: health coaches, nurse advice lines, telephone counseling, and self-study guides

Businesses are offering more internet-based Wellness Program interventions and health information resources

More corporations are offering regular worksite employee health screenings including cholesterol, glucose, A1c, blood pressure, weigh-ins, and other checks as a component of their Corporate Health Promotion Program. Some Corporate Health Promotion Programs even include bone-density checks and skin cancer screenings.

Many corporations are offering fitness programs, either in the community or worksite, as a component of their Corporate Health Promotion Program.

Corporations are offering more rewards, prizes and incentives getting engaged in Wellness Program activities

Some corporations are adding emphasis to health maintenance. It’s one thing to lose weight or stop smoking; it’s another to maintain these changes. Helping employees stay engaged and maintain their health changes is important for long-term success.

Businesses are putting more emphasis on keeping healthy people healthy rather than just working primarily with high-risk individuals. Research shows this approach results in a greater Wellness Program return on investment.

Wellness corporations are offering great resources for corporations’ employees over the Internet – online wellness centers, monthly health and wellness newsetters, wellness challenges, internet-based points tracking systems, virtual fitness programs, internet-based wellness coaching or interventions, interactive health calculators, healthy recipes, even downloadable health tips for your iPod.

Businesses who are becoming more proactive are making a big impact on their future health care expenses and productivity. Ohio State University announced that they expect to save $30 million dollars with their complete Wellness Program over the next 5 years!

Corporate Health Promotion Programs and prevention are sound ideas whose time has come. Health Promotion is more fun and less expensive than treating disease.

References: TIME in partnership with CNN, “Businesses Help Workers Lose Weight.” Website accessed July 2007.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs begin and end with individual health. Individuals, after all, are able to make decisions about maintaining and / or improving their health and wellbeing. Employee Corporate Health Promotion Programs must therefore provide the tools and resources necessary to assist and motivate individuals to actively participate in the program.

Individual health is only one component of establishing employee Corporate Health Promotion Programs. Below you’ll find some things to assist you in your efforts to create a healthy atmosphere for you and your coworkers.

Encouraging Your Employer to Begin an Wellness Program

This is the first step in establishing a Corporate Health Promotion Program. In recent times more and more corporations are establishing to see the value of promoting and supporting the health of their employees. Partnership for Prevention, a nonprofit organization, has released a sourcebook called “Healthy Workforce 2010″ (http://www.wellnessproposals.com/pdfs/tool_kits/healthy_workforce_2010.pdf). This sourcebook is an excellent resource containing information on:
•    Benefits of Corporate Health Promotion Programs
•    Suggestions on where to begin
•    Tools like surveys and evaluation forms

These resources are for both corporations and employees to guide the development and determine the effectiveness of their new Corporate Health Promotion Program. Offer it to your employer as a place to begin or read it yourself and present your ideas.

Taking Part in Corporate Health Promotion Programs

Once you have an employee Wellness Program established, participating fully in all aspects of the program is important. Many of us know that we need to more actively engage in Corporate Health Promotion Programs to improve our health, yet have difficulty finding and taking the time to do so. These simple steps can jumpstart your participation in an employee Corporate Health Promotion Program:
•    Review the offerings that interest you and that you need for health  improvement.
•    Schedule time to go to the presentation or service.
•    Actively following through with recommendations from the program.
•    Make a decision now to improve your health. You will feel better today and tomorrow and the next day for actively moving towards wellness.

Here is a list of potential Corporate Health Promotion Programs that might be available to you at work:
•    ergonomic evaluations and training classes
•    lactation rooms and classes
•    prenatal education program
•    quiet rooms for relaxation
•    stress management programs
•    onsite fitness centers
•    massage therapy
•    nutritional information
•    worksite primary health care services
•    child care facility or resources and referral service
•    smoking cessation programs parenting classes
•    Senior care resource and referral service
•    cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose screening programs
•    flu shots
•    weight management and / or weight loss programs
•    health care consumerism programs
•    employee assistance program
•    wellness coach / health coach programs
•    mobile mammography

More information to follow in my next posting about Employee Corporate Health Promotion Programs