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This April, Congress began work on sweeping legislation to revamp the nation's health care system. Two influential U.S. Senators, Ted Kennedy, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus vowed to work together to present legislation overhauling U.S. health care by June and formally launch the reforms in 2009. Also last month, Obama signed an executive order establishing the White House Office of Health Care Reform. This office will coordinate executive departments of the administration’s policy to provide quality, affordable and accessible health care and to slow the growth of health costs. As you are likely aware, Obama’s health care reform agenda includes a focus on prevention as a means to rein in medical care costs. Yet, many companies, impatient to reduce operating expenses, are not waiting for federal legislation to pass to reel in health care costs and improve the productivity of their workforce. According to a recent survey by Watson Wyatt and the National Business Group on Health, companies continue to add wellness and health management programs to promote healthier behaviors among their workers—despite the recession and recent cutbacks in some benefit programs. Employer interest in programs that promote a healthier workforce continues to increase, the survey found. For example, nearly six in 10 companies (58 percent) offer lifestyle improvement programs, up from 43 percent in 2007, while 56 percent offer health coaches compared with 44 percent in 2007. The number of weight management programs is also on the rise, offered by 52 percent of companies, up from 42 percent in 2007. Our client Piedmont Natural Gas is just one example of a company that continues to keep its commitment to employee health in the current environment. And proof that its health management program works is tangible in the form of contained health care costs and improved employee health. Just two years after launching its program, health risk assessment results showed employees achieved significant risk reductions in areas such as blood pressure, cholesterol, nutrition and physical inactivity. Piedmont also achieved another critical milestone: It avoided raising employee and company contributions to medical premiums in 2009. To read details about Piedmont’s comprehensive approach to employee health, download our new issue brief, “The Competitive Edge of Piedmont Natural Gas’ Strong Culture of Health,” available for free at http://www.hfit.com/briefs.cfm. Along with Piedmont, we recognize engaging employees as part of the solution to rising health care costs is something you, too, view “cannot wait” another year. We understand that you require programs that affect your bottom line today—and we’re pleased to partner with you to improve employee health and productivity to meet this critical requirement. Yours in good health,
Inside HealthFitness At the end of March, our Science Advisory Board members met with our Research Development and Outcomes team to share their perspective on emerging market trends and the effect of President Obama’s administration on our business. From these discussions, the board identified increased market interest in several key areas, including:
At the meeting, our Science Advisory Board members said they have seen an uptick in the number of employers that believe health management saves them money—especially during the current economic conditions. In fact, an April 6 Inc. magazine article affirmed this, citing a Buck Consulting survey and resources that said, despite the need to reduce operating costs, workplace health initiatives are one area where CEOs are not willing to make cuts. Looking ahead, HealthFitness will consider how to be proactive with the trends identified by the board. Additionally, HealthFitness will work with our board members to identify collaborative research projects that demonstrate the impact of healthy behaviors on chronic disease. The initial research areas HealthFitness and our Science Advisory Board will investigate involve nutrition and exercise and their effect on diabetes and cardiovascular health. HealthFitness expects to identify specific projects by late May 2009. For additional information on the expertise of our Science Advisory Board members, visit http://www.hfit.com/sboard.asp.
HealthFitness Launches New Employee Health Partnership with State of Nebraska Set to launch July 1, Nebraska’s WellnessOptions program will offer lower premiums and better coverage for certain screenings to eligible employees who complete a confidential health assessment. In subsequent years, state employees and their covered spouses who enroll in the WellnessOptions plan will receive lower insurance premiums when they complete the health assessment as well as participate in basic biometric screenings and coaching/education programs. “HealthFitness is thrilled to partner with the state of Nebraska and help improve the health and well-being of their 17,000 public servants,” said Gregg O. Lehmann, president and CEO, HealthFitness. “We look forward to collaborating with the state and their employees to deliver measurable results with health improvement.” For Nebraska’s WellnessOptions program, HealthFitness will provide health assessments, screenings, an eHealth portal, EMPOWERED™ Health Coaching and programs for condition management. “WellnessOptions will have a strong focus on education and preventive care,” said Carlos Castillo, director of the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services. “Through this program, over time, we hope to slow the increase in health insurance rates for employees and the state.”
HealthFitness’ Ed Framer Contributes to Book on How to Build Healthy, Productive Companies The chapter, “The Assessment of Health and Risk: Tools, Specific Uses and Implementation Processes,” covers information on assessments, measurement and evaluation. The handbook is designed to provide practical ideas, approaches and solutions for implementation as well as examples of best practices and successful programs that will support efforts in creating interventions that improve both workers’ health and business performance. The book is endorsed by the International Association for Worksite Health Promotion, a new ACSM affiliate society, and is available through retailers such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com.
Reinforce Healthy Behaviors with These Low-Cost, Effective Tools With health-related information, newsletters can serve as an awareness-building and educational tool for almost all populations. They provide timely and action-oriented information on health, safety, productivity and other topics. Plus, newsletters not only reach employees; they are often shared with family members and dependents. In partnership with Personal Best, a provider of publications, HealthFitness can integrate targeted newsletters and educational brochures as part of a comprehensive plan to engage employees in healthy behaviors. Examples of available newsletters include:
“Health-focused newsletters are a great way to maintain the visibility of health promotion. Broad topic newsletters can be customized to include front- and/or back-page articles specific to the employer and program. Or, by selecting a specific topic, such as shift work, you can send these newsletters to the home and reach this hard-to-reach group,” Tanja Madsen, director of program development, HealthFitness, said. Additionally, HealthFitness offers more than 100 educational brochures on topics ranging from weight management and stress management to nutrition and workplace productivity. “Educational brochures are ideal for events such as the National Employee Health & Fitness Day, health fairs, and topic-specific events such as a blood pressure screening or a healthy cooking demonstration, where people are interested in the topic and would benefit from a take-away that recipients can then share with their family members,” Madsen added. Many newsletters and brochures are also available in Spanish. For additional information or a complete listing of brochure and newsletter topics by title, contact your program manager.
Best-in-class Practices and Awards Additionally, obese workers cost an estimated $42.29 billion in lost productivity, an excess of $11.70 billion compared to normal-weight workers. To help reduce the impact of obesity on our clients’ health care costs, HealthFitness is committed to delivering innovative programming that improves employee health. Below are just a few examples of how our programming is delivering results:
Let HealthFitness Help Put Your Program in the Spotlight The Health Project, a private-public organization formed to generate attitudinal and behavioral changes in the American health care system, sponsors the awards. The Health Project seeks programs that improve health by reducing health risks, reduce medical care costs, and can definitively document effectiveness at these goals. Program categories (programs may be in more than one) include chronic disease, high risk, innovator/vendor, insurance, integrated systems of care, Web-enabled, productivity enhancing and worksite-based. Visit http://www.sph.emory.edu/healthproject/ for additional information or talk with your program manager. The deadline for applications is May 29, 2009. Industry Insights Highlights of presentations included:
HealthFitness Co-Presents with Eastman Chemical Company on Effective Incentive Strategies at Industry Conference At the conference, Gregg Lehman, Ph.D., HealthFitness president and CEO, and David Sensibaugh, director of Integrated Health, Eastman Chemical Company, co-presented a case study on “Using Incentives to Engage Employees in Health and Productivity Programs.” The session examined the use of a graduated incentive approach to first engage and then maintain participation in employee health and productivity programs. Using a new incentive structure, participation in the health risk assessment increased from 30 percent to 94 percent. To receive the incentive the second year, Eastman Chemical Company employees were required to participate in the health risk assessment plus one or more health improvement programs. This earned a 90 percent participation rate. Learn more about Eastman Chemical Company’s unique incentive structure and culture of health by downloading a free issue brief, “Applying 21st Century Benefit Design: A Culture of Health in Action,” at http://www.hfit.com/briefs.cfm.
Buzz from Recent Research In the study, researchers looked at the diets of more than half a million people, ages 50 to 71, during a 10-year period. Those who ate the highest amount of red meat (62 grams per 1,000 calories or the equivalent of a small steak per day) were found to have a 30 percent higher risk of dying from any cause than those eating the least amount of red meat (about 10 grams per 1,000 calories). Cardiovascular disease and cancer were the two most common causes of death. Red meat included all types of beef and pork, including ham, bacon, steak and hamburgers as well as meats in foods such as pizza and stew. In addition, those eating the largest amounts of processed meat, such as bacon, sausage, cold cuts, ham and hot dogs, also had a higher risk of dying (25 percent higher in women and 16 percent higher in men) than those who consumed the least. The study also found that those who ate the most white meat seemed to have a slightly lower risk of dying compared to those who consumed the least. White meat included chicken, turkey and fish. Researchers estimate that 11 percent of deaths in men and 16 percent of deaths in women during the study could have been prevented by reducing consumption of red and processed meats. Red meat contains important nutrients needed for overall good health, such as protein, iron, zinc, B vitamins and selenium. The key is to eat red meat in moderation (no more than 18 total ounces per week or 2.5 ounces per day), choose lean cuts, and have very little, if any, processed meat.
Sources: Sinha, R. et. al. Meat Intake and Mortality: A Prospective Study of Over Half a Million People.
Arch Intern Med. 2009: 169(6):562-571.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/23/healthmag.red.meat.lifespan/
Where We’ll Be Next
Health & Human Capital Management Series Executive Forum on Rewards and Incentives to Improve Employee Health
AHIP's Institute 2009: Changing Economy, Changing Health Care, Changing Lives |
