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It’s not easy to break bad habits. It’s tough to go to the gym after an exhausting day of work. It’s hard to quit smoking. And most people don’t make the right choices simply on the basis of information. How many times have you heard that a colleague changed their eating habits because of a serious health diagnosis, or stopped smoking because a child or grandchild asked them to quit? Those are both examples of the strength of personalized interaction—what we at HealthFitness claim as the basis of our “secret sauce”—infusion. Infusion takes our strength in health management and applies it to each client or health plan offering, contributing to a culture of health that isn’t cookie-cutter or one-size-fits-all. We take the best of what we do, but we make it work within the context of who the client is. Then we create a program that is more powerful than if we stood outside and didn’t understand their goals. Infusion then works on an individual level with program participants. It comes into play in the personalization of interaction with individuals engaged in health management activities. At HealthFitness, we bring personalized information about a participant’s health needs to every encounter, whether it’s on the phone during a health advising session, through a personalized risk assessment report, e-based messaging or face-to-face health coaching. We make the interaction personal so we can communicate relevance with each individual encounter. It’s the first step to help the participant in development of his or her own behavior change program. We don’t tell a health plan member or program participant why it’s important to us. We help them understand why it’s important to them. Improving population health in today’s competitive marketplace is a bottom-line issue for employers, who are facing significant challenges with a graying workforce and historically high rates of obesity. Health plans with employer clients also have skin in this game in the promise of prevention and lower claims costs. Chronic health conditions are on the rise, adding to the cost of health care delivery as well as lost productivity through disability claims. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 75 percent of health care costs are attributable to chronic disease; other studies put it closer to 80 percent of all medical spending. The CDC also estimates that half of adult Americans have one or more chronic health conditions. U.S. Department of Labor statistics show that the overall yearly cost of poor health on the workplace is estimated at $1.8 trillion. What can we do to lower costs, improve the health of populations and the health of individuals? Infusion is the answer—empowering the right people, choosing the right processes and leveraging technology to support personalized interaction at every step. To read more about engaging employees in worksite population health programs, I encourage you to download our new issue brief, Infusing Health in Your Sphere of Influence. It is available for free by clicking here.
Inside HealthFitness With 27 new clients added in 2011 representing more than 430,000 covered lives, the 20 percent larger corporate space will support a growing nationwide workforce that now numbers more than 5,000 employees. Growing recognition of the value of health and wellness benefits among employers is a contributing factor for HealthFitness’ growth. Click here to read more. Case New Holland wins Gold Well Workplace Award for results-oriented health management program CNH launched The Picture of Health wellness program in 2008 and it is available to approximately 8,000 U.S. employees in 14 states. Leveraging a wellness champion network of 24 employees across the organization, the program builds employee awareness of the value of better health, engages them in discovering their personal health risks, increases understanding of interventions and inspires action to change. Nearly 90 percent of the employee population has participated in at least one health management activity since the program began in 2008; in 2011, more than 70 percent of eligible employees earned an incentive for completing a three-step health risk awareness assessment and confidential advisement process. HealthFitness return on investment analysis of the program showed CNH saved $2.58 in health claims costs for every $1 spent on the program after two years. The percentage of employees in the high health risk category has declined in each year. Best Practices HealthFitness has 200 on-site program managers, who are experts at knowing how to overcome resistance to change and inspire health among our clients’ populations. Below are just a few examples of how our on-site program associates tailor programs and services to infuse health into the unique cultures of our clients:
Interested in adding an on-site program manager to increase participation and drive behavior change at your company? Contact your HealthFitness regional vice president. Industry Insights In 2011, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) released new exercise guidelines that are consistent with the main tenants of other recent guidelines, published by evidence-based organizations, with a few additional distinctions based on the latest research. The new message from the ACSM guidelines is more positive since the research now supports the fact that you can do less than what is recommended and still get benefits. Your weight may stay the same, but your overall health may improve. So, while there are specific recommendations in the four core areas of fitness (see below) to obtain the best results, participating in activities of daily living are important too. Things like gardening and walking the dog—even just standing up occasionally—are better than sitting in a chair for hours on end. New ACSM exercise recommendations: You may be thinking: Where are the guidelines for older adults? The new recommendations don’t specify by age. Fitness level, regardless of age, is more important to consider. Sources: ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal; Jan/Feb 2012, Volume 16, Number 1. Where We'll Be Next Integrated Benefits Institute/National Business Coalition on Health
Health & Productivity Forum
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