Wellness for Wellness' Sake: A Response to Skeptics Unflattering articles. Negative comments. Withering criticism. If you've been online at all recently, you've probably seen the work of a few (very) vocal wellness detractors. They may be a microscopic minority, but they make up for it in volume and shrillness. I've avoided responding directly to these attacks because, quite frankly, we have more important work to do. We're focused on our clients -- all of whom are dedicated to helping their employees live healthier, happier, and more productive lives. Apparently that's controversial. Dr. Gordon Norman, Chief Medical Officer at xG Health Solutions, posted a thoughtful essay on LinkedIn that I hope you'll read in its entirety. I'd like to highlight a few crucial points: Most employers do not expect instant cost savings. They know that building a culture of health takes time, but they also appreciate the positive impact that wellness can have on productivity and morale in the short term. Asking "Does wellness work?" misses the point. Each population (and wellness program) is unique. Therefore, we must ask what "success" means for this population, with its particular culture and needs. A focus on ROI is shortsighted. We know intuitively that improving employee health and well-being makes good business sense, even if some benefits are difficult to measure in dollars and cents. Kudos to Dr. Norman for saying what many of us have been thinking for a long time. Now back to the work that really matters!
Worldwide Wellness Survey Shows Commitment to Wellness Employee wellness has come a long way since WCS opened its doors in 2004. Over the past decade, we've watched the wellness movement grow from infancy (health fairs and lunch-and-learn seminars) to adolescence (biometric screenings and online portals) to adulthood (branded, highly-incentivized outcomes-based programs). It's been quite a journey. Buck Consultants at Xerox recently released an annual survey of employers that shows the evolution of wellness. When the survey began, in 2007, most wellness programs focused on simple health promotion. Today, most companies are taking a much more data-driven, holistic approach. The good news is that investments in wellness continue to accelerate. Of the 1,000+ employers worldwide who were surveyed: 43% have branded their wellness initiatives 52% use health insurance premium reductions as an incentive 65% believe wellness programs are extremely or very important to attract and retain workers To me, one of the most interesting and encouraging shifts is an increased reliance on data to drive wellness programming. Fifty-two percent of the companies surveyed now measure outcomes. As we've blogged previously, WCS continues to develop innovative technology solutions that help our clients make the most of their wellness data. Much more is coming, so stay tuned!
Wellness Gizmos & Gadgets: New HealthKit App from Apple
As everyone knows by now, Apple fans are swarming to buy the company's latest version of the iPhone: more than 10 million units were sold in the first three days they were available. What you may not have heard is that Apple has also launched a feature for app developers that could be revolutionary for wellness: HealthKit. From the Apple website: HealthKit allows apps that provide health and fitness services to share their data with the new Health app and with each other. A user's health information is stored in a centralized and secure location and the user decides which data should be shared with your app. Imagine recording your heart rate using the Apple Watch, then storing that information for use by all your health apps. Pretty cool! We still need to consider privacy and HIPAA-compliance, of course, but I think this is the wave of the future. Monitoring your health could become as easy texting or checking Facebook, using a device you're already familiar with.
CVS Health Goes Tobacco-Free: #OneGoodReason Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths each year (one of every five deaths), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As you may have heard, CVS Health will soon halt the sale of tobacco products in their stores nationwide. They've also launched a social media campaign (#OneGoodReason), asking the public to share why they've chosen to be tobacco-free. We encourage you to take part.
We've said for years that wellness makes good business sense, and clearly CVS agrees. It's why so many of our clients make tobacco cessation part of their comprehensive wellness programs. So, what is your reason for living tobacco-free?
Hospital Systems in Need of Wellness We came across an interesting white paper recently that focuses on the challenges facing hospital systems when it comes to wellness. You can download it here (PDF). Ironically, hospital employees are less healthy and consume more health care services than average workers. The paper lists ten recommendations for creating a culture of wellness -- tips that could be useful for any organization. I encourage you to take a closer look. WCS has performed biometric screenings for a number of large hospital systems, and I can tell you that their needs are unique. Hospital employees are incredibly busy and work nonstandard shifts, so we have to adjust our screening model accordingly. In some cases, we've set up mobile screening units that our staff take from floor to floor, screening as they go. Flexibility is key. You might ask why a hospital system even needs a screening vendor. After all, it's a hospital!
Wellness Incentives: A National Soda Tax? A few weeks ago, Mark Bittman penned an op-ed in the New York Times about a possible national tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. Realistically, the bill has little chance of passing, but Bittman argues that it's necessary to curb sugar consumption. People simply need a financial incentive to make better choices.
We talk a lot about incentives in the wellness world, and for good reason. They're essential. Especially in the first year of a comprehensive wellness program, it's important to offer an incentive that will motivate employees to participate. Your strategy can change over time, moving from tangible incentives (cash, gift cards, etc.), to premium discounts, to outcomes-based incentives that are tied to insurance premiums. As Bittman points out, requiring calorie counts on restaurant menus was considered far-fetched just a few years ago. Now it's commonplace. So who knows? Maybe a national tax on sugar isn't as unlikely as it seems.
Sobering Facts about Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes The CDC just released its 2014 National Diabetes Statistics Report (PDF), and the results are alarming: 29.1 million Americans have diabetes, and 8.1 million of those are undiagnosed. It really reinforces the need for biometric screenings at the workplace. For many people, it's the only screening they have all year -- and the cost of untreated diabetes can be staggering. The CDC created two excellent infographics (on diabetes and pre-diabetes) that you should definitely check out. You can view full-size versions them here and here.
Cutting-Edge Data Management Technology As a biometric screening vendor, WCS is responsible for managing a staggering amount of highly-sensitive data. Our clients and partners rightfully expect the highest degree of accuracy and data security, all within short turnaround times. Here are just a few of the ways we deliver:
Our screeners use tablet devices to transmit data to the WCS database in real time, over a secure connection. That means faster, more accurate data feeds and aggregate reporting. It's also free! Paper forms are processed using Intelligent Character Recognition technology (ICR), then reviewed for accuracy by a data manager. The technology is so accurate, it's scary. Physician forms and off-site vouchers can now be downloaded in electronic format with eligibility information pre-populated. Forms also contain a unique bar code. When participants return these forms to WCS, you can be sure that the data will be matched to the correct participant. The Health Informatics team has many other new developments in the pipeline, so stay tuned for more updates over the coming months!
A Health Coaching Success Story In a recent WCS blog post, we listed six fundamental principles that guide our health coaching program. We're especially proud of our health coaches because they are exclusively registered dietitians -- something that sets WCS apart in the world of wellness. Our RDs possess a perfect blend of clinical knowledge and coaching experience, and they are making a difference in people's lives every day. Let me share a brief example: A few weeks ago, an employee (I'll call her Melissa) wrote to tell us how profoundly her health coach had helped her. When Melissa began working with her coach almost a year ago, she discovered that her body did not tolerate gluten well. Eliminating gluten from her diet was a challenge, but her coach offered suggestions and additional resources to help. Now that Melissa is officially gluten-free, she reports feeling dramatically better.
In addition to thanking Melissa's health coach, I would also like to thank her employer. Like so many organizations today, they understand that helping someone like Melissa feel better is not just a good deed;; it is an investment in their most valuable asset: their employees.
Bringing Wellness to a Diverse Population: Case Study Last fall, WCS was delighted to begin working with a multinational hospitality company with a workforce of more than 130,000 in 90 countries. They came to WCS with a common dilemma: how to bring wellness to a diverse population. Fortunately, our program management team has worked with employee groups of all shapes and sizes, from traditional corporate settings to manufacturing and everything in between. We knew we could engage employees with customized programming and a flexible, hands-on approach. We started by launching a pilot wellness program for 11 hotel locations. More than 7,000 employees were eligible to participate. The pilot program focused on three goals: ● Evaluate each location's commitment to wellness ● Re-energize the existing network of wellness champions ● Develop exciting wellness initiatives that would engage the population First, the WCS program management team developed a custom Wellness Enrichment Survey to be completed by each location. Questions covered a wide range of topics, from the physical environment and opportunities for employees to move at work to the company's tobacco policy. The results of this survey were critical because they allowed us to evaluate each location's current capacity for wellness. Although the company had an existing network of wellness champions (employees who are committed to the company's wellness program), they needed support. WCS visited site locations and helped champions select "wellness squads": 3-10 employees to recommend programming options and spearhead new wellness initiatives.
The wellness squads felt that competitive wellness challenges would be a hit, so WCS went to work. Given the diverse population, communications were made available in a variety of formats (email blasts, printed posters and flyers on-site, etc.). We developed a unique communication strategy that introduced the wellness program, explained program components, and advertised the challenge far in advance. Because WCS is its own biometric screening vendor, we enhanced the challenge kick-off event by offering confidential body composition screenings. This was a perfect way to start the challenge because it gave employees much-needed motivation and helped them understand their current health status. Although the wellness challenge is still ongoing, participation rates have been high. We're extremely hopeful that this pilot program will soon expand to other locations, so stay tuned!
Employees Who Smoke Cost $278 Billion a Year Everyone knows that smoking is outrageously bad for your health. But it's also bad for employers, according to a recent survey by Gallup: Smokers miss 2.5 more workdays than their non-smoking counterparts, at a cost of approximately $341 per workday missed. Smoke breaks cost the equivalent of nine missed workdays annually. Healthcare for smokers costs approximately $2,056 more than for non-smokers. Gallup controlled for a number of factors that can correlate with poor health -- age, gender, income, region of the country, and more. So we can be reasonably certain that smoking is the culprit.
The Affordable Care Act allows employers to adjust health insurance premiums by as much as 50% for smokers. Some employers are even refusing to hire smokers altogether. I think the best approach is somewhere in between. Kicking the habit isn't easy, but as an employer, you can help. We recommend offering a variety of smoking cessation options, a robust incentive -- and an attitude of support.
3 Ways to Simplify Biometric Screenings Since today's theme is simplification, I'll get straight to the point: three ways to simplify biometric screenings: Stick with fingerstick screenings. This is your best option for two reasons. First, it's less invasive than a full blood draw, requiring only a few drops of blood. (Your needle-phobic employees will thank you.) Second, participants receive their results within minutes, allowing for crucial on-site health education. Advertise off-site screening options. Your screening vendor should help you plan for employees who can't attend the on-site screening. It's important for everyone to know their numbers, even if they work remotely. Use the latest technology. Ask your screening vendor how data is collected at screening events. Our screeners use tablet devices to transmit data in real time -- it's faster, more accurate, and more secure. If your vendor is still using pencil and paper, ask a few tough questions. How do they ensure accuracy? How quickly can they upload data to a third party?