All of us at the Independence Health Well-Being Center want to extend a very warm welcome to all of our Clarion, Butler, and Westmoreland area coworkers to the Independence Health Wellness program. It has been a long journey, but we have been able to combine three successful wellness programs from each entity to form our 2024 Independence Health Wellness program available to all employees! Not only do you have the opportunity to take advantage of all the wellness programs and activities, but you also get the opportunity to save a substantial amount of money with the wellness incentive premium reduction every year with medical coverage! We are so happy to continue to offer the highest quality of wellness programming to all new and existing employees in the Independence Health family!
Our Well-Being Center has been dedicated to the health and wellness of our employees since 2006. Since that time, we have evolved the employee wellness program in areas to assist in Nutrition, Exercise, Stress, Holistic Health, Resilience, and much more! We have earned multiple national awards in wellness including 2021 Best and Brightest Elite in Wellness and 2021 Healthiest Employer in Western Pennsylvania and in the 2021 top 100 Healthiest Employers in the United States! All of our concentration, dedication, and focus is on helping our employees and their family access wellness resources for little or no cost PLUS save a nice chunk of change on medical coverage premiums! Now we have had the advantage of taking success from each of the wellness programs from Butler, Clarion, and Westmoreland to form a unique employee wellness program. This year’s wellness program will offer opportunities to focus on your health and wellbeing, improving on your healthy lifestyle, and ultimately decrease the stresses that we all have endured over the past year. Wellness is not just an idea we teach as healthcare professionals, but a lifestyle we all can follow in our jobs, homes, families, and lives.
As we approach a new milestone with the merging of wellness in all of Independence Health System we at the Well-Being Center and the Wellness Team want you all to know that we are here for you, we are here to help you, and we are here to guide you to become a healthier and happier employee in mind, body, and spirit. Welcome all to the new 2024 Independence Health System Wellness Program!
Patrick C. Martin, MS, Manager Exercise Physiologist Well-Being Center
Participation in the 2024 Wellness program is very simple and open to all Independence Health employees regardless of their insurance coverage. We encourage all employees to participate in the annual wellness program for several reasons including:
l Free to participate
l Annual wellness/biometric screening and health results tracking
l Multiple wellness education programs and topics
l Incentive/Reduction available if needing to opt in to medical coverage unexpectedly l Did we mention it is free to all employees?
And for those covered under the health system’s medical plan, there is a premium reduction with the completion of each wellness year reflected in the annual open enrollment of benefits. By completing the wellness program, participants will save an average of $600/year or over $20/pay. Completing the 200-point wellness goal annually is all that is needed to qualify. It is that simple!
The Wellness platform is available October 5, 2023 – September 30, 2024. Every program year runs from October through the following September. Completion of the wellness year results in the premium reduction reflected in the benefit package available at Open Enrollment in November. New hires and those needing medical coverage due to qualifying “change of life” events will follow a shorter deadline for the initial year as stated in Benefits guidelines, https://dcc.independence.health/Library/?dlid=572.
To be eligible for the wellness incentive/premium reduction employees simply need to complete a 200-point requirement in the wellness platform. We have more than 60 wellness badges, each worth a different point value. For example, completing a biometric screening earns 75 points. If you achieve a B+ or better on your OVERALL biometric screening grade, you receive an additional 100 points putting you so close to the 200-point goal!
Is your spouse covered under the Independence Health System medical plan? If so, then they will also need to complete a 200-point program for both of you to qualify. REMEMBER, both the employee and spouse must complete the annual 200-point wellness program. If only one completes the program, both are considered INCOMPLETE.
Participants also earn badges of varying point values in other areas, such as:
l Wellness and Preventative Exams
l Annual Gender Specific Exams
l Annual Vaccinations
l Specialist Follow-up
l Dietary Consultation
l Exercise
l Stress Management
l Participation in Lifestyle Coaching Programs
l Tobacco Free
l Financial Wellness
Many of the badges will be automatically awarded to you based upon medical claims data we receive for anyone covered under Independence Health System. Other badges can be claimed with the participation of Independence Health sponsored wellness programs. The Well-Being Center staff serves as administrators of the Motivation Alliance Wellness Platform and are able to assist in all aspects of the wellness program, platform and badges.
Where can I find the Motivation Alliance Platform?
Motivation Alliance is a public secure site that can be accessed through any device with internet access. Link to the site has been provided below:
https://independencehealthsmartchoice.motivationalliance.com/
Additionally, you can download the Motivation Alliance app using any Android or Apple devices AND we have uploaded this app on all Independence Health System devices. Scan QR code to the right for easy access to download the app. Make sure to add the URL, “https://independencehealthsmartchoice.motivationalliance.com/” when prompted once you’ve downloaded the app.
The Independence Health Motivation Alliance Wellness Platform will officially open to all on October 5, 2023. For all of those currently enrolled in the Motivation Alliance Platform (Westmoreland area) you will continue to see your account open and available to start. All accounts will be created and active in Motivation Alliance platform by 10/31/2023.
For all of those new to the Motivation Alliance Platform (Butler and Clarion area) you can create an account using your NEW employee ID number and following the instructions provided (Instructions will be provided). For those currently enrolled in Medical Coverage an account will be created for you by 11/1/2023. You will simply need to activate this account with:
Login: Employee ID Number
Password: DOB (mmddyyyy)
As always you can refer to the login instructions provided.
With the merger of the Independence Health System we made significant effort to provide multiple opportunities to receive an annual biometric screening with many options available.
Butler area employees will have a weekly opportunity to schedule a biometric screening appointment. With the help of Employee Health, we are able to have weekly biometric screening appointments available for all interested. Registration for appointments will be available through SignUpGenius for all of the 2024 Wellness year. Additional dates and events will be provided with the Well-Being Center staff onsite throughout the wellness year. All dates, times and appointments will be available to schedule through SignUpGenius.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48A8AF2BAAFEC61-independence1
Clarion area employees will continue to have the opportunity to receive a biometric screening beginning in January 2024 with the Clarion wellness team. All dates, times, and appointments will be available to schedule through SignUpGenius.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48A8AF2BAAFEC61-independence2
Westmoreland area employees will continue to have multiple screening opportunities with the Well-Being Center staff based on similar scheduling as in previous wellness years. Scheduling will also be available through SignUpGenius beginning in November 2023.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48A8AF2BAAFEC61-independence
When does the Wellness year begin and end?
The Wellness year is October 5 to September 30. New hires/new enrollees hold a different deadline for their first year depending upon when they were hired/enrolled. REMEMBER if you AND your spouse are covered under medical then BOTH must complete Wellness program each year.
We highly encourage all of our employees to participate in the FREE biometric screening every wellness year. Not only can our screenings give you a health “snapshot”, but you also have the possibility to earn more than 200 wellness points! The earlier in the wellness year you complete a screening the more points you earn. REMEMBER the deadline to receive an onsite biometric screening is August 31!
We have so many options available to you to complete a screening and earn wellness badges/points even if you do not make it to our WBC biometric screenings. We offer options such as Physician Derived Results (must be within current wellness year October to September) or schedule an appointment at our WBC Mountain View location before August 31 screening deadline. Go to the Employee Wellness/Well-Being intranet page for more options and to download Physician Derived Results form or simply give us a call at 724-830-8568 for more info.
How do I register for a biometric screening?
All appointments can be scheduled through SignUpGenius by scanning the appropriate QR code provided below. Simply find the location, date, and time desired. If available click “Sign Up” then click “Submit and Sign up”. Enter all requested info including name and email and click “Sign Up Now” and that’s it you are all set!
Will my badges from medical claims be uploaded to my wellness right away?
Unfortunately, we must rely on the insurance companies and medical claims can take up to two months to be reported. If any concerns with medical claims data timeline, please reach out to us wellbeingcenter@excelahealth.org.
How do I sign up for Independence Health System wellness programs including Lifestyle Coaching, group exercise, Employee Wellness Gym membership, personal Training, or NU-U, Nutrition counseling, MoveSpring, etc? Almost all of our classes and education offer both onsite and virtual options for everyone in the Independence Health System! Go to the Well-Being Center Intranet page or email us at wellbeingcenter@excelahealth.org. For our Employee Wellness Gym membership and personal training options follow the link to our website and fill out the form to get started or contact us at wellbeingcenter@excelahealth.org.
Why are some classes or programs only offered at certain sites (Westmoreland, Butler, or Clarion)?
We want to make sure that all employees of the Independence Health System have the opportunity to take advantage of all wellness programs by offering virtual options from the Well-Being staff from the Westmoreland area, Healthy Lifestyle Programs from the Butler and Clarion areas, and exercise, nutrition, and stress from all three locations! While we may be geographically separated, that doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of all the benefits the wellness program has to offer! Many options are available to you regardless of where you are located.
