Healthcare

WELL WELL WELL

Making Healthcare More Accessible

Technology has transformed life as we knew it in many ways, though the change has accelerated with the once-in-a-century health crisis. Telehealth, although not new, is rapidly gaining acceptance. Research conducted by McKinsey found that adoption of telehealth rose by 46% in April of 2020, at a time during the global pandemic when patients’ ability to see their doctors was severely restricted. Even before the pandemic, a 2019 study published by The American Journal of Managed Care revealed that nearly 67% of patients and 59% of clinicians reported no difference in the “overall quality of visits” for virtual vs. in-office care.

What is most encouraging to those of us who work in the industry is that telehealth removes transportation and other barriers, giving more people access to care.

Terros Health patients are excellent examples of this. From their desktop computer to a laptop or a smartphone, they can connect — usually the same day — with a caregiver to tend to their physical or mental health needs, or to join an individual or group counseling session. They can connect from their digital device at home or from a telemedicineequipped room at one of our 17 health centers.

Our team is still seeing patients in person, but many of our patients have told us telehealth makes it easier for them to see a provider and get the quality of treatment they need.

But there is another benefit of telehealth. Using an innovative electronic health record (EHR) platform called NextGen Enterprise with NextGen Virtual Visits, Terros Health is able to integrate medical and behavioral health data into a single system, giving clinicians access to a patient’s complete or whole health record. The results: improved efficiencies and coordination of care, fewer administrative errors and — best of all — improved outcomes for patients.

This is significant, especially considering the rise in the number of patients with mental health conditions, including many who have never visited the doctor for such conditions. —Nathan Lamberth, a licensed professional counselor and integrated site director at Terros Health (www.terroshealth.org), a health care company focused on the whole person, providing primary care and specializing in mental health and substance-use treatment

COVID Has Impacted the Nutrition of Your Employees

Eating right rarely is due to a lack of knowledge. One could argue too much nutrition knowledge pushes people into confusion and furthers the issue of poor nutrition habits.

After having spent 12 years as a registered dietitian in health coaching for medium to large organizations, there’s one thing I know for sure: Most people know what to eat to be healthy; doing it is an entirely different conversation. tors that impact employees’ ability to eat right include long hours or non-standard hours and schedules, inability to manage time, mis-managed priorities, unclear expectations, job satisfaction and fear of job loss. COVID-19 hasn’t changed this problem, it’s only inflamed it.

Furthermore, all these factors contribute to stress. The Grokker 2021 Working American’s State of Stress Report informs us 76% of workers describe themselves as currently “stressed” and 46% of workers describe their stress levels as moderate or higher. It goes on to state 48% of workers report increased consumption of unhealthy foods, 42% of workers report decreased physical activity and 25% report increased use of alcohol or other controlled substances. As health coaches, we are seeing an increase in take-out meals and restaurant meals, missed family meals, eating while working, missed breakfast and prepared entrees.

What can employers do now? Start with and cover the basics.

While most people know what’s healthy and what’s not, not all do. Providing basic nutrition information to employees is a good start. It’s important to keep it simple and make access to it incredibly easy — no more than three clicks on a computer or smart phone away. Organizations that have vending machines or a cafeteria could consider the possibility of adding healthy options. As more in-person meetings begin, start off on the right foot by providing nutritious options. Many companies are starting to adopt farm-to-worksite programs as part of a CSA, Community Supported Agriculture. Participating employees prepay for a season’s worth of produce from local farms and pick up their weekly bag of produce from the CSA truck right outside the workplace. Employers whose employees work from home could encourage them to do the same, keeping healthy food around and stop for “health breaks” such as a walk or lunch.

While this is an excellent start, knowledge rarely translates into implementation. For this reason, I suggest businesses check their insurance resources or hire an external vendor to act as a third-party support for their organization in health coaching with habit and behavior change that addresses the real reasons their employees don’t or can’t eat right. It’s important to be sure this resource focuses on the how instead of the what to eat. Lastly, employers can provide resources that get closer to the root cause of poor nutrition habits that address everyday mental wellbeing, namely stress, anxiety and depression. Thanks to COVID, this conversation is no longer taboo.

The pandemic has blurred many lines. Employers can take positive and meaningful advantage of this time to have the conversation with employees about work and home life balance, stress management, workloads, job satisfaction and other real factors contributing to the health and wellness of their organization. —Maya Nahra, a registered dietitian, diplomate of the American Institute of Stress and founder and president at Nuuaria (nuuaria.com), a wellness company that helps people and companies (which include PING golf and CVS Health) get healthy and stay healthy