+

Debra Wein, MS, RD, LDN, CWPDPresident and Founder

Making Wellness Successful and Profitable

+Began working in worksite wellness in the early 1990s in NYC.

At WW, we have worked with companies including: Putnam Investments, MIT, Old Mutual Asset Management, Massachusetts Bankers Association, EMC, Brown UniversityRockland Trust, Clifford Chance, Northeastern University, MITRE, Bentley University and many more…

Present strategy, year-round programs, classes, seminars, weight management and disease risk programs, health screenings, branded internet sites, advanced technology solutions, newsletters and many other programs and communications…

My History …

+

That was then. This is now! now

+

According to a joint Harvard Medical and Business School study, how much money does a company save for every dollar spent on worksite wellness?

1.$10

2.$5

3.$0

4.$3

Quiz

+

According to a joint Harvard Medical and Business School study, how much money does a company save for every dollar spent on worksite wellness?

1. $10

2. $5

3. $0

4. $3

Between savings on health care costs and absenteeism costs, for every $1 spent, a company will save over $5.

Quiz – Correct Answer!

+

Heart Disease

…costs employers $_____ per employee per year.

More than…

1. $2,500

2. $5,000

3. $11,500

4. $18,500

Quiz

+

Heart Disease

…costs employers $18,618 per employee per year.

$18,618 =

$5617 for group health

$981 for worker’s comp

$6052 for sick leave

$178 for long term disability

$4845 for short term disability and

$945 for unpaid leave

Quiz – Correct Answer!

+

Diabetes

…costs employers an additional $____ per employee per year.

More than…

1. $2,500

2. $5,000

3. $11,500

4. $18,500

Quiz

+

Diabetes

…costs employers an additional $11,744 per employee per year.

On average, people who have diabetes expend 2.3 times more money on health care than people who do not have diabetes.

Quiz – Correct Answer!

+Wellness at work- A great case!

• Employers, insurers, and health care organizations are looking for ways to increase the level of care while lowering costs

• Captive audience • More than 60% of Americans get their health insurance through their employer

• Americans spend most of their waking hours at work

• Preventive worksite wellness programs have become a great toolo Reduction in health care costs

o More productive workers

• Worksite wellness at large companies is becoming more popularo A 2012 MetLife Survey found that 77 percent of employers with more than 500 employees

offer wellness programs 44 percent of all companies, regardless of size, offer wellness programs.

+

+

+Wellness Programs Today

+Wellness Programs TodayThe Biggest Loser Challenge• Many companies are turning to weight

loss competitions modeled after NBC’s The Biggest Loser to help promote healthier employees

• Only appeals to overweight people• Smokers may be thin, too

• Public weigh-ins• May prevent many from joining

• No educational approach• Many may lose weight by

unhealthy habits – not helpful for long-term weight management

• No focus on other lifestyle habits• Smoking, heart disease, diabetes

other areas may be cost drivers as well

• No focus on proper ways to lose weight

Wellness Challenge• Long-term programs (8-week)

focusing on lifestyle interventions and incentives

• Team-based, motivating and FUN• Strategic, scientifically oriented

programs• Comprehensive focus

o Participants earn points for healthy lifestyle activities, i.e. physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, smoking cessation, age appropriate screenings.

• Easy to administero Web-based tracking and reporting systemo Educational webinars, available 24x7

• Everyone can learn and be successful!o Earn points for maintaining a healthy weight

OR losing at an appropriate rate of weight losso Earn points for not smoking OR joining a

smoking cessation program

+Benefits of Successful Workplace Wellness

“Healthy Employees Cost Less”

• Health Care Savings

• Greater Productivity

• Employee Morale

Source: Harvard Business Review, Dec 2010

+Health Care Savings

Johnson & Johnson established a Wellness Program in 1995, generating savings of $250 million on health care costs over the past decade. From 2002 to 2009 a return of $2.71 was seen for every dollar spent

SAS Workplace Wellness program established a health care center saving $6.6 million in 2009 alone on health care costs.

H-E-B internal analysis shows annual health care claims are $1,500 higher among non-participants than participants with high-risk health status Lowering high and medium-risk employees to low-risk status yields

as estimated ROI of 6 to 1.

Source: Harvard Business Review, Dec 2010

+

+

The truth hurts…

+Current Challenges to Wellness Today Population Management

Engagement On average less than 50% of employees will participate in worksite wellness

programs.

According to an East Carolina University study, some of the most common barriers to participation include: insufficient incentives inconvenient locations time limitations not interested not enough information unmotivated information is not personally relevant

Return on Investment

Best Wellness Practices!

+Tips to meet Today’s Wellness

Challenges… Effective Communication Employees have to be aware of a wellness program’s

existence, when it meets, and the benefits to the employee

Brand your wellness program Company wide emails Letter from CEO introducing program Postcard mailing home – welcome family to wellness,

announce a special program Marketing materials in the office – elevators, kitchen, break

room, etc. Meet with a key group of influencers to increase peer-to-

peer discussions about the program Branded newsletters Branded internet site

+Tips to meet Today’s Wellness

Challenge…

Commitment Employees have to know that their employer has

made a commitment to this program, that it isimportant to the employer at top level management, and that it will become a permanent part of the company culture

The more management gets involved in the program and leads by example, the greater the success of the program

+Tips to Meet Today’s Wellness Challenges Personally Relevant Information Understand what health issues may be most

common for your area and your employees

Overcoming obesity

Seeking to lose/maintain weight

Information on cholesterol or hypertension, diabetes, or overall healthy living

Dealing effectively with stress, work/life balance

+Tips to Meet Today’s Wellness Challenges

Finding the Right Balance Need to combine what your employees

SHOULD focus on, with what they WANT to focus on

Marry the HRA results (top risk factors for employee population) with the Needs and Interest Survey

Strategic combination will ensure participation and cost avoidance

+Tips to meet Today’s Wellness

Challenges…

Convenience Understand the time demands on your

employees to know when they will be available for a wellness program

Lunch, early morning, in lieu of an hour of work

Incentives and Motivation Beyond the desire for a healthier lifestyle, many

employees will need another reason to participate in the program Lowered premiums for their health insurance Extra paid vacation Cash bonus Other perks

+Seven Elements for Success

1. Senior Level Support

2. Background Data

3. Operating Plan

4. Wellness Team

5. Targeted Interventions

6. Culture / The Environment

7. Evaluation

Source: WELCOA

+You Get Out What You Put In

Determine GoalsDo something nice for your employees Increase employee retentionModerate health care costs

+Top Programs to Promote ROI

1.Seat Belts

2.Ergonomics

3.Flu Shots

4.Preventive Screenings

5.Medical Self-Care

+Incentives Drive Participation

0 50 100

Trinkets / T-shirts10-15%

Merchandise15-30%

Cash30-60%

Tied to Premiums80-90%

+Incentives

Which do you want to reward?1. Participation?2. Behavior Change?3. Health Outcomes?

+Incentives

1. Participation1. Biometric screenings, Personal Health

Assessment2. Lectures, webinars, cooking demos

+Incentives

2. Behavior Change1. Behavior Change programs:

a. Wellness challenge, Veto Your Vice, Hypertension, Weight Management, Smoking Cessation

2. Behavior Modifications:a. Increase fruit and vegetable consumption,

increase exercise and daily physical activity, sleep 7 hours or more, well visits with doctor, preventative visits, education

+Incentives

3. Health Outcomes1. Improved BMI, body composition,

weight loss, non-smoker status

2. Decreased risk of chronic diseases:a. Heart disease, obesity, diabetes, depressionb. Improved blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglyceride levelsc. Off medication

+Wellness Program Value on Investment Growing trend to move away from complicated ROI calculations towards

measurements based on VOI—or value on investment.

VOI allows companies to evaluate wellness programs based self-defined outcomes that are important to their organizations and take steps to fulfill them.

Map out your objectives when you start planning your wellness program. What are your goals?

Get a sedentary population moving? Engage a majority of employees in wellness initiatives? Reduce absenteeism? Increase productivity? Keep yearly insurance premiums from rising?

Set goals and use simple methods to track data.

Collect as much data as you can—use it to demonstrate that your wellness program is achieving the objectives that you want to achieve.

+Population Health Risks

High Risk* >5 risks

Moderate 2-4 risks

Low Risk 0-2 risks

*High risk employees consume 60-80% of total health care costs.

12%

52%

36%High Risk

Moderate

Low Risk

+Population Strategies

Motivate the entire employee population!

Population Strategies

LOW risk Keep healthy people healthy

MODERATE risk Help people reduce risks

HIGH risk Help people NOT get worse OR

help them get better

+Visit us at:

www.WellnessWorkdays.com

www.Wellnessworkdays.blogspot.com

Follow @debrawein on twitter

Like us on Facebook

Drop your business card to receive our free wellness newsletter.

Thank you!

+Wellness Care Reform Offers to

Boost Wellness Programs

1. Development of a national health promotion plan

2. Enhanced health promotion research

3. Technical assistance to enhance evaluation of workplace health promotion programs

4. Regular periodic surveys on workplace health program prevalence and components

5. Grants to pay a portion of the cost of comprehensive workplace health promotion programs for small employers

6. Allowing employers to offer employees a premium discount of up to 30%, for positive lifestyle practices or participation in health promotion programs

+Health Care Reforms Impact on

Wellness Wellness incentives increase from 20 to 30 percent of the total

premium. In 2014, employers can offer bigger incentives for employees’

positive lifestyle practices or participation in health promotion programs

Millions of people will have better access to programs that can help them quit smoking, manage stress, lose weight, and improve fitness.

Proving the ROI for worksite wellness programs will get a lot easier.

Regular national surveys on best practices for worksite wellness programs

Vending machines to dispense junk food AND calorie counts