Wellness: In Your Company

 A New Perspective On Healthcare

By: Stephanie Ferrell

What is Wellness? It is an approach to healthcare that emphasizes preventing illness. It is simply taking a pro-active approach to one’s health vs a reactive approach.  Studies show that a healthy employee is worth far more than an unhealthy employee in areas such as increased productivity and attendance, loyalty to their company, longer tenure and overall better morale. The economic benefits show reduced absenteeism, reduced on-the-job injuries, lower medical costs/insurance utilization, reduced disability management cost and reduced stress.

What is a Wellness Program? It is a management program to improve employees’ overall health. The goal is to provide incentive for employees to make wiser, health-conscious choices.

There are several types of programs:

• Programs sponsored by health insurance carriers or employee assistance programs (EAP);
• Standalone programs purchased through wellness companies;
• Employer designed and managed programs ranging from simple smoking cessation programs to health clinics.

Many offer online health risk assessments, healthy eating recipes, discount programs, medical encyclopedia, hospital based education classes, chronic disease self management classes, point tracking systems with incentives and online health coaches.

How can Wellness Programs Improve the Health of Employees? Educating, engaging and empowering employees to improve their health and well being is promoting healthy lifestyles. 

Raising awareness helps employees understand that they may be able to eliminate their risk factors for diabetes, high blood pressure or other conditions and illnesses. Weight loss, increased activity and reduction in fatigue, stress or depression may be achieved by simple lifestyle changes that help prevent illness and disease. A successful program engages employees by providing incentives for various types of participation such as reading a wellness article, trying a healthy recipe or walking around the block. It uses a points system to measure participation and distributes the incentives on a pre-set schedule.

Introducing healthcare consumerism for employees to be proactive in assessing and managing their healthcare dollars is another way to improve health of employees.

Email Stephanie Ferrell or call us at KPD’s Employee Benefits Department for more information.