Employer wellness programs tend to generate mixed feelings even among their supporters. Employees may welcome them as a way to finally address some long procrastinated health goals, but they may also regard them as paternalistic and some unease about how closely their company is watching them and wonder what they plan to do with their data.
In a discussion at MedCity’s ENGAGE conference this week, a group of panelists from the manager of an employer wellness program at a health system to individuals representing employer wellness vendors offered insights on what employers can do to generate more support for these programs.
Andy Carr the health management services product leader at Oswald Companies emphasized the need for transparency and having a frank conversation about why the company wants to introduce a wellness plan. He observed that smaller companies tend to be better at these conversations than larger ones, where the stereotype is not so much a conversation as a memo with a video message.
With the Rise of AI, What IP Disputes in Healthcare Are Likely to Emerge?
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
One small company Carr worked with — a propeller manufacturer, asked the employees how much time it takes the company to pay for healthcare. It tends to be the second largest expense after salaries. So after salaries, which take five months of the year to cover and healthcare, which takes another four, along with other expenses, there was only one month left to generate profits. “It resonated with employees because it made them understand why we needed to do something to reduce the months spent to cover healthcare expenses, so the company could allocate more time to earn a profit.”
Given the lawsuits filed by the Equal Employee Opportunity Commission, there’s a certain amount of trepidation surrounding the best approach to implement employer wellness programs.
Asked what employers could do to avoid earning the wrath of the media (like Honeywell) let alone their staff, Jim Pshock the founder and CEO of Bravo Wellness answered this way. “If your sole purpose is to figure out how to shift the cost burden to employees, then you should be shamed in the media.”
Pshock added that if it’s done with a tough love approach and where the company is putting skin in the game, that’s a positive. Incentives should also be structured so that it’s not just healthy people who are getting them all the time and the unhealthy people will never get them.
A Personalized Approach to Medication Nonadherence
At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
Financial incentives can help too. Atlantic Health System employees, for instance, were offered $500 if they took part and had a health screening. Although that proved to be a strong motivator for many employees, it was not enough to persuade some people, even staff at the lower end of the salary scale.
