Wellness works

Tom Beauregard explains how wellness programs can play a meaningful role in health reform and help lower costs.

“Wellness initiatives should be structured such that employees are inclined to assume responsibility for their personal health and wellbeing. In some cases incentives may not be necessary”
-Tom Beauregard

Escalating healthcare costs are outpacing inflation at an alarming rate. Obesity and diabetes trends in the US and a related lack of patient awareness and engagement will continue to fuel cost increases and ultimately bankrupt our healthcare system. More than a third of Americans are obese and nearly 57 million individuals are pre-diabetic. The cost of care for these conditions represents a significant financial burden to individuals, families, and businesses.

To curb long-term medical costs, a growing number of organizations have begun to adopt wellness programs. In 2008, 77 percent of employers offered some form of a health and wellness program to their employees. The wellness strategy spectrum is broad but the common objective is to encourage personal recognition of health risks and personal responsibility for behavior to improve an individual's health status and reduce long-term expenses.

Wellness programs come in many forms from simple models that offer health assessments, biometric screening opportunities and wellness benefits to more advanced models that bifurcate populations based on health status and personal behavior and offer financial incentives for following evidence-based care standards and clinical outcomes.

Health reform legislation currently under consideration by Congress recognizes the potential benefits of active investment in wellness and takes steps to promote advanced wellness initiatives. Both the Senate and House bills provide grants to employers for the establishment and adoption of wellness programs. Likewise, both bills create community task forces that would identify and disseminate evidence-based recommendations on the use of clinical and community prevention services. Once implemented, this legislation would improve the delivery of preventive healthcare and secure greater participation from Americans nationwide. Healthcare consumers have already demonstrated widespread support for wellness initiatives - among those employed full or part time, 82 percent report feeling positive about employer-sponsored wellness programs.

In designing an effective wellness program, employers must carefully consider the program's target population and incentives. Program creators should determine who benefits most from a wellness initiative, whether that be all eligible individuals or high-cost populations, those with the greatest immediate returns.

Additionally, wellness initiatives should be structured such that employees are inclined to assume responsibility for their personal health and wellbeing. In some cases incentives may not be necessary; in others they may be part of a yearly plan, or included as an outside reward. It's important to note that successful wellness programs do not yield instant gratification. It takes time to change behavior. Implementation requires as much thought, planning and strategy as any other organizational initiative. To that end, UnitedHealth Group has identified a series of best practices that help organizations build, expand and grow a successful wellness program.

Firstly, it is important to assess your population and design plans that cater to its specific health risks, status and readiness to change. Next, it is necessary to secure leadership commitment, support and participation for the program and visibly invest in wellness initiatives at the highest level of an organization.

Building a program that focuses on behavior change across the healthcare continuum will allow you to engage all participants in behavior change, regardless of health status. You should also leverage data to proactively identify health risks and personalize programs. This data can be used for analysis to develop personalized action plans that address all factors that influence behavior.

It is also necessary to develop compelling communications and incentives and to create incentives that are appropriate and effective. Furthermore it is important to create a culture of health in which health and wellbeing are promoted through a variety of channels; use health portals to keep members engaged and aware. Finally, you need to openly track and evaluate results and progress in order to motivate participants.

Wellness programs are a critical component of a modernized healthcare system. These programs manage costs while helping employees live healthier, happier lives. Over time, expanding offerings and incentives will give way to a workplace culture of true wellness.

Tom Beauregard is an Executive Vice President of UnitedHealth Group and the Executive Director of the UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform & Modernization.

Prior to UnitedHealth Group, Beauregard was the National Practice Leader for Hewitt Associates. He has over 20 years of healthcare leadership experience and is one of the industry's leading experts on the forefront of dramatic change.