When wellness works

Cleveland Clinic seeks to shift the national focus from providing ‘sick’ care to promoting ‘health’ care – starting with its own employees.

Healthcare spending is projected to reach $4.3 trillion by 2016, equal to 17 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product. This astounding increase in spending is primarily due to the rise in preventable chronic illnesses, including obesity and diabetes. Research has shown that 40 percent of all healthcare expenses in the United States stem from preventable chronic illnesses, which are most often caused by three lifestyle choices: physical inactivity, unhealthy eating habits and tobacco use. One solution that is gaining momentum is to reverse this through employee wellness programs.

Cleveland Clinic, one of the country's leading academic medical centers, is proof that wellness programs work. With 40,000 employees, it is Ohio's second-largest employer - and one of the healthiest. From designating the entire system smoke-free to no longer hiring smokers to banning trans fats and sugar-sweetened beverages from its menus, Cleveland Clinic has consistently sought to shift the national focus of providing ‘sick' care to promoting ‘health' care.

About 70,000 employees and dependents are insured through Cleveland Clinic's Employee Health Plan (EHP) Total Care program. And as part of Cleveland Clinic's commitment to wellness, programs were created to reduce healthcare spending and chronic disease development among employees. These wellness programs include a chronic disease management program, memberships in Cleveland Clinic fitness centers, memberships to Curves facilities and their weight management program, Weight Watchers, a smoking cessation program, and a voluntary premium rebate program called Healthy Choice.

Cleveland Clinic's commitment to employee wellness began in 2005 with a campaign to decrease tobacco use. Since then it has established additional programs to address exercise, nutrition, weight loss and chronic disease management. The chronic disease management programs target 21 chronic disease states, six of which are considered controllable through lifestyle modification - diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, asthma, overweight/obesity and smoking. The goal of the program is to help employees with self-management strategies to improve overall health and promote the best quality of life.

Nearly 20,000 employees have enrolled in at least one EHP-sponsored wellness program. Of these, 6705 employees utilize free gym memberships and 7075 employees have participated in weight management programs since August 2008, losing 110,029 pounds. 10,000 employees are enrolled in the chronic disease management program. 423 employees underwent smoking cessation treatment. In addition, 1086 employees who participated in a financial incentive program and met their respective goals received $100 each in incentive payments.

Helping other employers promote wellness
Employers are the largest source of healthcare coverage as they account for nearly 60 percent of the insured population. They are strongly positioned to share the healthcare model of the future, which should rest largely on disease prevention and reversal with lifestyle changes rather than through invasive medical intervention.

Recently, Cleveland Clinic began to work with other employers who want to evaluate the efficacy of their health and wellness programs. In this role, Cleveland Clinic provides true clinical insight into how companies spend their healthcare dollars and helps redirect those dollars toward programs that are shown to be clinically effective. Specialty areas include tobacco treatment, food strategy, and wellness-based counseling for businesses and employees.

In addition, the Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic can treat patients through its Center for Integrative Medicine and Tobacco Treatment Center, and through specialty programs including Executive Health and Lifestyle 180. Complete, consumer-friendly wellness information is presented through 360-5.com, an interactive Web platform that offers fresh, inspiring and actionable wellness solutions for everyday living.

Cleveland Clinic has shown that with the right information, programs and support, people really can live healthier, longer lives.

Customer: Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute
Industry: Health
Challenge: Proving that chronic disease can be reversed, rather than just managed. Living what they teach.
Solution: Educating employees, businesses, and America on how to make healthier nutrition choices, how to stay active, and offering guidance to quit smoking.
Benefits: As an organization, the Cleveland Clinic has lost 110,000 lbs, walked around the globe 95 times; helped thousands of people quit smoking.

About

Michael F. Roizen, M.D. is a physician, anesthesiologist, international speaker, New York Times best-selling author and entrepreneur. As Chief Wellness Officer at Cleveland Clinic, he is responsible for implementing wide-reaching wellness programs that