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Establishing an Effective Wellness Program

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Worksite Wellness Establishing an Effective Wellness Program

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Is this the shape of things to come?

Topics to discuss

• Why have an employer-sponsored “wellness program”

• Worksite Wellness Trends

• Federal laws affecting Wellness programs (HIPAA)

• Wellness Program

• COST……

What top 3 factors influenced your decision to implement a workplace wellness program?

Source: Zywave 2011 Wellness Benefits Survey. © 2011 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.

Definition of Workplace Wellness

Workplace wellness programs are long-term strategies for reducing benefit costs through sustained

improvements in workforce health.

This may include:

•Education classes•Subsidized use of fitness facilities•Internal policies that promote healthy behavior•Other activities, policies or environmental changes that affect the health of employees

What is a worksite wellness program

Benefits of a Wellness Program

• Lower health plan utilization, which in turn lowers health benefit costs and increases bottom line

• Improved employee health

• Improved productivity as healthy employees tend to perform better

• Reduction in sick leave absenteeism

• Improved reputation as a company who cares about their employees – aids in recruiting and community perception

• Improved employee morale and stronger employee retention

Changing Employer Perspectives on Wellness

Employee Wellness is….

• Not an expense, but an investment

• Not just a benefit program, but a new mindset

• Not just an initiative(fad), but a way of life

– As with quality, an effort to review risks early and intervene to prevent ill health rather than waiting to “fix it after the fact”

– As with learning, a belief that healthy lifestyle skills can be taught

– As with culture, an integral part of the way our organization thinks and acts

Health Care Facts: Lifestyle Choices

• Unhealthy employee behaviors cost U.S. employers an average of $670 per employee each year. Obesity accounts for about $400 of those costs.*

• Alcohol and drug abuse costs the American economy $193 billion per year in lost productivity, health care expenditures and crime.**

• Tobacco use costs employers billions of dollars each year in medical care, workers’ compensation, disability benefits and lost productivity.

* Source: Society for Human Resource Management** Source: The National Drug Intelligence Center

Wellness Programs-A legal Perspective

1. Define the ProgramExamples:

– Disease Management -Fitness Center reimbursement– Wellness Fairs -Weight loss programs– Health Education Classes -Health risk assessments– Health Screenings -Tobacco cessation– Preventive care -Flu shots

2. Determine which laws apply to each

3. Take any necessary compliance steps

Which Federal laws affect wellness programs

• Affordable Care Act of 2010

• HIPAA

• COBRA

• ADAAA

• Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act(GINA)

• Age Discrimination in Employment Act

• EEOC

EEOC-The Fork in the Road

• EEOC guidance states that a wellness program is “voluntary” as long as the employer neither requires participation nor penalizes employees who do not participate.

• Title II of GINA prohibits employers and other covered entities from requesting, requiring, or purchasing genetic information, subject to six limited exceptions– Example: Employees who voluntarily disclose a family medical history of

diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure on a health risk assessment that meets the requirements and employees who have a current diagnosis of one or more of these conditions are offered $150 to participate in a wellness program designed to encourage weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. This does not violate Title II of GINA.

Which Laws Apply

• Is the wellness program related to your health plan, or does it provide medical care itself(HIPAA, ERISA, and COBRA)?

• Does the program involve any genetic information (GINA)

• Always consider the tax consequences(IRS)

• Always consider the program’s impact on disables individuals(ADA)

“Voluntary”

• What is the difference when an employer considers a worksite wellness program?

The HIPAA Applicability TestNon-HIPAA Programs HIPAA Programs

Participatory-based Achievement-based

Examples are programs that: Examples are programs that:

Provide incentives for completing an

HRA regardless of results Offer different coinsurance rates, co-pays or deductibles for smokers

vs. non-smokers

Reimburse fitness center dues Offer premium discounts based on an employee’s acceptable body mass index

Encourage preventive care by waiving

co-payments or deductibles Offer discounts based on maintaining low cholesterol levels as checked by annual health risk assessments

Reward employees for attending monthly

health-education webinars

Provide free on-site flu shots

Provide fresh fruit in the workplace

Common Wellness Programs-Which Laws Apply and How

• Fitness Center reimbursements

• Tobacco cessation programs

• Health risk assessments

• Weight watchers programs at work

Fitness Center Reimbursements

I am Thor Company reimburses monthly fitness center dues up to $50 for any

employee who turns in a receipt showing payment of his/her monthly

fitness center dues

Fitness Center Reimbursements

Fitness Center Reimbursements (Cont.)

Fitness Center Reimbursements (cont.)

Compliance Steps

Smoking(Tobacco) Cessation

Smoking(Tobacco) Cessation

Compliance Steps

Health Risk Assessments

I am Thor Company offers a voluntary health risk assessments to all of its employees. Employees do not need to complete a health risk assessment in order to participate in I am Thor’s health plan. However, employees who complete the HRA will receive a $25 gift card

Health Risk Assessments (cont.)

Health Risk Assessments (cont.)

Creating a Workplace Wellness Program

Worksite Wellness Trends

The most common Wellness Programs include:

• Onsite flu shots

• General health and safety communications for employees

• Weight management programs

• Health fairs

• Health risk assessments

• Smoking cessation programs

However, it is important to learn about your employee group and develop programs that address their particular goals, risks and needs.

Workplace Wellness Program Implementation Timeline

Get Management Buy-In

-Workplace Wellness: An Employer’s Guide to Promoting Wellness at the Workplace

-Workplace Wellness: Gain Senior Management Support for Wellness Programs

-Workplace Wellness: Why Promote Wellness?

-Worksite Wellness – Small Steps to Healthier Employees Presentation

-Workplace Wellness: Potential Legal Issues Associated with Workplace Wellness Plans

Senior leadership should communicate company’s commitment to employee health:

-Workplace Wellness: Introduction to Wellness Program Email

Form a Team-Workplace Wellness: Creating a Successful Wellness Team

-Workplace Wellness: Breathing Energy into a Wellness Team

Analyze Data to Determine Focus

-Workplace Wellness: Employee Needs and Interest Survey

-Workplace Wellness: Health Risk Appraisals

-Workplace Wellness: Wellness Environment Assessment

-Workplace Wellness: Assessment Checklist

-Workplace Wellness: Sourcing Data to Enhance Your Wellness Program

-Workplace Wellness: GINA and its Impact on Wellness Programs

Develop Your Plan-Workplace Wellness: Focusing Your Efforts

-Workplace Wellness: Using Incentives in Wellness Programs

-Workplace Wellness: Action Plan

-Wellness Program Work Plan

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4

Workplace Wellness Program Implementation Timeline

STEP 5 STEP 6 STEP 7

Decide on Programs-Health Newsletter: Monthly Live Well, Work Well Newsletter

-Target specific physical conditions with LWWW flyers

-Workplace Wellness: Low-Cost Resources for Small Businesses

-Workplace Wellness: Low-Cost Activities That Work

-Workplace Wellness: Low-Cost Activities to Promote Weight Loss

-Posters: Hand Hygiene, An Apple A Day Poster

-Programs: Designing the Healthy Vending Machine, Designing a Stay Well Stairwell Program

Support Programs-Workplace Wellness: Tobacco-Free Workplace Policy

-Workplace Wellness: Maintaining Motivation and Interest

-Workplace Wellness: Keeping Your Healthy Employees Healthy

-Supportive Practices and Supportive Benefits

-Live Well, Work Well monthly newsletter

Evaluate Results-Workplace Wellness: Evaluation

-Workplace Wellness: Sample Evaluation Tool & Measures

-Workplace Wellness: Calculating Your ROI

Creating a Workplace Wellness Program

Gain Upper Management SupportManagement must understand the benefits of the program for both

the employees and the organization, and be willing to put funds towards its development, implementation and evaluation.

To capture senior-level support:

• Link health promotion to business goals, values and strategic priorities.

• Discuss the specific benefits to the company as employees become healthier (health care costs will decline, productivity will improve, etc.).

• Engage mid-level management to participate to show that the program is for everyone.

Creating a Workplace Wellness Program

Create a Wellness TeamYour team should be individuals who will have a role in program

development, implementation and evaluation.

Role of a wellness team:

• Help to garner “buy-in” from both management and participants.

• Develop a program that is responsive to the needs of all potential participants.

• Responsible for overseeing all of the company’s wellness efforts, including implementation and evaluation of various programs and activities.

Creating a Workplace Wellness Program

Tailor Your Initiatives to Employee Needs

Gather data to help assess your employees’ health interests and risks.

Data can be collected in the following ways:

• Employee interest surveys

• Health risk assessments

• Claims data analysis to determine current employee disease risks

• Biometric testing

Creating a Workplace Wellness Program

Create an Annual Plan

An annual operating plan should include a mission statement for the program, along with specific, measurable short- and long-term goals.

Written plans can provide:

• Link between wellness initiatives and the company’s needs and strategic priorities.

• A means to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

• Direction as the program grows and changes.

Creating a Workplace Wellness Program

Annual Operating PlanA successful operating plan should include the following:

• Vision statement outlining what you are trying to achieve with the program

• Goals for the program

• Program objectives and health initiatives to support them

• A timeline

• A budget

• Communication plan

• Implementation plan

• Evaluation – how will the success of the program be measured

Creating a Workplace Wellness Program

Choose Appropriate Programs and Initiatives

Select health initiatives that are relevant to the data you collected.

• Should address risk factors of employees

• Should be in line with what management and employees want from the program

Creating a Workplace Wellness Program

Create a Supportive Environment

Provide employees with ongoing encouragement, support, opportunities and rewards.

• Offer healthy food choices in your vending machines

• Implement a no-smoking policy on your premises

• Offer flexible scheduling arrangements that allow workers to exercise at their convenience

• Reward healthy achievements

Creating a Workplace Wellness Program

Consistently Evaluate Outcomes

Take a close look at your goals and objectives, and determine whether you have achieved the desired result.

• Evaluation allows you to celebrate achieved goals and discontinue efforts that are not as successful.

• Surveying employees again can be effective – after participating in the wellness program thus far, they can provide feedback about what they liked, what they would change, etc.

Creating a Workplace Wellness Program

Creating a Workplace Wellness Program

Workplace Wellness Programs

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