Health Management Challenge

Vivian is the CFO for a large auto parts manufacturer. Her company wants a comprehensive, custom-designed employee wellness program that can demonstrate a measurable return-on investment.

Approach

StayWell Health Management worked with the client to develop a comprehensive solution that will improve their employees’ health, assist in managing medical costs, reduce absenteeism, and improve productivity.

StayWell health Management recommended the following:

• A modest incentive of reduced employee healthcare contributions in exchange for participation in a health  assessment (HA)
• A significant promotion/communication program with
• •  Integration of program communications with existing client communication channels and events
  • Client branding
  • A custom, four-color introductory brochure mailed to employees’ homes
  • A program announcement letter to managers/supervisors
  • An e-mail communication campaign
• Administration of StayWell’s HealthPath® HA, to be accomplished primarily through online delivery in coordination with a managed health screening.
• An aggregate management summary report following the administration of the HA.
• Employee access to the StayWell Online® suite, which, in addition to the online HealthPath® HA, contains a wellness magazine, the HealthDay® daily news feed, self-care resources, and information on over 1,600 health and wellness topics.
• Employee access to our toll-free HelpLine for assistance with HRA completion, forgotten passwords, post-intervention support, or other program issues.
• The StayWell NextSteps® Health care Consumerism program, to be available to employees most likely to generate the majority of future health care costs (as determined by StayWell’s proprietary Utilization Prediction Model).
• Specific intervention programs - such as programs for diabetes management or weight control -  for individuals shown to be at high- or medium-risk levels. Invitations to be extended to high-risk individuals through the NextSteps Phone-Based Focused Intervention and to moderate-risk individuals through the NextSteps Mail-Based or Web-based Focused Intervention
• An annual HA to assess and reinforce successful changes.
• One employee wellness campaign a year offered on a topic based on the outcomes of the HA Management Summary.  The campaign provided a highly visible activity with wide appeal to help low-risk participants stay in the low-risk category and to support behavior change for high-risk individuals.

Results

StayWell health Management monitored the progress and success of the program through process, impact and outcome measures.  At the end of Year 1, StayWell found a 16% improvement in health risks among the at-risk members (1 or more high risks) who had participated in the Next Steps phone-based lifestyle intervention. StayWell also calculated that the organization had realized a return on investment (ROI) in  Year 1 of 1.5:1 ($1.50 saved for every dollar spent). In Year 2, ROI reached 2.0:1and as of Year 3, ROI had reached 2.5:1.