September 21, 2007
Did you know...?
Employers are committing to giving workers tools to stay healthy.
A new study "Doing Well through Wellness" showcases how leading American companies' wellness and prevention initiatives are reducing health care system costs for all and providing employees with tools to stay healthy. This report shows that, across the board, CEOs have committed to giving employees the resources they need to be healthy, manage disease, and be active, informed health care consumers.
The study, which includes examples from an array of companies from Accenture to General Mills to Xerox, shows that America's top companies are innovators in offering wellness and education tools to workers. Employers offer access to high-quality programs such as disease management (82 percent), tobacco cessation (74 percent) and weight management (85 percent).
Demonstrating businesses' long-standing commitment to health care, more than half of the 73 reported wellness initiatives have been in operation for at least five years, while 42 percent were launched more than 10 years ago. Another 20 percent of the respondents' programs were created within the past one to two years, and several other companies reported that they plan to have new programs up and running this year.
The companies revealed a range of qualitative program measures they have implemented to measure the value of wellness programs. From tracking costs of benefits to employees to assessing productivity gains, the companies have identified a wealth of employee and employer benefits that result from increased participation in wellness programs.
The study also illustrated that as employee wellness programs have matured their focus has sharpened into more tailored initiatives that fit the employees' needs and companies' cultures while responding to health care trends. For instance, the focus of many of the programs has shifted over time from the goal of maintaining general health and wellbeing to identifying, managing or reducing specific – and potentially costly – health risks to individuals.
Overall, the study found the emergence of three significant trends among the companies' wellness programs:
- Members are creating a culture of wellness within the company - Companies are exploring more effective ways to communicate with their employees around benefits and wellness; make wellness opportunities available and accessible across the employee population; and increase employee participation and ownership.
- Companies are building the case for wellness - Companies are showing employees how working toward wellness helps save everyone money on health care.
- Companies are focusing on giving each employee the resources they need - Companies are developing tools and approaches to target health risks, offer customized interventions, and empower employees to manage their own health and wellness.
To view a copy of "Doing Well through Wellness," visit www.businessroundtable.org.
Companies and Employees reap the benefits of work-site health promotion/wellness programs. Work-site health promotion programs offer employees the opportunity to learn and practice healthy behaviors and to integrate health promotion and disease prevention activities into all aspects of their life. The statistics vary but show that a work-site health promotion program can reap a return of investment from 3.5:1 to 6:1 (and up to 22:1 if indirect costs/benefits are also included) making health promotion/wellness programs in the workplace a win-win situation for both employees and employers.
To learn more about Wellness and Preventive Healthcare services OHS-COMPCARE has to offer, contact our Client Services Team at (816) 559-6306 or by e-mail at customerservice@ohscompcare.com. You can also visit us at www.ohscompcare.com.
*Please feel free to forward this information to any member of management in your company who would benefit from it.*
OHS-COMPCARE has eight (8) area clinical facilities:
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Blue Springs Clinical Facility |
Independence Clinical Facility |
Johnson County Clinical Facility |
St. Joseph Clinical Facility |
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801 NW St. Mary’s Drive |
19000 E. Eastland Center Crt, St. 200 |
10415 Lackman Road |
904 Edmond Street |
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Blue Springs, MO 64104 |
Independence, MO 64055 |
Lenexa, KS 66219 |
St. Joseph, MO 64501 |
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816-224-9121 |
816-478-9299 |
913-495-9905 |
816-233-7702 |
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After Hours Available |
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KCMO/Broadway Clinical Facility |
KCMO/Front Street Clinical Facility |
Wyandotte County Clinical Facility |
Grandview Clinical Facility |
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1650 Broadway |
6501 East Commerce, Suite 110 |
1333 Meadowlark Lane, Suite 200 |
13830 S Us Highway 71 |
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Kansas City, MO 64108 |
Kansas City, MO 64120 |
Kansas City, KS 66102 |
Grandview, MO 64030 |
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816-842-2020 |
816-483-5550 |
913-596-2774 |
816-761-4664 |