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How population health management can personalize health
Posted on Nov 5, 2012 | Written by Kelly Merriman | Comments (0)
During the Care Continuum Alliance Forum in Atlanta this October, industry leaders shared their perspectives on how population health management will add value to emerging care models, resulting from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Speakers discussed the need to create an environment where participants accept personal responsibility for their health in order for population health improvement efforts to be effective. We also shared best practices of ways to engage employees in their health, all the way from union steward leadership engagement workshops to on-site health assessments at worksite screening events.
Two of the tools that a growing number of employers are using to engage participants in their personal health are lifestyle coaching and condition management programs. In fact, the 2012 Employee Benefits research report from the Society for Human Resource Management shows that 45% of employers currently offer health coaching while 36% offer preventive programs targeted to those with chronic conditions.
Yet, we see opportunities to better personalize health and coordinate care when these two solutions are seamlessly integrated—and we are not alone.
Using an advanced technology platform, HealthFitness’ EMPOWERED Coaching matches each participant’s unique health needs with the right coach, improving the health of each employer’s total population.
To learn more about our next generation solution for employee health, I invite you to view the slideshow below. You can also learn more about EMPOWERED Coaching by downloading the issue brief, “Taking lifestyle coaching and condition management to the next level.”
1 of 9Changes in employee health
There is a shift occurring. Employers previously focused on improving the health of the high risk, high cost. Today, a growing number of employers recognize the need to reduce the health risk of their total population to bend their health care cost trend.
2 of 9Why population health management?
Health risk is not static. Individuals slide from high risk to medium or low risk (or vice versa) over time. While improving health can reduce health care utilization, research also shows significant cost savings can come from keeping the low risk healthy.
3 of 9Power of coaching
Studies show health coaching can effectively reduce health risks that cause disease and support individuals to better manage their chronic condition. In fact, a review of 15 health coaching studies found coaching contributed to significant improvements in behaviors related to nutrition, physical activity, weight management, condition management and medication adherence.
4 of 9Coaching for population health management
To help employers manage health care costs by keeping the healthy people healthy and improving the health of those with chronic conditions, HealthFitness’ EMPOWERED Coaching applies the proven strategies of health coaching to meet the needs of participants across the health risk continuum. To achieve this, EMPOWERED integrates three key elements.
5 of 91. Right coach, right person
Using health risk factors and a predictive modeling algorithm, EMPOWERED first determines a participant’s eligibility for coaching. Then, each participant is matched with the coach best suited to address his/her unique risks and health. EMPOWERED also ensures continued accuracy of a participant’s coach assignment using ongoing participant assessment.
6 of 92. Smarter coaching through technology
In traditional condition management programs, employees spend the majority of the calls telling nurses about their medication use and provider visits. With EMPOWERED, coaches use an integrated data platform that provides comprehensive knowledge about participants, allowing them to spend less time collecting data and more time engaging with participants.
7 of 93. Sustained engagement
EMPOWERED uses personalized messaging to make healthy behaviors easy for participants. Using consumer marketing segmentation, participants receive tailored phone, mail and/or electronic interactions that provide meaningful support around behaviors they already want to change.
8 of 9Impact of EMPOWERED
Aggregate results from our employer clients show that EMPOWERED reduces health risks by 10% across the population, helping employers lower health risks and health care costs.
9 of 9Learn more about improving employee health
Interested in learning more about how EMPOWERED Coaching—the next generation solution for improving employee health—can help improve the health of your total population? Download our free issue brief, “Taking lifestyle coaching and condition management to the next level.”
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As vice president of Service Delivery, Kelly ensures operational excellence for all participant services, which include: lifestyle and condition management coaching, worksite screening, and engagement and health advocacy services. She has more than 15 years of experience in operations and management in the health sector.