Blog | HealthFitness

Why you need award-winning health management marketing

Posted on May 21, 2013 | Written by Deb Marshall | Comments (0)

The need for employers to use expert consumer marketing tactics when promoting the health benefits they offer, including employee wellness programs, has never been greater. Why? State exchanges are scheduled to open this October. For employers, this means they can expect their employees to start hearing more about health care exchanges starting this summer. In response, employers that use benefits as an attraction and retention tool with talent must make extra effort to employ effective marketing to differentiate their offerings ... Read More >

Defining “effective integration” with employee health

Posted on May 13, 2013 | Written by Ann Wyatt | Comments (0)

With health care benefits, including wellness programs, simply making employees aware of what is available to them is half the challenge. Finding ways to connect the right benefit with the right person is a subsequent hurdle. The 2013 Annual MetLife Study of Employee Benefits Trends found that employees who feel they work at a great place are more satisfied with the range and relevance of their benefits programs. This insight suggests that great places to work are effective at ... Read More >

Wellness programs and health care reform: Where are we?

Posted on May 6, 2013 | Written by Sean McManamy | Comments (0)

As new regulations roll out in 2013, staying up to date with the Affordable Care Act is a top focus of employer’s health care strategy this year. In addition, improving employee health also remains a top priority, according to a recent Towers Watson and National Business Group on Health survey. [embedimg] The Affordable Care Act has several provisions designed to help improve employee health and expand health promotion activities. Below is the status of several health care reform provisions related ... Read More >

Slideshow: Health management top 10 for health plans

Posted on Apr 30, 2013 | Written by Glenn Leary | Comments (0)

Population health management has been prominent in the health care and health reform conversation. The March issue of Health Affairs, for instance, focused on wellness programs and incentives, investigating several workplace and Medicare initiatives in an effort to understand their outcomes and offer suggestions for effectiveness. In short, the health care delivery system is realizing a need for programs that assist members in actively participating in care and managing their health. To achieve a functioning value-based care model, the ... Read More >

Taming workplace stress through corporate fitness programs

Posted on Apr 22, 2013 | Written by Naomi Pelley | Comments (0)

A Harris Interactive survey released earlier this month confirms workplace stress continues to take its toll on employee health, with more than eight in 10 employed workers saying they are stressed out on the job. No surprise—heavier workloads are cited as one of the top work stressors. The survey, conducted to coincide with April’s Stress Awareness Month reinforces the need to provide employees with stress management tools that change behaviors and lifestyles. Numerous other studies echo this same point. Read More >

The data game—inform, engage, activate employee health

Posted on Apr 15, 2013 | Written by Paul Lotharius | Comments (0)

Much of the discussion you hear about the Affordable Care Act these days digs into the details of big data and reporting health and health status of populations. It’s true that a sober snapshot of our nation’s health—a baseline— is needed to evaluate success. No matter your position on health reform, I think we can all agree that the legislation’s demands for greater transparency and more data sharing about population health are important; they ... Read More >

Senior leadership’s role in successful health management

Posted on Apr 8, 2013 | Written by Kathy Meacham | Comments (0)

It’s well-known that a key ingredient for successful employee health initiatives is top-level leadership support. Yet, Tower Watson’s 2011/2012 Staying@Work Survey Report: A Pathway to Employee Health and Workplace Productivity report indicates senior leadership support of health management initiatives in many companies is surprisingly lacking. According to the survey: Only 26% of respondents said managers and/or senior leaders volunteer to be health champions or to serve as role models for healthful lifestyles. Less than 20% of respondents said managers participate in ... Read More >

Activating patients: a health management goal

Posted on Apr 1, 2013 | Written by Glenn Leary | Comments (0)

In February, we discussed the critical role of an active participant in value-based care. Now, as “patient activation” continues to be of interest to the industry, it seems appropriate to discuss what that entails and how health management can help. The February issue of Health Affairs focuses on patients’ activation in health systems. Defining patient activation as “the skills and confidence that equip patients to be actively involved in their health care,” Judith Hibbard, a senior researcher ... Read More >

Improving employee wellness through a shared culture

Posted on Mar 26, 2013 | Written by Paul Lotharius | Comments (0)

The importance of culture for creating and supporting employee health was a key theme of this year’s Art & Science of Health Promotion Conference, held March 20-22, in Hilton Head Island, S.C. HealthFitness was the social media sponsor of this event. Read insights on health management best practices shared during the conference in our recap below. Can't see the content below? Visit our Storify with conference highlights here. [View the story "Improving employee wellness through culture" on ... Read More >

A peek into the latest employee health trends and policies

Posted on Mar 21, 2013 | Written by Edward Framer, Ph.D. | Comments (1)

To actively participate in conversations that shape best practices with science-based approaches to health management, HealthFitness regularly attends and speaks at industry conferences. We’re currently at the 23rd Annual Art & Science of Health Promotion Conference hosted by the American Journal of Health Promotion, held March 20-22, in Hilton Head, S.C. This year’s theme of the conference is “producing the best health and financial outcomes by using the most effective health promotion strategies.” It was definitely an interesting first day. Learn two ... Read More >

Infusing a Culture of Health