Engage the Employee

“What we’re finding is that employees are converting their points into items have impact on their daily lives. The vast majority of people redeem these for Target and Best Buy gift cards,” Montreuil says. “That’s a heck of a lot better than investing in water bottles and sweatbands and all that traditional stuff you see in a wellness program.”

Not only does the points system motivate the employee, but it also makes for better business, Montreuil says. “The incentives system can be tied to actual hard-dollar measurable savings to the organization, which then provides the business case of why we do this,” he explains. “What I like most about it in the end is that I can measure how many people take these courses, how much I’ve given in rewards to people, and how that impacts our overall health claims.”

Employers Association, Inc.

As a membership-based association that provides management and human-resources services, Employers Association, Inc., in Plymouth makes sure that it practices what it preaches. In March, the organization implemented a program called SimplyWell, a   population health-management system from a company of the same name, which operates out of Omaha. The program aims to improve the health of all workers, not just those with chronic diseases.

Employers Association chose SimplyWell because it entices people to make wise health choices and become better consumers through incentives, according to Sue Eskedahl, Employers Association’s vice president. “It’s fashioned after an incentive program such as frequent-flyer miles, and employees can earn points [toward] tangible rewards, such as a $50 gift card,” she says.

Employees earn points by taking steps to stay healthy—getting preventive exams, mammograms, and dental checkups, and participating in online education modules, eating well, and exercising (which can include activities such as yard work, cleaning house, and gardening). Next year, Employers Association will offer greater company contributions to employees’ health reimbursement accounts in exchange for the points.

Another important component of the Employers Association plan is its recordkeeping. SimplyWell participants complete a personal health record—which indicates family history, current medication, past surgeries, and so on—and a risk questionnaire (also known as a health-risk assessment). Employees also have their blood drawn, which reveals blood glucose and cholesterol levels. Within 24 to 48 hours, employees can log in on line to see the results of their blood tests and questionnaire. For those considered to be high risk based on the results, a registered nurse calls regularly to advise on what an employee can do to lower and manage that risk.

The results are then added to the personal health record. The goal of creating and maintaining this document is to facilitate better dialogue between patient and doctor, says Michelle Baade, director of business development for SimplyWell, LLC. “Oftentimes, patients will forget what prescriptions they’re on,” she says. “What this allows the patient to do, as well as the physician, is to have single access to all the data [via the Internet]. That will not only help the participant, but also the physician to understand the patient a little more. What’s also nice about it is that you can be anywhere in the world and access this information.”