The 11th Annual Executive Forum on Rewarding Healthy Behaviors

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) regulations have given organizations guidance on how to develop and administer wellness programs and their incentives. Understanding conflict between ACA and other laws and regulations is important to ensure full compliance.

• Understand the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act on employee wellness programs
• Define medical examinations and explore their impact on compliance
• Understand the incidents of diseases and outcomes measurements in diverse populations and how this needs to be considered in an incentive strategy
• Craft wellness strategies that consider and complement your organization’s culture

Many employers are facing a dilemma as to how to best understand how their health and well-being-related programs are performing, and where the best opportunities are for the future. Collecting the right data is critical for this effort to measure as well as maximize the value of employer investments in workforce health. This presentation provides pragmatic strategies for employers to access and use available data sources in order maximize the value of their greatest asset – their human capital. These approaches are based on selected case study findings from companies in different industries, to show how the proposed evaluation approach can be broadly and successfully applied.

• Appreciate the relationship between workforce health, well-being, engagement and performance
• Recognize available data sources that reflect these dimensions among employers in different industries
• Review examples of how these employers applied the information to inform their strategic planning

In 2008, University of New Hampshire President Mark W. Huddleston charged campus constituents to address the rapidly increasing cost of the health care benefit for employees. From this, stemmed Healthy UNH, a comprehensive wellness program on campus, focused on making UNH the healthiest campus community in the country by 2020. Its approach goes beyond an employee-focused or student-focused wellness program, and considers the full campus population and multiple health considerations. Healthy UNH spans three campuses, with additional offices statewide, and several distinct populations with differing needs. The work includes the promotion of the resources for physical activity, nutrition, mental wellness and healthcare consumerism, among other topics; is framed by use of the National Prevention Strategy and the Partnership for a Healthier America’s Healthy Campus Initiative; works closely with Benefits Cost Containment initiatives; and relies on data to measure health improvement.

• Describe a multi-faceted program to improve the health in a university setting
• Identify key strategies to promote health resources on campus
• Describe metrics to measure improvement of health over time

This session will focus on how to think differently about incentives: shifting the focus from the old mentality of monetary incentives to rewards which are renewable, reinforce healthy behaviors and choices, prompt sustainable behavior change and support both organizational and individual investment in well-being.

• Distinguish facts and myths of employer and consumer viewpoints on incentives
• Discuss thoughts and opinions on compliance incentives versus commitment-based rewards
• Explore thought-provoking design structures for your organization, leadership and individuals

Sodexo has become a brand that encapsulates a commitment to wellness to it employees, the broader community and to existing clients. As a global player in foodservices, Sodexo has considerable influence on the eating habits of more than 75 million people around the world. To promote health and wellness, they respond to employee health needs by proposing a wholesome, well-balanced diets with reduced intake of fats, sugar and salt. Sodexo has also created healthy living and working environments, which are important to physical and emotional well-being and currently manages foodservice or facilities services in 267 certified green buildings throughout North America. This session will focus on how to:

• Educate employees on the benefits of making healthy lifestyle choices and provide inspiration for behavior change.
• Review global research on consumer/employee traits that impact engagement in wellness programs
• Determine what solution to use to motivate and engage your population
• Weigh creative ideas to promote healthy behaviors through cooking and shopping skills classes enable individuals to make informed choices that lead to healthier lifestyles both at work and home.

Kaiser Permanente’s Senior Manager of Primary Prevention Services, Amy Bayer, and incentaHEALTH’s Weigh and Win Program Manager, Lia Schoepke, discuss enrollment, engagement, and results of their measurable, scalable wellness program focused on improving the health of community members and employer groups with remarkable impact. Throughout the discussion, learn about:

• A behavior change model that includes community members and employers alike
• Case studies to demonstrate results of efforts towards engagement of program participants, community partners, and workplaces
• Gamification and its impact on scalability and enrollment
• Uses of Social Media, Team Challenges, and Big Data and their impact on engagement
• Learnings of implementing a Spanish-speaking program and strategic partnerships surrounding the implementation
• Exploring use of automated kiosks to enable measurable wellness outcomes
• Strategic use of tailored SMS text messages and email from certified personal trainers and registered dietitians and their effect on weight loss (In-Bound, Scalable Coaching Services)
• Return on Investment for the community that invests in the program

Innovations in health delivery across the country are showing that it's possible to improve outcomes and lower costs. There is no one magic bullet - rather a wide range of reforms is showing positive results. But to realize major and sustained improvements in both outcomes and costs, both public and private sectors must be consistent and work together. Mr. Rother will give an overview of the major types of health delivery reforms that show the most promise, and discuss what employers can do to move the system toward greater value.

Maximizing participation and true engagement in wellness programs is a challenge throughout the industry. Employers launching a new wellness strategy strive to hit critical mass; organizations with a highly engaged core group look to increase the ranks of the actively involved; and all seek long term change that will impact the wellbeing of the entire population.

This session will explain new research on how to succeed using motivators that go beyond the standard approach.

• Reveal a new study on employee attitudes toward wellness activities
• Compare current trends in self-care with industry offerings
• Discover how you can encourage employees to forge their own path to wellness