What’s the secret sauce?
Does it really work?
That’s one
of the most common questions I hear when I tell people my company helps workers
improve their health and wellbeing. In our industry, we think it’s important to
test our success: That’s why health management organizations evaluate how a program
itself is performing, its impact on participants, and the total change in cost
and health risk reduction (Merrill, Aldana & Pope, et al. 2011). Employers know the value a population health
management program (PHM) brings, and this hits home when results are reported
with clear,
unambiguous data (Henke, Goetzel, McHugh & Fik, 2011).
unambiguous data (Henke, Goetzel, McHugh & Fik, 2011).
PHM program evaluation should utilize a science-based process ((Cooper & Veroff, 2010). But on a more global level, we’re curious about what characteristics make a program successful. Is there a key element, a secret sauce, a switch you can flip to make a program truly soar?
To answer
this question, I looked to an analysis of aggregate data from our book of
business—a substantial database with information from more than 250 employers
representing more than a million lives (Thompson E, 2011). The data confirmed
that a key success factor is onsite program management. We wanted to know the
impact people have on client success.
In particular, we examined the difference it makes in program value to have a
program manager embedded with a client—infused
into the employee population to cultivate a culture of health.
Our
analysis matched six large employer programs that use an onsite program manager
(average population size was 6,400 employees) with similar programs that didn’t
use an onsite manager. The outcomes for programs with a dedicated onsite
program manager were eye-opening:
• Overall
participation rates were 33% higher;
• HRA
participation was 9% higher;
•
Screening participation was an astounding 58% higher;
• Health
advising participation was 43% higher; and
• Health
coaching enrollment was 21% higher.
In today’s
technology-focused environment, it’s easy to lose sight of the powerful impact
of people. But the numbers tell the story: Personalized interventions, managed
by the right people in the right environment, just may be the
secret sauce.
Paul Lotharius, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer, HealthFitness
Paul
Lotharius brings more than 20 years’ experience in operations and technology
management in the health care and insurance industries. Prior to HealthFitness,
he was president and CEO of CoreSource, a provider of benefit administration
and health management services.
So true! It really makes a difference when you have "boots on the ground" within the client company. Great post!
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