Wellness

In the opening keynote at health IT conference HIMSS14, Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini painted a grim picture of health care in the U.S. that is plagued by inefficiency and waste.

Employers looking to increase productivity should encourage employees to use their paid time off, an Oxford Economics study released Thursday suggests.

With a reported 15% increase in wellness incentive spending within their health care plans, corporate employers have their sights set on improving their workforce’s overall health in 2014 through wellness programs for both employees and their significant others, according to a new survey from Fidelity Investments and the National Business Group on Health.

The president of the NBGH, who is retiring this spring, shares her thoughts about health reform and the future of employer-sponsored health coverage.

Copayments and co-insurance fees have increased on average 34% compared with those of the pre-Affordable Care Act individual insurance market, according to the results of a new HealthPocket study released Thursday.

From ignoring chronic disease to failing to align vendor and employer goals, defined-contribution health strategies through private exchanges are not right for every employer.

Welltok Inc., vendor of a Web-based health wellness platform called CafeWell that providers and payers can offer to consumers, is the latest organization to collaborate with IBM Corp. to enhance the health care cognitive computer capabilities of the Watson supercomputer.

Wellness can specifically increase job satisfaction among current and prospective employees. However, employers can’t expect these results to occur overnight. While many launch wellness programs, they often fall short of expectations. Perhaps the biggest reason this happens is inadequate communications to employees.

The short-term motivators and health advice typical of wellness programs provide general benefits across an employee population, but people needing sustained weight loss require concentrated behavior change assistance specific to their condition.

Mindfulness is making its way into the workplace, thanks in part to Janice Marturano, who left her 15-year tenure as an executive at General Mills to teach employees of all kinds how to train their brain to focus solely on the task at a hand. In her view, it’s whole-body wellness.

Is now the time to offer accident or critical insurance along with other traditional benefit enrollments? With the uncertainty facing the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate and the high costs associated with these medical claims, new research from MetLife finds that communication of these voluntary benefits will help with employee productivity and cost savings.

By ending the sale of tobacco products in its 7,600 pharmacies, CVS Caremark Corp. is redefining itself as a health-care provider in an environment in which millions of newly insured Americans will be looking for quick and convenient medical care.

It’s no coincidence that organizations identified as best places to work are more likely to offer broad-based wellness programs, which typically include wellness screenings, health questionnaires, lifestyle management programs, targeted benefit plan designs, as well as incentives and rewards.

The World Health Organization’s cancer agency warned there will be 22 million new cases of cancer each year within two decades, as the burden of the disease falls disproportionately on developing countries.

Wellness enthusiasts and skeptics alike can find things to back up their views in the PepsiCo wellness study, published recently in the journal Health Affairs. But the wellness debate is far from over.

It’s undeniable – cloud-based technologies have fundamentally changed how businesses operate. As employers transition from on- to off-premise for HRIS, they are seeing increased productivity and profitability in the obvious ways: lower up-front costs, faster innovation, easier integration, and no nasty upgrade hassles. It’s quite possible, however, that a less-obvious HR cloud revolution may prove to be even more meaningful – one that is more about people and culture.

The latest guidance from DOL addresses questions on coverage of preventive services and limitation on cost-sharing requirements under the ACA. The FAQs also provide guidance on expatriate plans, wellness programs, fixed indemnity insurance and the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.

Health care exchanges and other issues related to the Affordable Care Act have garnered a great deal of attention. However, additional and less well-known ACA regulations went into effect on January 1. One of these impacts wellness programs, including the myriad initiatives employers have put in place to encourage employees to exercise, lose weight and otherwise improve their health to prevent illness, disability and its costs.

When patients participate in medication synchronization programs through their local pharmacies, they tend to stay on their therapy programs for 103 more days each year and are 30% more likely to adhere to their prescription directions, according to a new study by the National Community Pharmacists Association.

Safeway launched an online and mobile platform that uses web communities and anonymous peers to encourage individuals in their physical and mental health journeys. The social health platform offers employees and their families access to educational resources, health experts and peer support in condition-specific communities, including alcohol addiction, depression, heart health, cancer, stress reduction, diabetes, obesity, tobacco cessation and caregiver support.