Wellness

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.

Why are employers still offering health care benefits and increasing worksite wellness activities? It’s not rocket science. Employers don’t offer benefits because they are altruistic. They do so primarily to recruit and retain talent and to ensure workers have the mental and physical capacity to perform their best on the job.

Whether your business is self-insured or purchases a health plan, it’s time to bend the cost curve in your favor. Using a combination of robust data analytic tools and care management, population health management offers benefit managers a proactive approach to improve the health and well-being for members whose chronic conditions can account for 75% or more of your healthcare expenses.

A new study conducted by human capital risk management firm HCMS Group suggests that employers who offer vision benefits to their employees might be able to save as much as $5.8 billion in cost savings over a four year period, partly due to the preventative screening opportunities afforded by low-cost eye check-ups.

With all the implications that the Affordable Care Act has on employer’s health insurance obligations, it’s easy to overlook its effects on workplace wellness programs. Yet these programs are very much affected by Obamacare.

The strength of a business relies on its bottom line, and it takes a productive and engaged workforce to help meet those financial goals, particularly for a client-focused organization, such as EPIC, an employee benefits brokerage firm in Petaluma, Calif. With this in mind, EPIC has implemented a wellness program to improve its employees’ health and has watched it grow and positively influence employees’ lives.

A new wellness tool from the National Business Coalition on Health provides simple, best-practices recommendations.

As 2013 comes to a close, we’re taking a look at some of the most popular stories on our website this year. Here are the top five blog items of 2013.

Improved health is the top New Year’s resolution among employees, as 82% say they pledge to lose weight, increase exercise or reduce stress in 2014, according to a survey from Keas.

Here are two employers using biometric screenings to drive the larger message of healthy living home to their employees.