Do you need a wellness program for your company?

All wellness programs should be fun; however, if the goal is to improve employee health and save healthcare costs, corporate health and wellness programs need to be well organized and monitored. Just like any other business strategy, you need good data to make good business decisions.

When does a health and wellness program fail?

We say they fail when they fall short of accomplishing their goals and objectives. Failure can be defined in many different ways. For example, a corporate health and wellness program could be considered a failure if it did not reach its goals of improving employee health and lowering healthcare costs.

Why are corporate health and wellness programs important?

Most corporate health and wellness programs are started because employers want to help employees stay healthy and they would like to spend less on health care. Well-designed employee wellness programs work. There is an enormous amount of published scientific evidence that supports the impact of the best wellness programs.

What kind of incentives are used in health and wellness programs?

There are two types of incentives. Negative incentives such as punishments or fines. Programs that use these are using the stick approach to employee behavior. They use punishments and fines to force employees to improve their health. The other type of incentive is positive rewards or reinforcements. This is the carrot approach to incentives.

What are the rules for a wellness program?

When part of a group health plan, HIPAA mandates that individually identifiable health information collected from or created by participants in wellness programs is considered PHI and is protected by HIPAA rules. The PPACA requires that programs must be reasonably designed to promote health or prevent disease.

How does a wellness program benefit an employer?

Wellness programs can benefit employers by: Lowering health care costs. Reducing absenteeism. Achieving higher employee productivity. Reducing workers’ compensation and disability-related costs.

Is the UFCW covered by sound health and wellness?

UFCW 21 members at several other health care facilities are also covered by Sound Health & Wellness. Many health care workers, as well as some other retail and industry workers, are covered by their employer-based plans. Again, these are bargained as part of your contract.

Where can I get a contract with HHS?

Learn about where to register, get your codes, find contract opportunities, how to make an impression, and find out how HHS communicates with businesses. Find out about our required acquisition policies and regulations that affect business with government agencies.