Managed Care - February 2008 - (Page 27) management, they are also taking on case and utilization management,” says Sue Willette, head of Mercer’s health and productivity management group. “The health plans are at risk for becoming claims processors and contracting with physicians.” Indeed, even those roles may be at risk, she says. “As you see the demand for high quality physician networks increase, you probably are going to see the advent of other types of organizations doing direct contracting and, again, putting health plans more at risk for losing a book of business,” she says. Others question whether employers and insurers can truly be aligned in the wellness movement. Employers can expect a quick return on their investment in wellness. An employee who starts working out, for example, may curtail sick days and exhibit more energy after just a short time. “Employers are interested not only in how much their health insurance costs but also how often people show up to work, how they feel when they’re at work and, as a consequence, how productive they are at work,” Snook says. “The time horizon for seeing wellness programs pay off for employers is pretty quick — a couple of years, maybe even shorter.” In contrast, the financial benefits to insurers will come much later. The employee’s workouts may stave off a heart attack that would otherwise occur 20 years in the future. By that time, the individual has probably moved on to another insurance company or to the Medicare rolls. “The health plans do not have a financial incentive to invest long-term for the well-being of their insureds,” he says. Peter Boland, president of Boland Healthcare, says health plans measure success by their control What employers have on tap In a survey of 466 employers with a mean of 12,500 employees, employee assistance programs and immunizations were the most frequently offered wellness programs last year. Offered in 2007 Employee assistance program Immunizations/flu shots Nurse line/other phone support Employee health fairs Gym/fitness club subsidies/discounts Health risk assessments Biometric health screenings Onsite healthy lifestyle classes Health portal/Web site Workplace health competitions Online healthy lifestyle programs Personal health coaches Onsite fitness center Personal health record Onsite medical facility 26% 34% 10% 36% 42% 41% 9% 50% 32% 66% 71% 69% 67% 65% 62% 60% 58% 53% 51% 27% 69% Plan to add 2008–2010 1% 93% 94% 89% 5% 94% 11% 82% 16% 85% 13% 80% 24% 89% 25% 87% 27% 87% 26% 84% 28% 81% 32% 83% Source: Working Well: A Global Survey of Health Promotion and Workplace Wellness Strategies, Buck Consultants, 2007 FEBRUARY 2008 / MANAGED CARE 27
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