HJBR Nov/Dec 2019

Healthcare Journal of baton rouge I  NOV / DEC 2019 33 wellbeing. For example, John enjoys jogging and tries his best tomaintain a healthy diet. Therefore, when John’s employer offers a wellness program that requires him to log his weekly exercise and gives him tips on healthy food choices, John is more than happy to sign up. On the other hand, Bob does not exercise, eats a lot of fast food, and smokes a pack of cigarettes every day. Bob enjoys his lifestyle, and is not motivated to make changes in his life that include exer- cise, improvements in his diet, and giving up his cigarettes. Therefore, Bob does not enroll in the program. Now, let’s compare John and Bob. On average for the past ten years, John has seen his primary care phy- sician for his annual exam and once dur- ing the spring for a common cold. John’s medical claims typically average about $400 for each visit, in addition to the cost of his generic sinus medication. Each year, John’s health insurance pays out roughly $900 in medical claims. Bob has not had an annual exam in twelve years.Threemonths ago, Bob was having severe chest pains that resulted in an emergency roomvisit, a two-day inpa- tient hospital stay, and a regimen of med- ication to control his hypertension. Last year alone, Bob’s health insurance paid out $41,000. Until Bob comes to the realization that his lifestyle needs to change, there is nothing a wellness program can do to help Bob’s employer. The failure of the statistics is simple to understand because the primary player gathering statistics is the wellness pro- gram. They are biased because they want their programs to work. A salesperson for the wellness program has to come into the employer’s office and sell that employer on how the wellness program can save them money. Statistical data can be manipulated in order to bolster the wellness program’s performance and the salesperson’s point. The task of determining cost savings would fall upon the employer to evaluate the well- ness program’s monthly or bi-monthly cost reduction. Employers are busy people, and they often do not have time to evaluate a wellness program. According to a recent survey, 73 per- cent of employers offer a wellness pro- gram. 4 Therefore, the employers who are investing large amounts of money in well- ness programs want employee engagement and participation.As seen in the example of employees John and Bob, themore employ- ees who participate, the more potential savings the employers can experience. Therefore, employers are giving employ- ees an incentive to participate in the well- ness program. For example, ABC Company will give an employee a $200 gift card if he gets his annual physical from his primary care physician each year. Or, XYZ Company will pay employees $100 a quarter if they log wellness activities like blood work, annual dermatology skin exams, exercise, dental wellness exams, dieting, etc. Some compa- nies are even punishing employee wellness behavior that does not meet the require- ments of the wellness program. For exam- ple, Bob is happy with his unhealthy lifestyle and decides not to get an annual physical, which is required by XYZ Company’s man- datory wellness program. Therefore, XYZ deducts $25 from Bob’s paycheck for not complying with the wellness program’s rules. Furthermore, if Bob does not com- ply with other rules within the wellness pro- gram, like screenings or physical activities, then he can be fined up to $300 a year (5). Wellness programs that are put into place with poor employee communication and little to no accountability will most likely fail to provide cost savings for employ- ers. Similarly, would a manager expect a new employee to do well if there was “Bob has not had an annual exam in twelve years. Three months ago, Bob was having severe chest pains that resulted in an emergency room visit, a two-day inpatient hospital stay, and a regimen of medication to control his hypertension. Last year alone, Bob’s health insurance paid out $41,000.”