Making health goals … with your boss?

Making health goals … with your boss?


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — According to Corporate Wellness Magazine, every $1 invested in employee wellness programs yields roughly $4 in savings through reduced sick days, higher productivity and decreased overall health costs. This adds up to big savings and can make a significant difference to employers who have seen health insurance premiums increase by 113 percent in the last decade.

It's no surprise then to see employers experimenting with a variety of new wellness programs to keep costs down. In a recent Forbes article, Darrell Moon, the CEO of Orriant, a Utah-based, accountability-wellness program provider noted, "Some 74 percent of U.S. employers already offer employee wellness programs, but these have had only a modest effect so far, because few employees have chosen to participate. The need, however, is great. A much-cited study last year found that 86 percent of all full-time employees in the U.S. are either overweight or suffer from a chronic (but usually preventable) health condition that significantly raises their health costs."

WCF employee Nicki Clark on Orriant's Goal Tracking website
WCF employee Nicki Clark on Orriant's Goal Tracking website

So what are Utah employers doing to encourage employees to participate in wellness programs? It's a question you should bring up at your next dinner party. I've heard everything from Rio Tinto requiring birthday physicals to Stampin' Up monitoring employee exercise activity. It's a conversation that won't disappoint.

I've also had the chance to participate in a couple employee wellness programs with my employer, Workers Compensation Fund. Currently WCF employees can choose to participate in the wellness program (administered by Orriant) and pay 14 percent less in health insurance costs. Participants and their spouses are tested annually on key health metrics (blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index, and tobacco use). Those with results outside accepted standards are then offered to work monthly with a health coach to try to reduce their health risks. Those with results within the accepted range, participate in quarterly health activities.

Employees with coaches make goals to improve their health. Goals can be as simple as limiting soda or as challenging as quitting smoking. To pay the reduced premium, participants must try to meet self-made goals with the help of a coach.

Nicki Clark, a graphic designer at WCF, worked with a coach last year to lower her cholesterol. As a fit 29-year old, high cholesterol wasn't something she worried about until she was tested.

"I don't have a family history of high cholesterol, so it wasn't even something I thought about until I started working with an Orriant health coach," Clark said. "I didn't love checking in with my coach monthly, but it did help me change my behavior. This year when I was tested, my cholesterol levels were within the healthy range and I no longer need a health coach."

Clark was one of many who saw a change after working with the program. WCF biometric comparison highlights from 2012-2013 with 457 participants show:

  • 22 percent of participants required to work with a coach in 2012 no longer need a coach in 2013
  • 54 percent of participants reduced their risk count during 2012 (blood pressure, cholesterol ratio, BMI)
  • 68 participants lost 5 percent or more of body weight
  • 19 participants lost 10 percent or more of body weight
  • Those that lost weight lost an average of 8 pounds
  • Average blood pressure of coached participants improved from 134/89 to 127/82
  • Total cholesterol for coached participants improved 6 percent
  • Cholesterol ratio for coached participants improved 11 percent
  • 33 percent of participants who reported using tobacco stopped using it

Other companies have seen similar results. In a recent study Orriant conducted four midsize employers with health-contingent wellness programs found that their total annual paid claims dropped to $2,269 per participant, as opposed to $6,187 for non-participants.

WCF employee response to the first year of the program has been mixed, but most employees don't question that something needs to change to stop the increasing cost of health insurance.

"We want to help keep our employees healthy," Kris McFarland, WCF Human Resource Vice President, said. "It's also our responsibility to do what's fiscally responsible. Using an accountability-based employee wellness program like Orriant helps us achieve both objectives."

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

BusinessUtah
Rachel Lewis

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast