Employee Wellness Is A Team Effort
When Raymond, a 51-year-old MemorialCare Health System employee, was diagnosed with diabetes in 2012, he made a promise to his wife. He was going to get healthier. A year later, he’s lost 23 pounds and participated in his first five-mile run. His energy levels are up and his blood sugar levels are going down. His wife, who joins him in exercising and healthier eating, has lost 60 pounds.
In the face of an epidemic of lifestyle-related conditions like diabetes and hypertension I want to hear more stories like Raymond’s. With more than two-thirds of Americans overweight or obese and chronic diseases the number one cause of death and disability in the nation, preventing and better managing chronic conditions should be at the center of every healthcare debate.
We need a new prescription to treat diseases like diabetes and hypertension. For many of the patients in the very early stages, the best prescription has three simple elements: Eating well, exercising, and avoiding smoking. So why aren’t we all doing it? We need a delivery system that offers motivation, support, and accountability. One of the best places to provide that is the workplace — where most people spend the majority of their waking hours.
Many employers are implementing wellness programs to create a workplace culture where it’s easier to make healthy choices. Initiatives include nutritious on-site food options, walking challenges, onsite exercise classes, weight reduction programs and smoking cessation programs. Leading employers are also implementing incentives such as monetary rewards for completing biometric screenings or for being nicotine-negative.
At MemorialCare, we’ve also been piloting a program that helps employees better manage chronic conditions. This initiative, called In Balance, is a year-long, voluntary program partnering with employees diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol. The latest evidence shows that the consistent support of a team, including a wellness coach, nurse, dietician and physician, can give individuals what they need to make important lifestyle changes and reduce long-term complications. In addition to the team support, program participants also receive free condition-related prescriptions.
What did we learn from this workplace pilot program to help employees manage chronic conditions? We found that the supportive relationships formed by employees, like Raymond, and their wellness coaches was the most powerful factor helping them to maintain their commitment to the program, and ultimately, to significantly improving their health. When asked what kept them motivated throughout their year-long wellness journey, the majority of participants ranked ‘personal commitment to improve quality of life’ first, closely followed by the ‘support and accountability from my wellness coach.’ While the incentive of zero cost for medications definitely provided motivation, it ranked much further down the list.
It’s becoming clear that if we want to help employees better prevent and manage chronic conditions, we need to put teams in place to motivate, support and help hold them accountable to achieving their personal goals. A team helped Raymond reverse the progression of his diabetes. When his motivation lagged, he had support. When other demands threatened to undermine his health and wellness efforts, his coach held him accountable. And in turn, he motivated and inspired others around him, including his wife, to join in and grow healthier alongside him.
The healthcare industry is being challenged to transform our health system from an illness-based to a health-based model. As the emphasis on population health and accountable care grows, we have the opportunity to turn the epidemic of chronic conditions around. We already know that part of the prescription to achieve that transformation lies in encouraging individuals to make lifestyle choices to eat better, exercise and avoid smoking. As employers, we have the opportunity to transform our work cultures, and offer incentives and care teams that support employees in making the lifestyle changes that could save their lives.
Tammie Brailsford is chief operations officer for the MemorialCare Health System in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. She is a member of the Payers & Providers editorial board.
