Carolinas HealthCare System Introducing First-of-its-Kind Wellness Plan, Partnership with WebMD
Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS), one of the nation's largest public healthcare systems, has introduced a wellness plan that will pay employees to enhance their health and fitness. It is believed to be the first program of its kind nationally among large healthcare providers.
Charlotte, NC (PRWEB) May 11, 2009
Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS), one of the nation's largest public healthcare systems, has introduced a wellness plan that will pay employees to enhance their health and fitness. It is believed to be the first program of its kind nationally among large healthcare providers.
Employees will have options to save $200, $400 or $600 annually based on meeting up to 10 wellness criteria. The first incentive credits will be available in the company's 2010 health plan. The program is part of a new, web-based initiative powered by the WebMD web site. It is the newest in a large group of preventive health and lifestyle enhancement initiatives known collectively as LiveWELL Carolinas!
"Investing in preventive health is common sense," said Michael C. Tarwater, CEO of Carolinas HealthCare System. "You get a healthier, more productive employee in the short run. In the long run a healthier employee makes for a more effective organization."
More than 25,000 benefits-eligible employees were entitled to register for the program, which is available at eight hospitals, two nursing homes and numerous physician practices in greater Charlotte. Employees will qualify for medical premium credits by doing such things as exercising on a regular schedule, avoiding tobacco products, using seatbelts, completing confidential health questionnaires, and maintaining a lower body mass index.
Larry Chapman, senior vice president for WebMD Health Services, says the size and scope of this initiative is "unlike anything I have seen nationally."
Chapman said concerns about return on investment (ROI) have long been a deterrent to work-based wellness initiatives. He noted, however, that more than 60 peer-reviewed studies have validated the ROI that can be realized from preventive health. The most common ratio, he said, is a savings of $2.50 to $3 for every dollar expended.
"I cannot over-emphasize the uniqueness of this effort," Chapman said. "Programs of this scope require a significant investment, and the logistics of management can be daunting in a large healthcare system. I have no doubt that the business community - not only in North Carolina but nationwide - will be watching CHS very closely."
Tarwater said promoting healthier lifestyles is vital to any strategy for reining in medical costs.
"Escalating costs are draining wallets, sapping benefit plans and stressing government budgets at all levels," he said. "We must reduce avoidable utilization of healthcare services. I believe this will happen if and when we have a significantly healthier population."
Tarwater added that CHS's commitment to employee wellness is already delivering significant benefits to patients as well as employees. "There is no question that our patients receive better care as a result of LiveWELL Carolinas!" he said. "A caregiver who is fit, happy and healthy is much better able to heal and inspire other people. We see evidence of this every day. We get a return on our investment every day."
About Carolinas HealthCare System
Carolinas HealthCare System (www. carolinashealthcare. org), the largest healthcare system in the Carolinas, owns, leases or manages 25 hospitals in North and South Carolina.
CHS employs more than 1,000 physicians and operates more than 300 care locations, including rehabilitation hospitals, nursing homes, physician practices, ambulatory surgery centers, home health agencies, radiation therapy centers and physical therapy facilities. Together, these operations comprise more than 5,200 licensed beds and employ more than 40,000 full-time or part-time employees.
CHS's flagship facility is Carolinas Medical Center (www. carolinasmedicalcenter. org) in Charlotte, an 874-bed hospital which includes a Level I trauma center, a research institute and a large number of specialty treatment units (heart, cancer, organ transplant, behavioral health, etc.) CMC also serves as one of North Carolina's five Academic Medical Center Teaching Hospitals, providing residency training for over 240 physicians in 15 specialties.
CMC is listed as a "Best Hospital" by U. S. News & World Report for urology, and has been designated 11 times as Charlotte's "Consumer's Choice Preferred Hospital" by the National Research Corporation. CHS's community benefit, which includes the value of indigent care, uncompensated medical services, education and research programs, totals more than $600 million annually.
###
