Category — Health Insurance Company

Are you looking for an low cost Health Maintenance Organization health care insurance plan? Health Maintenance Organization plans, also known as Health Maintenance Organizations, provide policyholders with a list of medical providers from which the policyholders can select their own primary care provider, also known as a PCP. The PCP is generally a general practitioner or family doctor. Once the policyholder has chosen his PCP, he can see the PCP for general concerns, and be referred to other medical providers for more specialized health care. Those policyholders with Health Maintenance Organization programs can pay a lower monthly premium thanks to the contracts between the Health Maintenance Organization and the health providers. In some cases, policyholders may also be required to pay a low co-pay for services.

Before you begin your search for an low cost Health Maintenance Organization health care insurance plan, there are three agencies you should contact:

Your state’s Department of Insurance. Your state’s Department of Insurance will be able to tell you whether or not the insurance carrier from which you may purchase your Health Maintenance Organization health care insurance plan is licensed to do companyin your state. If it’s not, select another health care insurance company.

The Better Business Bureau. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) will be able to help you find any complaints that have been filed against the insurance carrier from which you may purchase your Health Maintenance Organization health care insurance plan. Knowing these complaints is essential to decidewhether or not the health care insurance company handles problems in a timely manner, as well as fairly and satisfactorily.

An independent research company. Independent research corporations research various corporations, corporations, products, etc. They’re a third-part company, which means they have no personal connection with what they research; therefore, the reports are honest and accurate. An independent research company will help you find the financial rating of the insurance carrier from which you may purchase your Health Maintenance Organization health care insurance plan. The financial rating tells you how financially strong the health care insurance company is – or is not.

The majority of companies do not have the Company Health Promotion Program resources to address all of their health/wellness needs at once. Priorities must be set to determine the most pressing health/wellness needs. Use the steps below to prioritize company Wellness needs.

Assess the health/wellness needs of the population.

Collect data about the health/wellness needs in the community. How?

• Community- or target group-specific surveys

Establish health/wellness needs and at-risk populations.

Use the data to identify leading health/wellness needs and also high risk populations. For example:
• Obesity and overweight
• Injury prevention
• Self care

Reduce the list.

Not every health need can (or should) be addressed. Use the following questions to determine which health/wellness needs should be addressed first.
• How does the health need impact operational readiness? How big is the impact?
• What are the Upper Management priorities? How does the health need fit into those priorities?
• What are the behavioral factors affecting the health need? What is the evidence that a behavior change will make a difference? Has the behavior been successfully changed by other Employee Wellness Programs?
• What other social, physical, or environmental factors influence the health need or the target population?
• Is the health need a greater problem at the local level than in the U.S. population as a whole?
• Does the organization have the subject matter expertise and resources to address the health need?

Develop Company Health Promotion Program recommendations.

Only a handful of specific health/wellness needs should be focused on in a given year. Keep the following in mind as recommendations are developed as to which specific health/wellness needs will be addressed:
• Avoid duplication of other ongoing Employee Wellness Initiatives whenever possible. Establish Employee Wellness Initiatives already addressing the health need and/or the target population.
• Establish and assess available resources. Build on existing services whenever possible.

Use the recommendations to offer tailored, targeted, integrated initiatives to address the prioritized list of health/wellness needs. Prioritizing health/wellness needs will keep Employee Wellness Initiatives focused, maximize efficient use of resources, and align Wellness efforts with Upper Management goals and priorities.

References
• US Department of Health and Human Services, Planned Approach to Community Health, http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/publications/PATCH/index.htm.
• Implementing a Comprehensive Community Wellness and Well Being Program, presentation by CHPPM-EUR at the 2006 Force Health Protection Conference

Keeping the bottom line up front Bottom Line Up Front in Company Health Promotion Program will help you get and sustain Upper Management support. A Bottom Line Up Front approach will also help you more realistically measure the impact of your Employee Wellness Program.

The bottom line in Employee Wellness Initiatives answer two key questions:
• How will participant health be enhanced?
• What’s in it for Upper Management?

The ultimate bottom line: all roads should lead to readiness.
• Always be ready to communicate to leadership the ways that your Company Health Promotion Program impacts readiness.
• Think like Upper Management: what Company Health Promotion Program outcomes will be important from a

Upper Management point of view?
• Develop line-centered language that communicates those outcomes.
• Ask participants how they think a particular Company Health Promotion Program enhances force readiness. This input is a valuable source of information.

Use the following steps as a Bottom Line Up Front approach to Employee Wellness Programs.

Step 1: Think about the end of the Company Health Promotion Program first and plan backwards.
• It has been said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.”
• Before planning or implementing any part of the Employee Wellness Program, be able to answer the questions: how will participant health be enhanced? What’s in it for Upper Management?

Step 2: Establish concrete Company Health Promotion Program outcomes.
• Establish up front what the Company Health Promotion Program is working towards.
o For example: will participants lose weight? Walk more steps? Decrease injuries? Move to another stage of change?
• Establish any processes or procedures that will be enhanced.
o For example: which pharmacy operations will become more efficient? How will record-keeping be streamlined?

Step 3: Determine what will be measured to show that Company Health Promotion Program goals were achieved.
• Consider what data is really needed to show Company Health Promotion Program effectiveness. Avoid the temptation to collect every possible piece of data. Choose a handful of important data points and stick to those.
• Think backwards when deciding what data to collect – consider how easily follow-up data can be collected when a Company Health Promotion Program ends. Getting follow-up data is frequently a challenge.
• Only collect data for health behaviors or indicators that the Company Health Promotion Program actually affected.
o For example: if the main Company Health Promotion Program goal is that participants will walk more steps, then it may be better NOT to choose changes in cholesterol level as a Company Health Promotion Program outcome (unless the Company Health Promotion Program specifically addresses cholesterol).
• Avoid measuring outcomes that the Company Health Promotion Program cannot (or did not) affect.

Step 4: Determine what Company Health Promotion Program elements must be included to move participants towards the Company Health Promotion Program goals.
• The concrete Company Health Promotion Program outcomes identified in Step 2 are the compass for keeping the Company Health Promotion Program on track. All Company Health Promotion Program elements should lead towards that ultimate goal.

Working backwards when planning and implementing Employee Wellness Initiatives is really forward thinking. Keeping the bottom line up front is a smart approach to Employee Wellness Programs.

Health Information Technology can make the entire medical system more effective and efficient by enhancing:
• Documentation (lab and test results, clinic notes, consult recommendations)
• Communication (provider to patient, provider to provider)
• Information input (templates to facilitate data entry)
• Delivery of care (documenting all patient-provider interactions in a single system)
• Chronic disease risk identification (evaluation of risk factors, recommendations for appropriate preventive services and screenings)
• Consistent recording of correct billing codes

But, adapting to Health Information Technology is a challenge.
• Health Information Technology almost always involves a “new system.” Consequently, the entire staff, from medical providers to IM/IT personnel is on a learning curve.
• Existing IT infrastructure may not be adequate, so the Health Information Technology system may be very slow, or may frequently crash.
• The new system may not have all the forms you need already in place. New forms may be needed.

Lessons learned from Health Information Technology implementation

Make use of as many training opportunities as possible.
• Learn as much as you can about the Health Information Technology that you need to use. Become an expert.
• Ask questions if you are unsure how to navigate the system.

Keep the big picture in mind.
• Be aware that those keeping the Health Information Technology system up and running may have a very different set of priorities. The IM/IT staff may not see your request as a priority when it is taking all their manpower to trouble shoot the new system each day.
• Other changes to the Health Information Technology system may be in line in front of yours, so be patient.

Think through changes thoroughly.
• Take time to think through a new form thoroughly. Know exactly what you want before talking to the developer.
• Don’t think in a vacuum. If you build a form, make sure it is one your staff will use and find efficient.
• Develop a draft version of the form and use it before requesting that it be put into the new system.
• Be prepared to build a good case for why your form should be created. Build a stronger case if your form should be developed ahead of other requests in the queue.
• Be patient and persistent when working with a programmer/developer on a new form. Meet frequently and set up timelines and deadlines.
• Coordinate with IM/IT and the Health Information Technology contractor to see if they can support a new project in the required time frame.

For more information about Health Information Technology implementation, go to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) National Resource Center for Health Information Technology at http://healthit.ahrq.gov.

To effectively manage your Company Health Promotion Program resources, first determine the resources you need and the resources you have. Then develop a plan to fill the resource gaps.

What Company Health Promotion Program resources do you need?
• Develop a list of people, materials, equipment, space, and logistical support.
• Be as specific as possible.
• Include partnerships that will be needed to make the Company Health Promotion Program happen.

Establish available Company Health Promotion Program resources.
• Use materials that exist or are already on hand. Resist the temptation to start from scratch!
• Determine what other departments already have.
• Know where to borrow or get free materials.
• Use local or internal resources whenever possible.
• Look for opportunities to cut and/or share costs.

Develop a strategy to fill Company Health Promotion Program resource gaps.
• Partner with as many people and companies as you can. Emphasize what’s in it for them.
o Example: use a Physical Therapist to teach a back health class.
• Make use of community organizations and coalitions.
• Use volunteers as frequently as possible.
o Red Cross volunteers, medical interns or nursing students can supplement your manpower.

Former Company Health Promotion Program participants make good guest speakers.
• Keep a list of subject matter experts who will provide input for free so you can avoid the expense of an outside contractor or consultant.

Look for innovative Company Health Promotion Program opportunities.
• Other funding opportunities may exist at your facility.
o Example: if there is a book fair, see if you can apply to receive some of the proceeds.
• Ask the unit to contribute resources to Employee Wellness Initiatives directly started at the unit level.
• Get to know the contracting person at your company. They frequently know the least expensive places to obtain many different kinds of materials.
• Look for “recycling” possibilities.
o Example: You may be able to give you old computer workstations for use with electronic health assessments.

Good communication will help you find more partners and volunteers.
• Get the word out to the community about your Employee Wellness Programs.
• Describe what you are doing and how you are doing it.
• Presentation is everything. Keep information current and use lots of visual aids.

All Employee Wellness Initiatives require resources. Some resources you will already have. Some resources you will have to find. Sometimes you will have to make something out of very little. Smart strategies can maximize your Wellness resources.

Business processes are structured activities that achieve a specific result. For example, scheduling appointments is a organization process that results in an orderly work flow and timely patient care.

Company Health Promotion Program implementation frequently requires changes to established organization processes. These changes may be simple, such as adding prescreening appointments to the scheduling process, or more complicated, like determining how time devoted to a particular Company Health Promotion Program will be coded.

Not all change can be affected painlessly. However, developing a plan for achieving change will overcome obstacles like:

“But we’ve always done it that way” or “But we’ve never done it that way.”

Each change situation will be different. The path to achieving change may not always be straightforward.

Lesson learned: Making small, incremental changes will be easier than trying to make one big change. It is also easier to modify a current process than to introduce a brand new one.

Develop a road map for change.

Describe the current organization process.
• For example: what is the current registration process for the weight management program? Include steps for both participants and staff.

Establish where the new or modified organization process could fit into the current process.
• For example, prescreening appointments for the weight management program could be scheduled when participants sign up OR the prescreening could be done at the first class.

Collaborate.
• Consider the change process to be a team effort. Determine everyone who will be affected by the change and get their input.
o For example, be sure to ask the personnel that set up the prescreening appointments AND the personnel that would do the prescreening for their ideas.
• Recruit one or more champions for the change. It helps if the champion has some clout.
• Get buy-in from as many people as you can – including those that might be most resistant to the change.

Communicate.
• Don’t keep the change a secret. The more people know, the more likely they will support a change.
• Anticipate obstacles ahead of time. Be ready to articulate concrete benefits that will result from the change – especially advantages such as costs avoided or training time conserved.

Company Health Promotion Program evaluation is critical for effective Wellness and will help you get Upper Management support.

Why evaluate your Employee Wellness Program?

Company Health Promotion Program evaluation answers these questions:
• What change(s) occurred in the target population?
• ‘What’s in it’ for Upper Management?
• Are the resources that are being used worth the outcomes that are reached?
• Were Company Health Promotion Program outcomes expected? (Unexpected outcomes may have occurred.)
• What Company Health Promotion Program areas need improvement?

Company Health Promotion Program Fact of Life:

Company Health Promotion Program evaluation left to “chance” or until “there is time” will never happen.

• Company Health Promotion Program evaluation should be considered as an fundamental part of the whole plan for Wellness and not as something extra.

Where do you start?

Make it Simple. Company Health Promotion Program evaluation does not have to be complicated.
• Get baseline data.
• Baseline data is the health status of the target population at the beginning of the Employee Wellness Program.
• Start by collecting just 3 or 4 key items as the baseline. You will have better success collecting follow-up information later if you only need to get a few pieces of data.
• Don’t rely only on health indicators that require lab evaluation. Also use self-report information and health indicators that are measurable without lab tests.

• Collect data that relates to readiness.
• You should always be ready to communicate to leadership the ways that your Company Health Promotion Program impacts readiness. Plan ahead to collect data that will demonstrate this connection.
• Think like Upper Management: what Company Health Promotion Program outcomes will be important from Upper Management point of view?

• It’s never too late to incorporate Company Health Promotion Program evaluation into Employee Wellness Programs.
• If your Company Health Promotion Program is already up and running and you didn’t plan for data collection ahead of time, start collecting data NOW.
• If you don’t have baseline data, then collect interim data and compare that to end-of-program data.
• Or, you can compare final Company Health Promotion Program outcomes to similar initiatives elsewhere.

If you can’t make any comparisons to other data, use resources like The Community Guide (http://www.thecommunityguide.org/ ) that have already evaluated the effectiveness of Company Health Promotion Program components. Compare the components of your Company Health Promotion Program to those that have been proven effective elsewhere.

Think ahead: what unexpected challenges might come up as you begin your Employee Wellness Program? How could you adapt and change the Company Health Promotion Program to meet those challenges?

• Consider the “what if’s?”
• What if your classroom space is suddenly no longer available?
• What if you can’t hold the Health Fair in the usual place?
• Have a ‘Plan B’ (or even Plan C or Plan D) in mind for when the “what if’s” happen.

• Build a team that can help with the Company Health Promotion Program
• Who else could teach the health education class if the regular instructor cancels at the last minute?
• Know what areas of expertise your staff has besides their ‘main’ job. For example, find out who has excercise instructor credentials besides just the physical therapist.
• Don’t wait for a crisis before you build a network of people that you can call on.

• Be ready to roll your sleeves up
• Jump in to fill a gap if you need to.
• YOU may have to help restock the milk case in the dining facility when the Dairy Month ‘Milk Mustache’ contest results in raised sales during lunch.

• Be willing (and ready) to respond to feedback about the Company Health Promotion Program
• Get participant feedback while the Company Health Promotion Program is ongoing. Then be ready to adapt to those suggestions.
• For example, if kids in a pediatric obesity Company Health Promotion Program fight the idea of completing physical excercise logs, then get a verbal summary of their activity for the week instead.

• Simplify Company Health Promotion Program
• If part of your Company Health Promotion Program is not working, try making that part less complicated.
• For example, if getting follow-up information is not going the way you planned, then make the process to get information easier OR decrease the number of pieces of information that you collect.

• Use lemons to make lemonade
• What do you do when the Company Health Promotion Program doesn’t turn out exactly as you planned? Look for what did turn out. Often, the ‘unexpected outcomes’ produce positive results.
• For example, one company’s database to collect sick call data was made obsolete by a regional system. However, the company database was able to be used in a different way to track vaccination information that enhanced delivery of care to Employees.