ECA’s Platinum Wellness Program has achieved very high participation rates (as high as 95%) in its 20-year history. For a company of this size (under 500 employees), ECA has developed an impressive, comprehensive, well-integrated, and strategically sound program. The program is guided by theory and evidence-based practices. Although a small employer, the company has hired two full time staff to run its health promotion program. Nurse planning sessions with each employee participant occur yearly and spouses are eligible to participate. ECA has met or exceeded six of eight “Healthy People 2010” objectives. The company has achieved a 26% tobacco quit rate. The high risk population has decreased by 1.4% per year over the last five years. Medical costs for the company have remained flat (at about $5,000 per employee per year) over the past six years. The company is constantly striving to continuously improve its wellness program.
Program Description
Narrative Description of Program
The Energy Corporation of America (ECA) wellness program has been in existence for over 20 years and was recently recognized for its excellence becoming the 23rd company ever to be awarded the distinguished WELCOA Platinum Well Workplace Award.
The ECA Wellness Program guiding principles:
- Individuals need to assume responsibility for their health and be the primary agent in prevention.
- Health interventions that address personal health practices are of vital importance.
- Time-honored medical practices such as an annual physical are significant.
- Every opportunity should be taken to learn how to practice prevention.
- Prevention and early detection significantly reduce health care costs.
- Significant community and family involvement leads to healthy, productive and more valuable employees.
The most significant distinguishing factor of the ECA program is the one-on-one nurse planning sessions conducted with each participant. These sessions allow for each individual to meet with a registered nurse to annually review their HRA and screening data and establish goals for health improvement.
The results have been incredible with ECA achieving a 95% participation rate and its comprehensive medical plan achieving no increase in costs for the past six years. The annual cost per employee has averaged $5,289 during the six-year period, which we calculate to be 30-40% below the national average.
The wellness program offerings:
- Annual Nurse Consultations address the risk factors of weight, activity, nutrition, and tobacco use.
- Annual health offerings: Health Screen, Health Risk Assessment, and Activity Campaigns.
- Health coaching and health education provide support for behavior change and reduce the incidence of disease such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, asthma and stroke.
- Health initiatives including stress reduction, tobacco cessation, weight loss, cholesterol reduction, and exercise programs.
- Incentives for healthy life style choices, program participation, and strong relations with a primary care physician.
- Confidential 24/7 medical and EAP consultants.
Contact Summary
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Program Name | ECA Platinum Wellness Program |
| Company Name and Address | Energy Corporation of America ("ECA") 501 56th Street Charleston, WV 25304 |
| Contact Person | Kelly Sadd. Wellness DirectorJ. Michael Forbes, Vice President |
| Program Information | |
| Program Category | Worksite-based |
| Year begun | 1988 |
| Total number of individual participants | 422 |
| Number of currently actively enrolled | 422 |
| Access to Program | Every employee and spouse of the ECA organization. |
Evaluation Summary
Narrative Description of Evaluation Results
ECA has been recognized as one of Americas healthiest companies recently being awarded the WELCOA Platinum Well Workplace Award. The results oriented program continues to achieve health care costs significantly below national averages and the continued health risk reduction of our population. The comprehensive program includes benchmarking against comparable programs and comparisons to national health care data. Data collection and dissemination are ongoing and allow for outcome producing programs and interventions geared toward the health needs and interests of our population. Program referrals to disease management, lifestyle modification, and EAP provide the education, motivation and resources necessary to continually improve the health of our participants.
Program Evaluation Highlights
- Full and complete support by the ECA Board members and key leaders.
- 95% Wellness Program participation rate.
- Health care costs have not increased for the past six years. Based on the recent Mercer Study these costs are 30-40% below the National Average achieving a savings of approximately $3,400 per employee in 2007.
- Five-year Cohort Study review of seventeen risks associated with high medical claims showed that participants at low risk increased 2.95% per year, moderate risk (2-3 risks) decreased 1.6% per year and high risk (4+) decreased 1.35% per year.
- 100% access to comprehensive medical and dental plan for employees and family.
- 100% company integrated and fully funded annual HRA, health screen, and nurse consultation/evaluation.
- 86% participation in company physical activity programs.
- 69% participation in community partnering events.
- Currently meet or exceed 6 of the 8 targets for Healthy People 2010 Objectives For Worksites.
- Significant incentives based on achieving specific biometric outcomes, healthy lifestyles, measurable behavior changes, and individual goals.
- Platinum Score Card which provides each participant with an annual individual review of their health status.
- Full-time registered nurse on staff as wellness director.
Overview of Evaluation Methods
Financial data and analysis is provided by Wells Fargo Insurance Services whose analysts and reviewers have experience and credentials in cost management, statistical analysis, economics, health care and public health matters. Program evaluation is based on total medical, dental and prescription costs incurred by ECA employees including both employee and dependent costs.
Health risk appraisals are provided to each individual and a productivity and economic benefit summary to ECA annually by beBetter Networks. The productivity and economic benefit reports provides statistical data related to economic impact, health risks relationship to costs, number of health risks and productivity loss, health risks and work days lost due to sickness or injury, cost per risk factor and summary of potential savings by risk factor. Individual health risk appraisals along with the Platinum Score Card serve as a resource to direct participants to improve health and use program resources and benefits available to them.
Data is supported by University of Michigan 2006 Study, John Hopkins Study, American Journal of Health Promotion article, NCQA standards for worksite wellness programs and Mercer Studies.
Evaluation Documentation
Critique
The following are verbatim remarks made by the reviewers:
A
- High participation 422/442
- Nurse planning session with each participant occurs yearly
- No increase in HCC for 6 years—also 30-40% below national avg. for HCC
- Health screening, HRA, activity campaigns, health coaching, health education
B
- For a company of this size, this may be the most comprehensive, well-integrated, strategically sound program I have seen
- Extraordinary participation rates
- Very good risk trends except for weight
- Extraordinary medical cost trends well aligned with program design and participation
C
- Conflict
D
- Cost trends flat
- Welcoa platinum
- Good participation – 95%
- Long-term
E
- 95% participation rate from 88% in 2003
- 20 year program
- Good guiding principles
- No increase in medical costs in 6 years ($5,289/ee/yr)
- Fully funded program is increasing nurse coaching – 2 f/t staff – director and nurse
- 86% participation in PA program
- Participation by employees and spouses
- 50% participation in EAP
- DM program achieved 70% of goal
- Community involvement – 100%
- Tobacco use 12%--> 9% -- 26% quit rate
- Most risk are dropping or remain flat
F
- Good program overview.
- Good summary of peer-reviewed recognitions.
- Good participation rates.
- Impressive medical cost trend.
- Good health behavior changes.
G
- This program goes beyond the traditional health risk/behavior offerings and incorporates their benefit design, EAP, a Maternity component, and Community partnering. They have engaged 95% of the population – families are included. 85% participated in the 8 week walking campaign.
- Annual one-on-one review of HRA by a nurse and behavior change coaching is included.
- Currently targeting obesity with coaching, nutrition counseling and full reimbursement for Weight Watchers and Curves.
- Multiples approaches to incentives – cash toward health care premium, points system