Archive for December, 2008
Tools for Achieving behavior Change
Changing health-related behaviors is a difficult challenge. Incorporate the tools below into your Wellness initiatives to assist participants in successfully changing health behaviors.
Tool #1: Set effective goals
• Focus on areas that can impact the overall goal.
• For example, if the overall goal is to lose weight, the most productive areas to focus on are the [...]
Setting Employer Health and Wellness Program Priorities
The majority of employers do not have the Employer Health and Wellness Program resources to address all of their health needs at once. Priorities must be set to determine the most pressing health needs. Use the steps below to prioritize company Wellness needs.
Assess the health needs of the population.
Collect data about the health needs in [...]
Adapting to Health Information Technology
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 [...]
Managing Employer Health and Wellness Program resources
To effectively manage your Employer Health and Wellness Program resources, first determine the resources you need and the resources you have. Then develop a plan to fill the resource gaps.
What Employer Health and Wellness Program resources do you need?
• Make a list of employees, materials, equipment, space, and logistical support.
• Be as specific as possible.
• [...]
Paving the way for corporation process change
Business processes are structured activities that achieve a specific result. For example, scheduling appointments is a corporation process that results in an orderly work flow and timely patient care.
Employer Health and Wellness Program implementation often requires changes to established corporation processes. These changes may be simple, such as adding prescreening appointments to the scheduling process, [...]
Employer Health and Wellness Program Evaluation Basics
Employer Health and Wellness Program evaluation is critical for effective Wellness and will help you get Senior Management support.
Why evaluate your Corporate Wellness Program?
Employer Health and Wellness Program evaluation answers these questions:
• What change(s) occurred in the target population?
• ‘What’s in it’ for Senior Management?
• Are the resources that are being used worth the outcomes [...]
Build flexibility into your Corporate Wellness Program.
Think ahead: what unexpected challenges might come up as you start your Corporate Wellness Program? How could you adapt and change the Employer Health and Wellness 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 and Wellness in [...]
Effective Employer Health and Wellness Program planning
Take the time to plan Corporate Wellness Plans before they are implemented.
Effective planning enables better use of all your resources. Include all the steps below when you plan a Wellness activity.
• Do your homework – Find the science and research that support your initiatives. Look for similar Corporate Wellness Plans that already exist.
• Determine the [...]
Corporate Wellness Program: Small Steps
Why use small steps toward behavior change?
Small steps give participants immediate feedback on the changes they make towards better health. Measuring these small steps is also an excellent way to collect interim Employer Health and Wellness Program effectiveness data.
Employer Health and Wellness Program small steps make a big difference
Small steps for Employer Health and Wellness [...]
Employer Health and Wellness Program Follow Up
Why Employer Health and Wellness Program follow up?
Getting feedback from Employer Health and Wellness Program participants serves two purposes: to obtain data that quantifies a Wellness Program’s impact, and to find ways to improve a Corporate Wellness Program.
Building follow up into your Employer Health and Wellness Program
Keep it simple
• Keep follow up to information you [...]