Monthly Archives: December 2010

2010's Top 10 Developments in Employee Wellness

Here, in no particular order, are the Employee Wellness Network‘s picks for 2010′s Top 10 Developments in Employee Wellness:

  1. The Washington Post reveals what most employee benefit managers long suspected: “Misleading claims about Safeway wellness incentives shape health-care bill.” Safeway disagrees.
  2. A new study lends credence to return-on-investment (ROI) claims. In the February issue of Health Affairs, a meta-analysis suggests that medical costs fall by $3.27 and absenteeism costs fall by $2.73 for every dollar spent on employee wellness programs.
  3. A newer study casts doubt on ROI claims. In July 2010, a study by the National Institute for Health Care Reform concludes, “ROI is uncertain and measurement Continue reading →

Sorting Out the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (sort of)

Recently, tEWN member Don Powell kindly posted an update on Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) and the impact it may have on health risk assessments. You can read his summary here.

In response, CoHealth co-founder and lower-case enthusiast Fran Melmed posted a clarifying question: “my understanding is that in the final regulations employers are no longer barred from providing incentives for HRA completion that asks about genetic information. is that correct?” – f

I’ll go out on a limb and take a shot at Continue reading →

Holiday Stress Programs? Bah!

It may be too late for employee wellness professionals to adjust their plans for holiday-season programs in 2010, but now is an ideal time to rethink the holiday stress programs we typically offer.

Every December, wellness program managers promote programs about managing “holiday stress.” These commonly take the form of lunch-and-learns or communication campaigns. They have the usual catchy titles like Continue reading →