Benefits

  • 10th Annual Study of Employee Benefit Trends

    The 10th anniversary edition of MetLife’s Annual Study of Employee Benefits Trends marks a decade of exploring an evolving benefits landscape from the point of view of employers and employees…

    Downloads: 7

  • 2016 Survey of Workplace Wellness Priorities

    Summary: Virgin Pulse has just released their annual survey of employers (N = 908) and employees (N = 1,818) regarding their priorities for Wellness programming. Topics covered include: • How employers (and employees)…

    Downloads: 32

  • Advanced Directives Tool L3-9

    This tool addresses skills that are need to exercise advance directives. For our purposes, the definition of “advance directives” is as follows: “An advance healthcare directive, also known as living…

    Downloads: 7

  • AEI Recommendations for Improving the ACA

    With the surprise 2016 Presidential election results the ACA is likley to be going through change in 2017.  The attached document is from the AEI, a well-known conservative think tank,…

    Downloads: 8

  • AMSO Worksheet Tool L2-1

    The worksheet can be used to examine the extent to which a particular behavior or health risk factor addressed by your wellness program meets the requirements of the AMSO approach.…

    Downloads: 46

  • Annual Program Evaluation Survey Tool L1-11

    This tool is a sample of a program evaluation survey that can be used to evaluate a wide range of issues about the effectiveness of an employee wellness program. The…

    Downloads: 79

  • APA 2015 Work and Well-Being Survey

    This 2015 survey from the American Psychological Association (APA) is a national sample of over 1,500 American employees and contains a wealth of data on employee attitudes, preferences and perspectives…

    Downloads: 9

  • Assessing Organizational Readiness for Wellness Tool L2-12

    An organization’s readiness for Wellness and Well-being programming is usually shaped by senior management’s attitudes toward Wellness along with the propensity of the organization’s “culture,” meaning the commonly held set…

    Downloads: 38

  • Budget Example Tool L4-15

    This tool has an example of a Budget for a Large Employee Wellness Program. Published 2016.

    Downloads: 38

  • Concept Paper Tool L3-1

    The workplace is an ideal site for the establishment of an employee wellness program. The many reasons for this are highlighted in this tool and can be used to help…

    Downloads: 15

  • Concept Paper Tool L4-1

    The purpose of this concept paper is to provide an objective overview of the potential associated with the introduction of a Worksite Wellness program within any organization.  The information presented…

    Downloads: 13

  • Consumer Health Education Tool L3-7

    This tool contains a detailed listing of consumer health education skills. Our definition of Consumer Health Education is: “The set of skills that enables the individual to efficiently and effectively…

    Downloads: 25

  • Creating a Culture of Wellness Tool L4-8

    Creating a “culture of wellness” in your organization takes a lot of work.  It doesn’t happen by accident or serendipity!  There are a number of strategies that must be done…

    Downloads: 68

  • Data Collection Tool L4-2

    This tool contains a form that was developed in order to help you collect data for both the planning and evaluation of a Wellness program.  Once the data requested in…

    Downloads: 30

  • Diagnostic Codes Tool L4-5

    This file contains conditions that are generally recognized as epidemiologically associated with specific lifestyle and health risk factors.  The diagnostic codes are from the International Classification of Disease Agreement- 9th…

    Downloads: 9

  • Employee Engagement in the American Workplace

    This very useful report on employee engagement in the American workplace was released in 2017. Gallup developed "State of the American Workplace" using data collected from more than 195,600 U.S.…

    Downloads: 20

  • Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance: Recent Trends and Future Directions

    This 28 page policy brief just released from the NIHCM identifies the way employer health plan coverage is changing in response to the ACA.  This article provides a clear set…

    Downloads: 4

  • Estimating Presenteeism Costs in Your Organization

    What is this about? Another major challenge facing all U.S. employers involves estimating the current organizational cost associated with employees who are at work but have an underlying health problem that…

    Downloads: 31

  • Final Rules from EEOC on Wellness Incentives

    Summary: This summary of key questions and answers regarding the May 17, 2016 publication of EEOC Final Rules for employers and health plans regarding wellness incentives is an important clarification…

    Downloads: 16

  • Futuristic Look at Wellness Tool L4-13

    This tool is a futuristic scenario about a worksite wellness program. A Futuristic Look at Worksite Wellness: A Morning with Marie. Published 2016.

    Downloads: 22

  • Generational Differences Tool L4-14

    This tool has information that depicts some of the generational differences that exist in every working population and have clear implications for the design and implementation of worksite wellness programs. Published 2016.

    Downloads: 11

  • Glossary of Health Insurance Terms Tool L4-6

    This tool contains the terms associated with the design, implementation, management and use of health insurance plans. Published 2016.

    Downloads: 15

  • Glossary of Wellness Terms Tool L1-1

    This tool is a newly expanded glossary of wellness and health terms. With more than 100 different terms included in the glossary it can be used as a source for…

    Downloads: 12

  • Health Insurance Chartbook 2016

    Recently the federal government released one of the most comprehensive and authoritative chartbooks profiling health insurance coverage, costs and trends for working Americans.  This 168 page publication provides one of…

    Downloads: 15

  • Health Monitor HRA Tool L1-14

    The Health Monitor represents a third generation HRA that has the potential to be used for a large number of follow-up interventions, such as those identified in Tool 1-8. The…

    Downloads: 16

  • Hierarchy of Results Tool L4-11

    This tool contains a table that provides detail about the various possible results associated with worksite wellness programs. The results are presented in a hierarchy with the most foundational results…

    Downloads: 12

  • How to Calculate ROI Tool L2-10

    This tool includes two detailed examples of how to calculate the Return-on-Investment (ROI) of an employee wellness program using primarily health care cost changes. Example #1 is for situations where…

    Downloads: 55

  • HRA Interventions Tool L3-11

    This tool contains a large number of possible follow-up interventions from information collected by a well-being assessment or health risk assessment. in addition to general advice about efforts that would…

    Downloads: 13

  • Ideal Health Plan Design Tool L4-7

    The Ideal Health Plan characteristics suggested here are for use in either public or private organizational settings and are appropriate for large, medium or small size employee groups. The Ideal…

    Downloads: 28

  • Ideal Health Plan Tool L3-10

    The Ideal Health Plan characteristics suggested here are for use in either public or private organizational settings and are appropriate for large, medium or small size employee groups. The Ideal…

    Downloads: 11

  • Ideal Wellness Incentive Tool L2-5

    This tool provides an overview of what an “ideal” long term wellness incentive program might look like. Short term 3-8 week wellness challenges can be conducted periodically, but the long…

    Downloads: 29

  • IDM Case Study Tool L4-3

    This tool contains an example of an organization with a conventional set of absence and disability benefits. The example below illustrates how the organization can progress from a conventional disparate absence…

    Downloads: 5

  • Incentive Pay Values Tool L3-12

    There are a large number of different types of possible incentive rewards that can be used in wellness programming. These are often referred to as “pay values.” For our purposes…

    Downloads: 25

  • Incentive Pay Values with Survey Tool L4-16

    There are a large number of different types of possible incentive rewards that can be used in wellness programming. These are often referred to as “pay values.” For our purposes…

    Downloads: 19

  • Injury Prevention Skills Tool L3-8

    This tool contains a detailed listing of injury prevention skills. Our definition of “Injury Prevention” is as follows: “The set of skills each individual needs to minimize their personal risk…

    Downloads: 4

  • LMS Primer Tool L3-4

    LMS stands for Learning Management System and it's a global term for a computer system specifically developed for managing online courses, distributing course materials and allowing collaboration between students and…

    Downloads: 3

  • Master FAQ List Tool L2-2

    The file contains general responses to frequently asked questions that are often raised by key stakeholders about employee wellness programs.  You can augment these answers to suit your own organizational,…

    Downloads: 16

  • Medical Self-Care Skills Tool L3-6

    Medical Self-Care is an area of health knowledge and capability that addresses the way we consult medical references and use home medical equipment to diagnose and treat minor, self-limiting health…

    Downloads: 6

  • Modular Program Evaluation Tool L3-13

    This tool provides examples of a modular program evaluation approach that can be used with an employer's wellness program. The idea for permanent or on-going program evaluation identified in previous…

    Downloads: 11

  • Participation Strategies Tool L2-4

    There are a large number of possible strategies that can be used to increase participation levels in your worksite wellness program. This tool describes in detail 12 major strategies for…

    Downloads: 24

  • Possible Metrics Tool L4-12

    This publication provides an overview of a practical metric framework that can be used to guide the implementation and evaluation of an Health and Productivity Management (HPM) approach. It is…

    Downloads: 12

  • Program Descriptions of Effective Wellness Programs Tool L1-12

    This tool provides a description of 10 employer programs that have earned the prestigious C.Everett Koop awards. This is the highest honor that can be awarded to employers for their…

    Downloads: 29

  • Program Design Worksheet Tool L1-13

    This worksheet is to be used to help you plan and organize the various activities you are considering for your worksite wellness program. The worksheet uses the 6 step program…

    Downloads: 46

  • Reducing Metabolic Syndrome through a Wellness Intervention

    This recently published article in JOEM presents the findings of a 1 year program focused on the reduction of metabolic syndrome risk among a health plan employee population. The aim of…

    Downloads: 11

  • Results from Wellness combined with a CDHP

    A just published article in JOEM that presents the findings of a 5 year strategy combining a targeted well-being improvement strategy along with a full replacement Consumer-Driven Health Plan (CDHP).…

    Downloads: 12

  • Results Hierarchy Tool L3-5

    This tool consists of a table that provides detail about the various possible results associated with worksite wellness programs. The results are presented in a hierarchy with the most foundational…

    Downloads: 13

  • Sample Launch Letter Tool L1-7

    This tool is a sample of a formal launch letter that announces a new wellness program for employees. The major components of a launch letter or email include: sent out…

    Downloads: 24

  • Sample Request for a Health Plan Claims Analysis

    What is this about? Employer health benefit costs are headed up again. Estimates range from 6% to 9% or higher annual increases for 2020 renewals.  For larger organizations a health plan…

    Downloads: 12

  • Sample Wellness Program Budget Tool L2-8

    The file contains a sample budget developed as part of the National Healthy Worksite Program sponsored by the CDC and established by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of…

    Downloads: 35

  • Sample Wellness Proposal Tool L4-10

    The tool is a draft proposal is for a state-of-the-art employee wellness program for a company with approximately 18,000 employees.  This proposal can be modified and edited more extensively for…

    Downloads: 47

  • Solution Set #2 – Worker Health Cost Worksheet

    I have a vivid memory of sitting across from the CEO of a company with 18,000+ employees after I had asked him how much he was spending per year on…

    Downloads: 12

  • Solution Set #8 – Health Plans that Support Wellness

    What is this about? A major challenge for all employers is how to align their health plan design so that it supports wise personal health care choices and wellness behaviors.  Historically…

    Downloads: 14

  • Strategies for Optimizing Results Tool L2-11

    This tool contains a more detailed discussion of the 10 major strategies for optimizing the results and return from your employee wellness program. For each of the 10 major strategies…

    Downloads: 24

  • Summary of Injury Prevention Skills Tool L4-4

    This tool contains key injury prevention skills and related questions for work, home, vehicular and recreational pursuits. Published 2016.

    Downloads: 2

  • Summary of the Benefits of Wellness Tool L1-3

    This tool includes a summary of the various types of benefits associated with worksite wellness programs. The tool emphasizes the benefits from the vantage point of the individual, employer, community…

    Downloads: 9

  • Tips for Using Self Service Technology Tool L2-6

    This tool provides a number of tips and suggestions for getting the most benefit out of the major forms of self-service technology that are often used in employee wellness programs.…

    Downloads: 6

  • Trends in Prescription Drug Use in the U.S.

    This 14 page article published in JAMA highlights trends in prescription drug use for adults in the U.S. between 1999 and 2012. This summary data was derived from the National…

    Downloads: 2

  • Updated HERO Data Tool L4-9

    The Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO), a Birmingham, Alabama based non-profit corporation, maintains a multi-employer health risk and health cost database.  This database has been used to provide invaluable insights…

    Downloads: 10

  • Value-Based Insurance Design: Perspectives, Extending the Evidence, and Implications for the Future

    This 5 page article from the American Journal of Managed Care describes the new perspectives, evidence and future implications for Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID).  This article is one of the…

    Downloads: 2

  • Vendor Report Card Tool L2-3

    This particular tool represents a sample of what a vendor report card might include. Each of the performance issue listed in the example can be addressed. One approach would be…

    Downloads: 12

  • WebMD – 2015 Wellness Incentives Workbook

    This 2015 edition of a helpful resource on wellness incentive design and implementation includes a step-by-step approach to smart incentive strategies, best practices, complying with healthcare reform requirements, and how…

    Downloads: 33

  • Well-Being by the Decades

    This 2015 technical paper was written by Fran Melmed, founder, context communication consulting, for Virgin Pulse.  A helpful explanation of generation-related characteristics in communication styles and dynamics. In this piece, they…

    Downloads: 3

  • Wellness Metrics Tool L2-9

    The file contains the major organizational goals and recommended metrics for use in a wellness program management dashboard. These are organized around the constructs of productivity, cost reduction and program…

    Downloads: 29

  • What to Look For During a Walk-Through Tool L2-13

    When planning an employee wellness program it is important to have a good understanding of the physical nature of the work performed by employees throughout the organization and the actual…

    Downloads: 5