Humana Wellness Program Evaluation Study- “GO365”

What is this about?

This edition of Connections newsletter provides the results of a new large scale multi-employer case study of the “Go365” wellness program with more than 135,000 fully insured employees of small and large businesses. The case study examines engagement levels, participant claims costs trends, health satisfaction levels, self-reported productivity levels, employer loyalty, preventive service use, happiness level and selective health care utilization changes over a period of 4 years. The authors divided the experimental population into small employers (2-99 EEs) and large employers (>100EEs). In a key finding, the Go365 Fully Insured Outcomes Study revealed that as participating associates became more engaged in the wellness program, their claims experience were more likely to improve, in addition to their health perception and healthcare utilization. 5 levels of engagement in the wellness program were tracked for all participants during a 4 year period. This included Blue, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum levels based on the amount of preventive screening and key wellness behaviors completed.

Some of the main findings reported in the study are as follows:

The more program participation the lower their health care costs. (All groups)
High-engaged members (Platinum/Gold Status) experienced an average of 24 percent lower claims costs, compared to low-engaged members (Blue/Bronze Status).
Over the course of the analysis period, high-engaged small group members saved an average of $58 in healthcare claims per member per month (PMPM), relative to low-engaged members.
In large groups, high-engaged members saved an average of $118 in healthcare claims PMPM, relative to low-engaged members. ($1,416 per participant per year savings)
High-engaged small group members had 6 percent more preventive care physician visits and 33 percent fewer emergency room visits, compared to low-engaged members.
High-engaged large group members had 2 percent more preventive care physician visits and lowered emergency room visits by 32 percent, compared to low-engaged members.
High-engaged employees rated their overall health satisfaction as good to excellent, 5 percent more than low-engaged employees.

Why is this important?

This document is important because it reports on one of the largest, multi-employer evaluations of employee wellness program outcomes yet completed. The report provides a number of useful insights on the higher order results of a very large number of fully insured employees over a 4 year period. This study provides fairly strong evidence that employee wellness programs can significantly impact on health care costs, utilization and health perceptions. The information in this document can be used to leverage additional wellness programming activities for employees.

What can you do with this document?

First, download and skim the document for the major issues it addresses.
Next, visit the link identified in the report for more information on the study.
Next, identify where this information can be used with your employees and management.
Next, using a “snipping tool” to copy selected graphics and table information that you want to use and mount them into PPT slides.
Next, be sure to cite the source of the study. (Humana)
Then, share the information with your intended audience(s).

In summary, this document provides a number of important informational insights about what Humana’s GO365 Wellness Program accomplished during a 4 year period with more than 135,000 fully-insured participants from multiple small and large employers.