During a meeting with the Director of Wellness for a large East Coast Blue Plan, it became clear that while the director had extensive experience in plan management, she lacked familiarity with wellness program delivery. She mistakenly assumed that the wellness program’s internal structure should replicate the external clients’ setup. This misalignment highlighted her limited understanding of how wellness services should be tailored to clients’ needs and the necessary internal support.

To address this, I introduced a tool called START, designed to align wellness services with client needs and internal resources. START, which stands for Service Providers, Targets, Accountability, Resources, and Team, provides a framework to ensure that wellness programs have the necessary administrative support. The tool aims to clarify and improve the alignment between wellness services and the administrative infrastructure needed for success. The director found the tool valuable in refining her wellness program’s structure, leading to a more effective and well-supported program.

Free tool download: Administrative Structure of Employee Wellness Programs: Download here