When it comes to wellness, ask employees what they want

By Nicole Lucht

Friday, May 22, 2009 | 3 a.m.

If corporate wellness programs want to be successful, employers need to ask employees what they want — instead of dictating wellness terms to them.

That’s the advice chiropractor Angela Cherniawski gives companies frustrated with employees’ lack of participation in wellness programs.

“In theory, if the health of employees is improved, costs are improved,” said Cherniawski, who runs Las Vegas-based Life Align Wellness Center. “There are certain things that need to be implemented that makes (wellness programs) effective. That one word, effective, is what makes it work.”

Employers should ask employees what health problems most trouble them, not what a blood screening tells them should concern them, she said.

“If employees don’t think a program is important, they won’t participate,” she said.

There should also be incentives for employees to participate such as rewards when goals have been met, or having employees pay for a portion of the program.

People place more value on things if they are invested in it, she said.

And if the employer finds out what their employees want in terms of wellness programs, those workers should be willing to share in the costs.

Cherniawski follows a holistic approach to health care, believing there are three causes of disease: stress; biochemical, such as poor nutrition or toxicities; and physical, such as lack of exercise.

Families cut out of insurance

It should come as no surprise, but a recent survey by the Health and Human Services Department that families that don’t have access to group health insurance through an employer can’t afford to buy it.

Experts have suggested the 23.8 million uninsured Americans under age 65 and not eligible for Medicare who don’t have access to an employer’s health insurance have incomes above the federal poverty line. Those experts reason the people can afford to purchase policies if they so choose.

However, the data released by the department’s Healthcare Research and Quality agency point to insurance being unaffordable.

The researchers found the median income of families that purchased health insurance was $41,086, just 2.3 times greater than the median income of $17,690 for families that were uninsured.

“This study has important implications for defining who can afford to pay for health insurance in the next wave of health care reform,” Dr. Carolyn Clancy, agency director, said in a statement. “We need accurate, evidence-based findings to ensure that we are providing policymakers with reliable information.”

Cutting pills to save money

A poll sponsored by UnitedHealthcare found that more than half of patients in the U.S. would consider splitting pills in half if it meant they would save money.

Of patients taking medication, 9 percent split prescription pills in half when given approval by their doctor.

Those surveyed said the global recession encouraged them to find ways to save money.

According to the data, 27 percent of respondents taking medications said they are not taking their prescription medications as directed, including 18 percent who said they are skipping medicines altogether.

And only about a third of those surveyed have asked their doctor or pharmacist about ways to save money on prescriptions, according to the poll.

“Pill-splitting under the direction of a physician can be a simple and safe way to receive the benefits of certain prescription drugs at half the cost,” Dr. Sam Ho, UnitedHealthcare’s chief medical officer, said in a statement.

Wound healing center

The wound healing center at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals — Rose de Lima Campus is the first in Nevada to receive certification from the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society.

St. Rose invited the society to perform an accreditation survey at the facility in December. It examined staffing, training, equipment installation, operation, maintenance, facility and patient safety, and standards of care.

“Earning Nevada’s first certification from (the society) — the gold standard certification for hyperbaric chamber operations — reinforces St. Rose’s ongoing focus on quality and clinical excellence in all aspects of our business,” St. Rose CEO Rod Davis said in a statement.

Cancer center

Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada received the 2009 Clinical Trials Participation Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The award is based on a number of factors, including quality programs based on community research with high-quality audit reports and investigators in good standing, tactics to overcome research barriers, and strategies to ensure and maintain the quality of research.

The centers are only the second medical group in Nevada to receive the award in the past six years. Annually, centers provides access to 150 clinical trials and research. Since 2003 the society has handed out 63 participation awards.

The centers are a member of University of California, Los Angeles, Oncology Research Network and US Oncology.

Nicole Lucht covers health care, workplace and banking issues for In Business Las Vegas and its sister publication, the Las Vegas Sun. She can be reached at 259-8832 or at [email protected].