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Great-West Healthcare CD eases implementation, drives participation in workplace wellness programs
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. – Oct. 11, 2006 – Great-West Healthcare, a national employee benefits provider, today introduced its interactive wellness CD to help employers set up and administer the Great-West Healthcare wellness program. Sixty-two percent of companies surveyed in the 2005 Deloitte Center for Health Solutions/ERISA Industry Committee study said they implemented wellness programs to improve employee health, and another 33 percent said they were considering such programs. Despite widespread adoption, implementation of a wellness program can be a daunting proposition.
The interactive wellness CD eases implementation by combining all wellness communication material in one place. The Great-West Healthcare CD includes five sections – the health and well-being assessment, communication calendar, employee materials, sample reports and nurseline.
The communication calendar includes an implementation timeline, recommended actions and all the necessary materials employers need to start the program. The timeline begins four weeks prior to the designated launch date and provides weekly actions for 10 weeks after launch. It is available in a printable calendar format on the CD. The health and well-being assessment is the foundation of the Great-West Healthcare wellness program, and the CD contains the tools employers need to encourage participation (presentation, posters and e-mails). The employee material section contains examples of e-mails, the personalized report and the health and well-being assessment flyer. In the sample reports section, participation and outcome reports are displayed, and the nurseline section contains examples of a poster and magnet employers can order.
“Participation is one of the most important elements of a successful wellness program,” said Mike Norris, assistant vice president of medical outreach, Great-West Healthcare. “This single-source, easy-to-use resource contains all the tools and information needed to effectively manage the wellness program and ultimately increase participation.”
Great-West Healthcare wellness program
Introduced in November 2005, the program takes a unique approach to wellness as it focuses on unhealthy habits. It addresses the root causes of these behaviors and the underlying reason for the action, as opposed to treating a side effect of a larger problem. For example, if a member is overeating due to stress, the program focuses on what triggers the unhealthy overeating habit, not just the habit itself. This approach may lead to great success in making and maintaining health improvements. With both on-line and telephonic features, the Great-West Healthcare wellness program is built around four pillars of health – fitness, nutrition, sleep and stress management. Components of the program include the health and well-being assessment, a nurseline, access to GlobalFit (consortium of fitness clubs) and a smoking cessation program.
For a copy of the wellness CD, please send an e-mail to tracey.budz@gwl.com and include contact name and address.
About Great-West Healthcare
Great-West Healthcare, a division of Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company, is a national employee benefits provider with expertise in self-funding and health care management solutions. Nationally, the division operates a health care network that includes more than 4,250 hospitals and 550,000 providers and provides health care services to 2 million people. Visit www.greatwesthealthcare.com for more information.
Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company, headquartered in metro-Denver, serves its customers through a full range of health care plans, life and disability insurance, annuities, and retirement savings products and services. It is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Great-West Lifeco Inc. and a member of the Power Financial Corporation group of companies. Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company is not licensed to do business in New York. Products are sold in New York by its subsidiary First Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company, White Plains, N.Y.
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