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Incentives Matter: A Simple Change Equals Big Results for Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan Wellness Program

Posted on: Tuesday, 2 October 2007, 09:01 CDT

Today, Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan (MCHCP) and Gordian Health Solutions announced an exciting increase in participation in a member wellness program, driven by a simple change in incentives. The organizations are reporting a 221% increase in member participation from the first to the second years of the wellness program administered by Gordian.

MCHCP provides medical coverage to employees and retirees of most Missouri state agencies as well as other public entities that have joined MCHCP. Altogether, MCHCP has over 104,000 employee and dependent members. Partnering with Gordian, a leading national health and productivity improvement company based in Nashville, Tenn., MCHCP offers its members a wellness program called Lifestyle Ladder, which has just entered its third year.

The Lifestyle Ladder program, available to the 62,000 covered non-Medicare subscribers and their spouses, is designed to improve health and educate members on the forces that can impact their health and quality of life. The goal of the program is healthier, more productive members who take a proactive approach to lowering individual and overall health care costs.

"We are thrilled with the increase in participation from our members," says Ron Meyer, executive director of MCHCP. "The Lifestyle Ladder program has been a big success, with many of our members reporting positive experiences and results. Now, with the revised incentive program, we hope to continue to see increased participation, healthier and happier members, and lower health care costs."

One of the key components, and the first step, of the Lifestyle Ladder program is a personal health assessment (PHA), which members complete in order to evaluate their current health status. "The PHA is a great health education tool," said Roger Reed, BSN, RN, FNP, PA, executive vice president for market operations at Gordian. "It helps people understand the true impact of behaviors like smoking, poor diet and sedentary lifestyles on their personal health status. But behavior change often requires a gentle push in addition to education." The Lifestyle Ladder program uses health coaching provided telephonically by Gordian (e.g., nurses, dietitians, exercise specialists) to provide that push. MCHCP participants receive educational mailings and talk to personal health coaches interchangeably throughout the yearly program cycle for encouragement, further education, and assistance with goal setting and monitoring.

In program year one of the Lifestyle Ladder program, participants were given a $25 incentive for completing the PHA and $45 quarterly for continued participation in the wellness program. In program year two, MCHCP revised the incentive for participating in the program. Members were given premium reductions of $12 per month for completing the PHA and participating in a wellness program.

"With just this redirected incentive structure, changes in MCHCP's participation from program years one to two were extraordinary," said Adam Long, Ph.D., vice president of research and informatics at Gordian. "MCHCP went from 13,981 PHA completers in program year one to 27,015 in program year two, a 93% increase. But the biggest benefit comes from participation in health coaching, which increased from 6,007 in program year one to 19,307 in program year two, an incredible 221% increase."

About Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan

MCHCP serves as a large group purchaser of medical, dental and vision insurance. In addition, MCHCP provides an employee assistance program (EAP) and programs for wellness and disease management. MCHCP operates under the direction of a Board of Trustees and is committed to providing quality health benefit programs through quality companies and providers. The health care plans offered through MCHCP include a wide range of coverages and ensure network providers meet specific credentialing requirements. MCHCP's mission is to provide access to quality and affordable health insurance for state and local governments. For more information, visit www.mchcp.org or call (800) 487-0771. To learn more about the Lifestyle Ladder, go to www.lifestyleladder.org.

About Gordian Health Solutions, Inc.

Gordian is a leading national health and productivity improvement company that offers a comprehensive suite of products and services, such as population health risk analysis, telephonic lifestyle and chronic condition coaching, online products, health screenings, personal health assessments and incentive management services. Gordian helps employers, health plans and government entities identify, control and manage health risk factors and their associated costs through targeted and tailored programs, and sophisticated informatics and reporting capabilities. For more information about Gordian, visit www.gordian-health.com.

Source: Business Wire

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