MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ — Small employers now have a cost-effective solution to reduce employee health risks, lower health care costs and stay competitive by attracting and retaining talent. Today HealthFitness (NYSE Alternext US: FIT) introduced HealthFitness’ Partner Program – a powerful combination of its eHealth portal, INSIGHT(R) Health Risk Assessment and EMPOWERED(TM) Health Coaching.
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HealthFitness is an award-winning provider of integrated fitness management and health promotion solutions for on-site and dispersed employee populations.
“While many employers see the value in health improvement programs, a sizable percentage – especially small companies – fall short when it comes to implementation,” said Gregg O. Lehman, CEO and president, HealthFitness. “For many small businesses, the reason is cost. HealthFitness’ Partner Program addresses the cost issue and allows these employers to realize the benefits associated with a health improvement program without having to make a substantial investment.”
HealthFitness’ Partner Program is a turnkey health improvement solution offered through third-party administrators to smaller organizations (up to 1,500 employees) at a competitive price. With the Partner Program, brokers receive special pricing allowances and a comprehensive sales package that includes support from a HealthFitness account manager, eight hours of training, administrative eHealth access and print-ready participant promotion templates.
“Our Partner Program allows third-party administrators to offer small employers a more comprehensive product than what major health plans offer–and at a more competitive price,” Lehman said.
According to a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute,(1) both large and small employers see the value of offering wellness programs; however, only 50 percent of small businesses – compared to 74 percent of large companies – were satisfied with the wellness program offered by their health plan.
The report suggests the difference in satisfaction levels between large and small companies could be attributed to the bigger selection of customized plans offered to larger employers, combined with the higher cost per employee that smaller employers must pay. The study also indicates that it is more difficult for small employers to purchase strategic and innovative services such as health promotion programs because small employers tend to be more focused on immediate issues such as the cost of coverage.
With HealthFitness' Partner Program, small employers receive: -- Health promotion and interactive educational tools through the HealthFitness eHealth platform; -- The INSIGHT Health Risk Assessment - a confidential, user-friendly health risk assessment that provides personalized health information about modifiable risks that are under an employee's control to prevent; -- EMPOWERED Health Coaching to support employees to change behaviors in 12 focus areas, including physical activity, healthy eating and stress management. Employees can access their health coach via phone and/or a private, secure online message board; and -- Annual aggregate reports to evaluate the effectiveness of the program at their site.
“During the next three to five years, studies show a majority of employers plan to make significant investments in longer-term solutions aimed at improving the health and productivity of their workers,” Lehman said. “Our Partner Program provides small employers with tools to cultivate a positive culture of health, empowering them to retain and optimize human capital, and to ensure their company’s ability to remain competitive in the current economy.”
About HealthFitness
HealthFitness is a leading provider of employee health improvement services to Fortune 500 companies, the health care industry and individual consumers. Serving clients for more than 30 years, HealthFitness partners with employers to effectively manage their health care and productivity costs by improving individual health and well-being. HealthFitness serves more than 300 clients globally via on-site management and remotely via Web and telephonic services. HealthFitness provides a complete portfolio of health and fitness management solutions including a proprietary health risk assessment platform, screenings, EMPOWERED(TM) Health Coaching and delivery of health improvement programs. HealthFitness employs more than 3,000 health and fitness professionals in national and international locations who are committed to the company’s mission of “improving the health and well-being of the people we serve.” For more information on HealthFitness, visit http://www.hfit.com/.
(1) “What employers want from health insurers–now,” PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute, October 2008
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HealthFitness
CONTACT: Karla Hurter of Health2Resources, +1-703-319-0957,[email protected], for HealthFitness
Web Site: http://www.hfit.com/
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