How Health Guidance Tools Can Improve Effectiveness of Care and (Employee) Engagement
By Panos Sechopoulos
Good health is the foundation of a productive, happy life. If someone is struggling with a health issue, it will impact every aspect of their life, including work. If employees do not feel well, their contributions will be affected and their ability to engage and thrive will be challenged. Employers will also be impacted by the loss of productivity. This can lead to an increase in healthcare costs and the loss of talent. The health and wellness of employees is directly related to the health and wellness of an organization. In her book Happiness at Work, Jessica Pryce Jones revealed that the average person would spend 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime—so it certainly matters how those days and hours are spent, how well people feel while working them, and how the organization’s culture supports and cares for their employees.
Meet Charlie, who is well on his way to 90,000 work hours. Charlie has worked for the same company for five years. He is a consistently good employee, shows up to work on time, does what is expected of him, and stays clear of drama. He is friendly with his co-workers and is generally well-liked. However, Charlie has been absent lately, missing at least one day a week for the last several months. He has not been feeling well and is anxious. He is trying his best to get answers to problematic health issues through multiple medical appointments that have left him with more questions than answers. Over the last several months, Charlie has spent thousands of dollars on deductibles and copays. He is trying his best to be present at work, but the added stress of missing work, exhausting his paid-time-off hours, and draining his savings is only exacerbating his health issues. He is becoming increasingly disengaged, distracted, and focused primarily on his health issues. Charlie is also feeling isolated and unsupported.
Charlie’s employer is likewise experiencing the effects of his declining health. He has missed a lot of work, resulting in a decrease in productivity—and the work he has completed has been less than ideal. Although as a self-insured employer, the healthcare cost has increased for employees, the employer continues to absorb most of those costs that will likely increase in the next year. The employer understands that providing a supportive work environment that cares for the whole person is essential to attracting quality employees … and so is offering a comprehensive benefits package. Thus, limiting those benefit packages is not a viable option. When employees feel that management truly supports them and their efforts, engagement is higher, productivity is improved, and employees are eager to be difference-makers*. Employers are challenged with deploying more innovative solutions to better manage the health of their employees, like Charlie, and evaluating these solutions for ROI can be difficult.
HealthBook+ is the smart solution. HealthBook+ is a preventative health platform that uses health guidance tools to guide individuals to their next best health action. Individuals own their healthcare data—data that is available in a simple-to-use, digital-first care platform. All the information is securely collected from a variety of sources, including data from wearables, self-reporting, remote monitoring, and various lifestyle habits. Data from medical appointments—including labs, imaging studies, appointment notes, and prescriptions—are also included. Charlie’s information would be available and accessible through a smartphone, tablet, or computer. It will never be shared with his employer, but only with those to whom he gives permission, such as family members and providers.
The HealthBook+ secured platform also leverages advanced AI to help identify health conditions early. The predictive analytics aggregates all health data and provides the owner with early messaging and alerts to a potential health issue. The health guidance tools alert the user and help to accelerate interventions early to prevent further deterioration of health and jump-start the next best health action. In Charlie’s case, the health guidance tool would have alerted him to the changes in his health data and further guided him through the HealthBook+ platform to his next best health decision early in his health journey.
Through earlier intervention, Charlie could have avoided missing work and the negative impact on productivity and his reputation. In addition, he could have saved thousands of dollars in deductibles and copays, avoiding the anxiety caused by loss of time and money. By diverting a potentially dire health issue, Charlie protected much more than his health—he protected his livelihood, reputation, retirement plans, and the unnecessary stress on his family. Charlie has also gained more appreciation for his employer through the process, as they provided the smart solution and health guidance tools through the HealthBook+ platform, further demonstrating the care and support for their employees.
The employer also benefited from the health guidance tools and early intervention. Employers are able to monitor health trends for their employees and provide supportive services based on employee needs before significant healthcare issues arise. This earlier intervention helps to reduce overall medical costs, absenteeism, and employee turnover, maintaining high levels of productivity and employee engagement, and attracting talented candidates from a shrinking labor pool. The employer also created a supportive, caring culture by providing health guidance tools to help keep employees healthy, happy, and engaged.
The health guidance tools within HealthBook+ can improve the effectiveness of care through early interventions by guiding the owner to their next best health decision and avoiding the potential for inappropriate or misdirected care. In addition, with efficient, effective care, employees can reduce missed workdays and help decrease the financial stress and anxiety caused by managing an illness. Furthermore, employers benefit by having a productive, healthy team of employees. The use of health guidance tools and early intervention methods benefits everyone, as good health is the foundation of a productive, happy life. The HealthBook+ team understands the importance of good health, early interventions, and the power of health guidance tools. There is so much to gain in preventing chronic disease and illness and creating a healthier environment.
For more information on HealthBook+, please visit www.healthbookplus.ai
*https://info.workinstitute.com/hubfs/2022%20Retention%20Report/2022%20Retention%20Report%20-%20Work%20Institute.pdB
