customized program that would meet its needs. The hospital valued BHS's one- on-one support and ability to make the well
HEALTHY WORKFORCE, HEALTHY STAFF: Atlantic General Hospital Prioritizes Wellness
CASE STUDY
Atlantic General Hospital (AGH), based in Berlin, Maryland, is an independently owned hospital that’s committed to delivering advanced, personalized care to the Maryland, Virginia and Delaware community — but it’s equally dedicated to the health of its employees. With the help of BHS, AGH introduced a wellness program that gives employees countless ways to prioritize their overall well-being and help them lower blood pressure, BMI and cholesterol.
The Challenge AGH employs 640 full-time staff members, and the organization through its wellness committee wanted to empower the staff to be as healthy as possible. “Because we’re a hospital, we care deeply about wellness and the health of our associates. We recognized that if we had a healthy, productive workforce, we could give the care and support that our patients need,” said Tracey Mullineaux, AGH’s employee health and wellness nurse. “The healthier we are, the more productive we are, and the less absenteeism there is.” With a diverse employee population, AGH knew it needed a program that could adapt to each individual’s unique needs — a cookie-cutter wellness program wouldn’t work. To be successful in the long term, encourage participation and provide significant health benefits, AGH’s wellness program needed to be creative, flexible and agile. In addition, the organization didn’t want a program that felt forced. Like all hospitals, there are already a fair number of mandates that associates must comply with, such as getting a flu shot every year. When it came to wellness, Mullineaux and her colleagues wanted a program that allowed associates to feel like they were in the driver’s seat — one that enabled them to log into the portal on their own, look at their health metrics and benchmarks and make their own choices. AGH also recognized that individualized support would be necessary to empower its employees to meet tangible goals, such as lowering overall blood pressure, BMI and cholesterol, as well as to help the staff learn how to live a healthier life.
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AGH employs
640
full-time staff members
Medical claims were 20% lower than expected in 2016.
Ultimately, AGH found that BHS had the experience and expertise to develop and implement a customized program that would meet its needs. The hospital valued BHS’s oneon-one support and ability to make the wellness program experience personal.
The Program AGH implemented the Associates Getting Healthy wellness program with the goal of developing a culture that empowers associates and families to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle. To ensure the program’s success, AGH focused on seven key areas to drive participation and encourage long-term wellness changes. 1. Establishing Incentives To encourage participation, the program includes incentives for eligible associates. Associates who are covered by AGH health insurance and complete the requirements of the program receive $25 per pay period toward their insurance premium or $650 a year. Non-Medical Participants that complete the requirements will be entered into a raffle for a one time $150 gift card. Quarterly random drawings are also awarded based on total number of points. 2. Encouraging a Personal Commitment to Health To create lasting change, AGH understood that participants must be personally committed to their wellness. The first step was helping employees get familiar with common health indicators, where they currently stand and how they can improve. To do that, BHS provides hospital associates with yearly biometric screenings, as well as a software portal that allows employees to check in to see how they’re doing. “We encourage our associates to know their numbers — blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI and fasting glucose,” said Mullineaux.
“We found that everyone at BHS is really approachable,” said Mullineaux. “We work very closely with the program managers, and I’m so comfortable asking them questions. BHS is always right there; we feel like they’re our family. It’s a closeknit, comfortable relationship.” - Tracey Mullineaux, BSN,RN AGH Employee Health and Wellness
3. Providing Coaching and Resources Once employees know their numbers, the program goes a step further to help them improve or maintain those benchmarks. “If their blood pressure is in the ideal range, then we encourage them to keep doing what they are doing,” said Mullineaux. “If their blood pressure or any of the biometric numbers are in the high risk range, BHS contacts them either by phone or email to make sure they’re aware of the many resources that are available to them.” For AGH associates, that includes tools such as unlimited well-being coaching. Associates can work with coaches to develop personalized action plans to address specific areas of concern and set and pursue personal wellness goals. 4. Establishing Trust When the wellness program was first introduced, some employees were worried about confidentiality. “Initially, our associates wondered what was going to be done with the information,” said Mullineaux. “We
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explained that any information given to BHS is confidential and these numbers don’t get reported to the insurance company or to us.” To further appeal to its staff, AGH also customizes the program by asking associates what they’re looking for. For example, employees recently wanted to learn how to eat healthy on a budget, so AGH and BHS held a seminar on that topic. Because it was a subject associates wanted to learn about, it was very well-received. 5. Providing Ongoing Education While part of the program focuses on health metrics such as blood pressure and cholesterol, it goes far beyond yearly biometric screenings. “We educate our associates on the many benefits of lowering blood pressure and overall heart health through a variety of mediums, including weekly emails, articles, webinars, electronic whiteboards and bulletin boards,” said Mullineaux. “We also offer two educational webinars or seminars each month, which BHS helps with.” 6. Encouraging Friendly Competition Adding an element of competition also encourages participation. “We offer walk and movement challenges, as well as weigh-in challenges,” explained Mullineaux. Then, they make sure to provide ways for employees to succeed in those challenges. For example, AGH has a one-mile walking trail around the campus, and they host a family fun 5K walk/run each fall. 7. Continually Engaging Employees AGH and BHS work together to constantly develop new ideas to engage employees. This year, for example, AGH had a nutritionist come and provide demonstrations for healthy smoothies and grilling recipes. “BHS provides us with presenters for webinars, as well as fitness instructors for in-person classes,” said Mullineaux. “We’ve been really satisfied with the providers that BHS has sent to us, and if we ever did have a problem, I’m confident that BHS would be there to listen and to make sure we had the right providers moving forward.”
The Results Since implementing the incentive program in 2013, AGH has seen improvements in employees’ overall health, as well as participation. “The compliments that we receive from associates who participate in our wellness activities and the stories that are shared of positive lifestyle changes confirm to us that the wellness program is effective,” said Mullineaux. “Our program is making a difference.” Mullineaux has even seen it on an individual level. She had one associate come into her office concerned about her blood pressure measurement — which came as a surprise, since the person had never had a blood pressure problem before. Because of the screening, this person went to their primary care physician and got on medication to regulate their blood pressure. “It was the biometric screening that brought this issue to light,” said Mullineaux. “To me, that proves the success of the program.”
BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS
biometric participants moved out of high risk category in HDL and LDL.
35
biometric participants moved out of the high risk category.
78
47
biometric participants maintained ideal health status.
biometric participants showed an improvement in a health tier.
77
107
biometric participants showed an improvement in a health tier.
AGH participants have experienced 510 instances of health improvements in key wellness areas.
82% 316 of 384 biometric participants are in a healthy/ moderate blood pressure risk category.
BMI MEASUREMENTS
biometric participants moved out of the high risk category.
16
31
biometric participants maintained ideal health status.
52%
199 of 384 biometric participants are in a healthy/moderate BMI risk category.
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A
ccording to Mullineaux, the program benefits AGH on an organizational level by reducing absenteeism and lowering health insurance costs. In fact, medical claims were 20 percent lower than expected in 2016, and Mullineaux credits the program. “Our participants have moved from an average wellness score of 79 to 81, which is calculated based on biometric measurements, lab results and other healthcare measurements. Seeing the numbers changing and improving is great.”
The improvements haven’t gone unnoticed. “We received the gold tier award for Maryland’s Healthiest Businesses, and we also received the 2016 Second Quarter Dedication to Excellence award,” Mullineaux said.
“Our commitment to health and our successes are being recognized, and we’re so excited about it.” - Tracey Mullineaux, BSN,RN AGH Employee Health and Wellness
OVERALL RESULTS
77% of eligible associates participate in the AGH wellness program
2015 2013
Medical claims were 20% lower than expected in 2016.
Wellness participants went from a wellness score of 79 in 2013 to 81 in 2015.
510
^
Participants experienced instances of health improvements over a two-year span.
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