Taking Health To Workplaces
By Dr. Christopher Miura
Assistant Associate Medical Director of Community Relations, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii
Whether your company is new to workforce health or is expanding activities, Kaiser Permanente’s workforce health program is designed to motivate your employees to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Our integrated care delivery system – built on a foundation that includes doctors, nurses, physical therapists, health educators, registered dietitians and researchers – enables us to identify and apply the best practices when we create programs for your workforce.
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Our employee-based pro grams are customized to fit the needs of your business, and there are a variety of program choices. A few options include Do It Yourself programs, online services, and Health Works workbooks offering free step-by-step guides, advice, resources and tools, including worksite and employee interest surveys to help customize a workforce health program that addresses your specific goals.
It is easy to think that beyond providing benefits there is little your organi-zation can do to impact an employee’s health status, but that is not the case. Enabling employees to have consistent access to manage their care online can improve productivity. For example, an employee who can email his or her doctor rather than taking time off from work to attend an appointment may be able to save time and the cost of a copay.
In 2012, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii members sent, on average, more than 13,000 secure email messages to clinicians each month. They also can take advantage of the other online features to check lab test results, make appointments and order prescriptions online – saving them time and money.
The time employees spend at work each day gives employers the chance to influence their employees’ lifestyles. Company leadership should establish a culture of health that promotes and supports healthy lifestyles. When employees are empowered to live healthier lifestyles, they can become more productive – which also can deliver improved bottom-line performance.
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