Companies with Wellness Coaching Programs Save Claim Dollars
Wellness coaching typically leads to 20% to 40% fewer surgeries, 20% to 30% fewer doctor visits and 20% to 30% fewer hospital admissions, according to Mary Jane Favazza, senior vice president of service delivery at Health Dialog.
That could represent significant cost savings for employers and patients. Wellness coaching is a high touch program that companies offer to their employees so that they can have an opportunity to work with a highly trained professional, usually a registered nurse certified wellness coach that can help them make lifestyle or behavioral changes. Most programs focus on weight management, nutrition, smoking cessation and stress management. A certified wellness coach offers strategies for sustainable lifestyle related behaviors. Additional professional resources may include dieticians, nutritionists and exercise physiologists. Educational materials and internet resources are also incorporated into the individualized program.
A Wellness Coach functions in the role of patient advocate. Individual risk factors are identified, as well as the patient’s readiness to change, motivations for change, and barriers to change. Motivational interviewing is patient centered and the wellness coach works with the patient to develop realistic achievable goals. The interactions are approached from a position of empathy and are never punitive.
According to Phil Macali, CEO and founder of New York based bWell International, “Wellness Coaching is the antidote that is necessary to transform consumers from healthcare users into healthcare consumers. If we can encourage people to make healthier lifestyle choices and adhere to their treatment plans by facilitating self care competencies, the outcomes include reduced health risks and better self management of chronic conditions.”
If your company doesn’t have a corporate wellness coaching program currently in place, you need to find a company with experience, demonstrated outcomes and registered nurses that have been through training programs to certify them in motivational interviewing techniques.
