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Employers Interested In Shrinking Supersize
Health Care Claims Get Help from LifeCare®
State-of-the-art health and wellness services aid employees
in getting fitter, making lasting lifestyle changes
WESTPORT, Conn., February 14, 2005 – One-third of Americans
are now obese, meaning they are 20 to 25 percent over ideal body weight for
their height. Troubling news—not only to millions of at-risk individuals
but also to their employers, who help foot the bills for their insurance and
medical claims. Both groups can take heart, however: LifeCare®,
Inc. is coming to their aid with a host of state-of-the-art health and wellness
resources designed to improve the physical fitness of individuals and the fiscal
fitness of their employers.
LifeCare's new resources include a variety of interactive online
tools (including a Health Risk Assessment, self-paced behavior change programs
to aid healthy living, a drug database, a symptom checker and more); a vast
electronic library of health-related articles; on-site and online seminars;
and one-on-one telephonic health coaching.
“High-quality health and wellness resources like these
can deliver enormous benefits to employees and employers alike,” says Jeffrey
A. Burki, LifeCare's chief strategy officer. “For employees, the benefits
are improved health in the short term along with lifestyle choices that proactively
prevent illness and disease in the longer term. For employers, the benefits
are reduced health care claims, fewer sick days taken and a workforce that's
happier and more productive.”
Beyond the Basics: Delivering
Customized Assistance Online
LifeCare's new health and wellness resources were created to go beyond its core
resource and referral service, which helps employees and family members locate
providers and resolve the gamut of work and family issues—including basic
health-related matters. The company's new resources provide an even greater
level of customized, interactive assistance.
Individuals access the HRA, developed by Gordian Health Solutions,
through LifeCare's private web site. The HRA helps users assess their levels
of risk for various diseases/conditions and offers fully personalized care strategies.
Thanks to a partnership with Miavita, the HRA is integrated with LifeCare's
online Healthy Living Programs (HLPs), which help individuals take action to
minimize their risks. An individual who learns that she is at risk for diabetes,
for instance, will be encouraged to join a diabetes-fighting HLP.
“Users participate in the HLPs via our web site,” Burki
says. “Each HLP lasts about six weeks and they all enable people to participate
at their own pace. They even contain meal planners and other tools to help individuals
track their progress.” The Healthy Living Programs address weight loss, getting
in shape, stress relief, healthy aging, diabetes, cancer, heart health, and
smoking cessation.
LifeCare's electronic library of health-related content includes
proprietary articles developed by its own subject matter experts, articles by
esteemed Yale New Haven Hospital physicians, and best-in-class content from
Healthwise. “And our on-site and online seminars also address a wide variety
of health and wellness topics,” Burki notes. These topics include healthy meal
planning, prenatal planning, understanding eating disorders, stress management,
and grief and bereavement.
LifeCare's telephonic health coaching program is offered in
partnership with Leade Health, a disease-prevention company specializing in
health behavior programs. “Our Health Coaches are dedicated and experienced
Bachelor- and Master-level professionals with outstanding motivational interviewing
skills and a deep understanding of the complexities involved with behavior change,”
says Burki. “Right now, we're offering coaching in three areas: weight
management, cessation of tobacco use, and stress management. We plan to add
more coaching areas over time.”
One of the advantages of LifeCare's health and wellness offerings,
Burki states, is that organizations can purchase them as an integrated package
or as stand-alone components to supplement their current health and wellness
initiatives. “We also help organizations promote their health and wellness
initiatives creatively and aggressively,” he adds. “This is an area where
many employers fall down. As a result, their programs go unnoticed and underused.”
Founded in 1984, LifeCare delivers the full spectrum of work/life
education, resources and referrals to 1,500 client organizations nationwide.
Notes to Editors
Jeffrey A. Burki is available for
interview.
Mr. Burki is a co-founder and the chief strategy officer of LifeCare, Inc.,
responsible for product management, business development and strategic partnering
opportunities for the company. In addition to these responsibilities, Mr. Burki
defines and evaluates emerging market strategies and helps to plan the company's
go-to-market strategies. He oversees the ongoing enhancement of LifeCare's established
service innovations including its award-winning web site, the company's online
Resource Center, the Discount Center, various e-learning tools, and industry-leading
geriatric care management models. He also helps to identify opportunities to
differentiate LifeCare in the marketplace and maintain its reputation for excellent
quality. Mr. Burki was among the first people in the industry to recognize opportunities
for integrating work/life with Employee Assistance Programs and other benefits
programs. He helped to shape LifeCare's flexible program design and its proprietary
technology, both of which provide more holistic solutions to employees' needs
than standard work/life offerings.
About LifeCare®, Inc.
LifeCare®, Inc. is one of the largest privately owned employee
benefits organizations in the U.S. and the exclusive provider of Life Event
Management® Services. With more than 20 years of experience in
delivering highly personalized counseling, education and referral services,
LifeCare helps employees manage the day-to-day challenges of their lives. In
turn, LifeCare helps employers improve employee commitment, recruitment, retention
and workplace productivity. LifeCare currently serves 1,500 client companies
with 4.5 million individuals within health plans, governmental agencies, unions
and corporations. For more information, visit www.lifecare.com.
About Miavita, LLC
Headquartered in New York City, Miavita is an innovative provider of health
management programs that help companies improve the health of their employees
and members. Since 2001, their Web-based Healthy Living Programs have helped
individuals lose weight, get in shape, reduce stress, quit smoking, and manage
the lifestyle aspects of certain chronic conditions. Their goal is to help users
live better and longer, while reducing the cost of their healthcare and increasing
their productivity. For more information, visit http://www.miavita.com.
About Gordian Health Solutions
Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Gordian offers a comprehensive suite of products
and services. Gordian works with employers, health plans and hospitals to identify,
control and manage health risk factors and their associated costs. Through targeted
and tailored programs, and sophisticated tracking, monitoring and reporting
capabilities, Gordian works with clients to measure program progress and cost
savings. For more information, visit: http://www.gordian-health.com.
About Healthwise
Healthwise is a nonprofit organization that has been helping people make better
health decisions since 1975. More than 60 million times a year people turn to
Healthwise® information for help in making health decisions. Healthwise
works with health plans, hospitals, disease management companies, and clinics
to provide decision-support and self-management information to the people they
serve. For more information, visit www.healthwise.org
or call 1.800.706.9646.
Media contact: Jim Derivan
LifeCare, Inc.
pr1@lifecare.com
203-291-4196
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