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The healthcare delivery system is in the midst of a revolutionary change from seeing patients on an episodic basis as they need a specific service to becoming more people-centered and caring for a defined population. “Population” can be used to describe a workforce.
 
Employee wellness programs must change with the times as well to take advantage of this paradigm shift. It is no longer enough to offer screenings such as blood pressure and BMI, which leave the employee with a one-dimensional reading from one singular point in time with no accompanying plan of action.
 
At Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, we have begun taking a new approach to offering healthcare services to 

commercial clients and we are now working in partnership managing the populations of three different employers.Below is a basic outline of the program.
 
Be a partner, not a vendor: Our first step in meeting with our business clients is to talk about their goals. Working together, we define how best to manage the health and health risks of their associates while also offering services that may lead to healthcare savings and a healthier more productive workforce overall.
 
Become a resource: Business owners are counting on healthcare providers to be the experts to guide them in what most will note can be a very confusing array of healthcare options. In creating a strategic plan for worksite wellness, we are able to discuss not only our services but arrange for other providers that may be needed, such as vision.
 
Build the team: By bringing our physicians and other clinicians to the workplace, employees gain access to a larger network and a higher level of care management. Physicians perform timely physical assessments, have patients’ blood drawn and sent to the lab, review and provide results of tests and arrange for any necessary follow up visits. Physicians have been receptive to the program as it adds to their practices and patients have enthusiastically embraced the “one-stop-shop” approach that is convenient, comprehensive and less time-consuming.
 
Offer a comprehensive program: We want to be the trusted healthcare partner for life. Employees in some of our strategic workplace wellness plans are enjoying multiple sessions with a nutritionist and chef who are educating them on food sources and how to create healthy meals. We also have arranged for a massage therapist and yoga instructor to teach employees how to relieve stress and the importance of exercise. To add to the value of these programs, we are also discussing offering these services after-hours at our clients’ places of business.
 
Maintain the infrastructure: Gaining and analyzing metrics in an effort to improve care and obtain better outcomes is one of the cornerstones of population management. Holy Cross Physician Partners, which created one of the first commercial accountable care programs in the state, provides the infrastructure necessary to offer quality patient-centered care to our commercial clients. Once they see one of our physicians, employees become part of the overall population of Holy Cross patients. They then have access to a web-based patient portal that offers them an avenue to becoming active participants in their care. At the same time, we can begin tracking metrics and following up on any needed tests and healthcare plans.
 
Win, Win, Win: In structuring a worksite wellness plan with a primary objective of patient-centered care, everyone wins. Employees find it more convenient to see our physicians at work without the fear of losing wages for lost time that might otherwise delay them from seeking care. Effective population management offers employers the opportunity to start driving down costs as illnesses are prevented or caught in earlier stages. As healthcare providers, we also win by improving the health of our communities.
 
Employees need to be given more than bandages and stress balls with a hospital logo emblazoned upon them. They need a health partner that is there for them today and will be with them in the years to come.