Encourage Your Employees to Practice Prevention
Blues Perspectives
| 2 min read
Preventive health screenings and annual physicals can help people catch serious health problems sooner, leading to better outcomes and reduced health care costs. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that if everyone in the U.S. received the recommended preventive care, more than 100,000 lives could be saved yearly.
As an employer, you have the power to encourage your employees to take preventive health care seriously. Preventive visits can empower your staff with knowledge about their current health status. They also help identify issues that could lead to future health problems such as:
- High blood pressure
- Colon polyps
- Elevated blood sugar
- Cancer cells
- Depression
Preventive visits also provide an opportunity for people to work with their physician to develop an action plan to avoid or manage a chronic condition, which is beneficial in controlling health care costs. So, how can you encourage your employees to adopt healthy preventive care habits?
- Link an annual exam compliance to an incentive.
- Link preventive screening compliance to an incentive, such as:
- oHealth Savings Account (HSA) with employee contributions
- oCo-pay/deductible contributions
- oMonetary reward such as a gift card or raffle
- oOffer an additional PTO day coded for preventive screenings
- Promote a culture where preventive care is the norm. You can do this through:
- oTargeted communications
- oEducating employees on their benefits during onboarding and throughout the year
- oEncouraging leadership to model preventive health behavior and promote it to their teams
- oHealth observance campaigns
Learn more about how to create a workplace culture that embraces preventive health care in this Blue Cross® Virtual Well-Being webinar. You can sign up for future employer-focused and general interest webinars here, where you’ll also find past sessions and resources.
Related:
- Self-Care for the Human Resources Professional
- Implementing a Digital Detox at Work
- The Importance of Spreading Happiness at Work
Photo credit: Getty Images
