Know the Assessment Product

Workplace Solutions AssessmentCertification Training

Jeff Cross, MPH

Employer Initiative

Product Manager

1. Know the employer Best Practices for chronic disease prevention

2. Know the business case for chronic disease prevention

3. Know the goals of using WS Assessment and key features of the product

4. Know each step of WS Assessment product delivery: Recruit, Survey, Report, and Present

Workplace Solutions Assessment: Training Objectives

Workplace Solutions Assessment: Snapshot

What is it?

A tool for ACS staff to survey employer cancer control & wellness practices, and recommend evidence-based strategies to improve employee health behaviors.

Employer Consulting:Nationwide Strategy

Previously, ACS had multiple employer consulting products

Jan ’05, Nationwide workgroup proposed a two-tier approach using parts of existing materials and data from GW pilot project.

The two new products are: Workplace Solutions Assessment Workplace Solutions Consulting

Assessment available nationwide. Five divisions currently field testing Consulting.

Assessment v. Consulting

Consulting

Recruit: Large employers, access to decision-maker

Survey: 50 questions, yes/no, multiple response, and comments field. Asks about Best Practice and related/supportive activities

Reporting: “Enhanced feedback” current practices scored, recommendations described and ranked, ‘supportive’ practices that may facilitate implementation of Best Practices

Support: Solution Sets (including company-specific ROI, etc.)

Assessment

Recruit: Any size employer

Survey: 20 questions, yes/no, asks about Best Practices only

Reporting: Basic feedback: current standings listed, recommendations described, effectiveness & generic ROI estimates cited

Support: additional ACS products and materials

Advantages: quick, easy to deliver, creates cross-selling opportunities

WPS Assessment: Features

• Prevention focus: preventing cancer means preventing other chronic diseases, too

• Evidence-based: The Community Guide

• Web-based tool to auto-generate feedback reports

• Free and available to ALL employers

Employer Practices

Employee Behaviors

Outcomes

• Benefits

• Policies

• Programs

• Tracking

• Communication

• ↓ Tobacco use

• ↑ Physical activity

• Healthier eating

• ↑ Preventive care

• ↓ Cancer

• ↓ Chronic disease

• ↑ Health

• Controlled costs

• ↑ Productivity

WPS Assessment: Achieving Mission Impact

Assessment

Best Practice Risk Effect on Risk Factor Q # Product  

Benefits

Add coverage for cancer screening

CPS10-15% absolute increase in cancer screening

1Gold

Standard, GYST

 

Add coverage for cancer treatment

CPSAccess to cancer clinical trials, increase in utilization of effective treatment

1Gold

Standard 

Add coverage for tobacco cessation

TobNRT: 20-30% utilization, ~15% cessation rate

2Gold

Standard 

Send preventive care reminders CPSPromotes and encourages employees and their providers to get preventive care and avert expensive late stage treatment costs.

3Gold

Standard 

Track delivery of preventive care

CPSMonitoring and reporting feedback to doctors improves provision of preventive care by 40-60%.

4Gold

Standard, GYST

 

Policie

s

Ban tobacco use at worksites TobReduces amount smoked and eliminates tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure

5  

Post use-the-stairs reminder signs

PA 54% increases in stair use (routine activity) 11 POD  

Enhance access for physical activity

PA25% increase in adherence to physical activity guidelines

10 POD  

Subsidize healthy food choices Nut.35% increase in fruit & vegetable consumption

6-9Meeting

Well 

Implement sun protection policy Sun 30% increase in use of sun protection 12-14  

Pro

gra

ms

Sponsor a tobacco quit-line Tob25-35% quit rates. Also increase cessation attempts.

15-17Quitline,

Fresh Start 

Support a weight control program

BMI Participant weight loss 5-25 lbs 20 NuPA  

Offer a physical activity program PA10-30% increase in participants meeting PA guidelines.

18-19Active for

Life 

Tracking: survey employee health behaviors

Promotion: Promote the use of preventive care benefits, policies, and programs

Where do the Best Practices come from?U.S. Task Force on Community Preventive Serviceshttp://www.thecommunityguide.org

What is the Community Guide?

“The Community Guide summarizes what is known about the effectiveness, economic efficiency, and feasibility of interventions to promote community health and prevent disease.”

“The Task Force on Community Preventive Services makes recommendations…based on the evidence gathered in the rigorous and systematic scientific reviews of published studies…”

WPS Assessment: Evidence Sources

Why should employers care?

Labor Costs Are Huge in the U.S.

Health Care: A Huge Part of Labor Costs

Chronic Diseases: A Huge Part of Health Care

And Don’t Forget Productivity

WPS Assessment: Business Case for Prevention

For employers, chronic diseases are key…

Cancer leading cause of death among working age adults.

Chronic diseases 40% of health expenditures, nationally; 25-35% of employer-paid expenditures

Chronic diseases = 70% of all U.S. deaths

68% of morbidity and mortality is preventable

Also: Absenteeism, job performance, safety/workers comp., life insurance, retiree benefits, liability, human capital, corporate image…

WPS Assessment: Business Case for Prevention

6

10

55

57

68

72

79

80

0 20 40 60 80 100

OTC Nicotine Replace

Smoking Meds, Counsel

Flu Vaccine

Cholesterol

Colorectal

Prostate

Pap

Mammogram

Percent

Source: Partnership for Prevention Survey of Employers, 2001 data

Preventive care is often missing…

WPS Assessment: Business Case for Prevention

5

6

8

11

20

11

0 5 10 15 20 25

Smoking cessation

Mammogram

Cholesterol

Fitness

BP

Immunizations

Percent

Source: Partnership for Prevention Survey of Employers, 2001 data

Prevention is Missing at Worksites…

WPS Assessment: Business Case for Prevention

Prevention Strategies Minimize Costs

Reduce occurrence of chronic disease

Avert high-cost claims for treatment

Enhance productivity & work climate

Use healthcare/wellness dollars wisely

WPS Assessment: Business Case for Prevention

Recruit- Companies (not sites)

- All employers eligible

- Seek company decision-makers

Time: Variable

Survey1. Create Company

Profile: Enter # employees and sites, contact info

2. Survey Company: Enter company responses

Time: 30min – 1 hour

Report 3. Prepare Report: Click

to create, proof & customize

4. Submit Report: upload final, edited version

Time: 1 hr.

Present- Send Report +

Response Sheet

- Incl. Best Practices, CFF, ACS Screen. Guidelines (opt.)

- “Report-back” presentation (opt.)

Time: 1 hr

4 Online Steps

Workplace Solutions Assessment: Product Delivery Cycle

Prospecting ALL employers are eligible

Consider:

Health Insurance Workforce (older, longer tenure) Timing (HR availability) Potential gains

Who to Contact Company decision-makers

Human Resources (VP, Dir) Benefits (Manager) CMO (medical officer)

WPS Assessment: Recruit

What to walk away with…

Commitment to participate from knowledgeable company rep. in all key steps/mtgs.

Plan of Action: client involvement, timeline (next meeting)

Clear Expectations: client knows what kind of feedback to expect (recommendations)

WPS Assessment: Recruit

WPS Assessment: Recruit

• Survey:

“The first step is to complete the Assessment survey. It’s just 20 question and requires about 30 minutes. You and others familiar with your company’s health benefits, policies, and programs may respond.”

• Analysis:

“Once the survey is complete, we’ll compare what your company is doing to our Best Practices. This will allow us to identify specific evidence-based opportunities for improving employee health at your company.”

• Feedback:

“Within a week, I will send you a Recommendations Report. That report will contain a concise overview of specific cost-effective prevention opportunities. It will also point out where ACS can help.”

What’s involved in the Assessment process?

How Will Assessment Help My Company?

• Control health care costs: Assessment targets your single biggest cost-driver—chronic disease

• Improve employees’ health behaviors: Assessment will help align your company’s benefits, policies, and programs so they consistently encourage the healthy behaviors that you want employees to adopt.

• Provide proven strategies: For instance, there are a lot of physical activity programs to consider—some better than others. The Assessment Recommendations Report will spec-out which features to look for—based on research findings from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

WPS Assessment: Recruit

WPS Assessment: Staff Tool

Certification Training required before username and password issued

www.acsworkplacesolutions.com

Welcome

Click here!

Find support materials here

WPS Assessment: Getting Started

Step One: Create Company Profile

WPS Assessment: Create Company Profile

• Asks for

• # U.S. employees

• # worksites

• Primary company contact

• Can be modified later

Step Two: Survey Company

Only Staff will enter responses

Also available as .pdf on Resources Page

Be sure you’re surveying the correct company

WPS Assessment: Conduct Survey

Survey Format

• 20 yes/no questions about Best Practices

• Offer in-person, by phone, or electronically

• About 30 mins. to administer

• Respondent needs to have basic knowledge of benefits and company practices

• Hyperlinked terms

WPS Assessment: Conduct Survey

• In-person is best

• Company-level survey (not worksite)

• For multiple sites or health plans, ask do ALL follow sites/plans follow best practice

• Yes/No troubles, consider:

– Is it implemented in all applicable places?

– Does it reach maximum number of employees?

• Take notes

Step Three: Prepare Report

Save as WORD document and edit prior to step 4

WPS Assessment: Prepare Report

Report Format

• 5-7 page, management-ready Recommendations Report.

• Exec. Summary

• Purpose, Process

• Business case

• Recognizes Best Practices in-place

• Calls-out Best Practice opportunities

• Introduces other ACS products

WPS Assessment: Prepare Report

Click! (Get a response sheet, too)

Must Do’s:

• Format & Proofread

• Upload final report

Optional:

Tailoring (insert company-specific details and/or creative implementation ideas)

Include Sell Sheets, Best Practices list, Cancer Facts & Figures, ACS Screening & Early Detection Guidelines

Step Four: Submit Report

Will search your files for the edited and formatted version of your report

WPS Assessment: Deliver Recommendations

Presentation Format (model)

• In-person “report-back”

• Review recommendations, show where ACS can help, take questions

• Overall Goal: implementation of Best Practice & mission support

• Focus: relationship development & cross-selling

WPS Assessment: Deliver Recommendations

Not an Expert? • PowerPoint hand-out (use samples,

talking points)• Set the Tone (“opportunities” vs.

“recommendations”)• Be the connector, not the guru

Or skip presenting

Remember, this is your tool to help build employer relationships

Additional Resources

Additional Support

Workplace Solutions Assessment:Get Started!

Congratulations! You are Assessment certified.

URL, Log-in, and Password will be emailed by end of this week

EI mailbox for questions and suggestions