Corporate Wellness Magazine Blog

The Senate Healthcare Reform Bill has created tremendous controversy because under current law employers can discount premiums up to 20% for healthy employees.  The Senate Healthcare Reform bill will increase that percentage to 30%.  The Senate Healthcare Reform also lets cabinet officials increase it to as high as 50%!   Not only does this apply for employer groups, but the Senate Bill would also create a 10 state pilot project to test incentives who have individual health insurance not through an employer.

“This means that individuals can be penalized for their genetic make-up or other factors they cannot readily control,” said Sue Nelson, a vice-president at the American Heart Association. 

What are your thoughts?

Anna Konger

Corporate Health and Wellness Association, Assistant Editor of Corporate Wellness Magazine

www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com

Issue #6 of the Corporate Wellness Magazine has been released on http://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com.  This is the only magazine dedicated strictly to employee health, wellness, prevention and disease management.

Read the 6^th issue of the monthly magazine dedicated exclusively to Corporate Wellness, Health, Wellness and Prevention at http://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com.

The magazine’s writers are insurance companies, employers and corporate wellness companies who are involved in the industry and therefore bring more of an evidenced based approach to the magazine’s content and articles.  Its articles are written by those who are actually implementing and involved in corporate wellness.

Corporate Wellness Magazine is also the official sponsor of the annual Corporate Wellness Conference, http://www.corporatewellnessconference.com, which just took place October 27-28th, 2009 in Los Angeles, CA.  The dates for 2010 are September 20^th-22^nd, also in Los Angeles.  It is the only national corporate wellness conference to take place in the U.S.  The Corporate Wellness Conference is aimed at employers, insurance companies and health insurance agents who have either implemented corporate wellness plans or are interested in implementing corporate wellness plans.

The first annual national employer Corporate Wellness Conference in Los Angeles, October 27-28^th, was a huge success and showcased great attendance in its first year with over 300 attendees, 50 speakers and 20 exhibitors and sponsors.  According to www.corporatewellnessconference.com the conference had amazing speakers from both the private and public sectors and featured attendees from employers, insurance companies, health insurance agencies, consulting firms, the US government and corporate wellness companies.

Susan Hannegan, Health Management Program Manager for Jack in the Box and the Conference Chairwoman said that, “The Corporate Wellness Conference was a great opportunity to bring people with a common goal together for thought provoking dialog and to share innovative approaches to improving employee health.  Partnerships and alliances were made that will further our mission of wellness for all.  We all walked away with a stronger sense that corporate wellness is achievable.”  Susan moderated sessions on the second day of the conference and heard firsthand what all speakers presented on.

The panel sessions highlighted the many discussion points surrounding wellness in its current state.  Topics ranged from ‘Health and Wellness 101’ to ‘How to Incorporate a Total Health Management Program.’  Many representatives from the private and public sectors were present to share their wealth of information on how they think the state of our nation’s healthcare can be improved and how they have been working to get there.

“The Corporate Health and Wellness Conference provided a great networking opportunity to meet with other corporations who are facing many of the same challenges we are.  The sessions were very informative providing information, best practices and resources which we can utilize,” said Kerry Cowart, Corporate Regional Dietician for Compass Group, USA. 

Elysa Jacobs, Manager, Health Improvement Programs for Pitney Bowes stated that, “The Corporate Wellness Conference was a great opportunity for me to network and benchmark with professionals in private corporation, government and with potential vendors.”

The 2^nd annual National Corporate Wellness Conference will take place September 20^th-22^nd, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel in Los Angeles, California and is expected to have up to 600 attendees and up to 50 exhibitors and sponsors.

The Corporate Wellness Conference is the official conference of the Corporate Wellness Magazine and the Health and Wellness Association.  The Corporate Wellness Magazine, www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com, was created as the main source of information employers, consultants and health insurance agents can learn about corporate wellness and to provide a central point of communication for an emerging multi-billion dollar industry that is extremely underserved and does not get the attention it deserves. Hundreds of companies provide either insurance products or vendor services and solutions in this corporate wellness industry and yet there is not a single dedicated magazine or conference for this industry. Even to this day, employers and agents do not know where to look for quality corporate wellness providers, vendors who provide unique solutions or where to find the best corporate wellness plans. 

The Corporate Health and Wellness Association, www.healthandwellnessassociation.com, is the first national non-profit association focused on health, wellness, prevention and disease management for employers, employees and their families. Their goal is to promote health and wellness in the workplace and to foster an atmosphere of education and engagement with health and wellness programs in the workplace.

The Corporate Wellness Conference would like to announce Anthem Blue Cross as a Diamond Sponsor of the 1^st Corporate Wellness Conference on October 27^th and 28^th, 2009. 

Anthem Blue Cross* provides over 8.3 million California members with health benefits and wellness services.  They are a part of the nation’s leading health benefits company serving the needs of approximately 35 million medical members nationwide. 

• They are focused on improving the health of their communities, delivering better care to members and providing greater value to their customers.
• Their 360^o Health programs improve member health through a range of care management and wellness initiatives and information.
• Their local presence and national expertise create collaborative programs that reward physicians and hospitals for clinical quality and excellence.
• They deliver what customers want: innovative, choice-based products; distinctive service; simplified transactions; effective member engagement and better access to information for quality care.
• They provide a full range of benefits and services to customers, including health, wellness, pharmacy benefit management, life and disability insurance benefits, dental, vision and behavioral health to provide a total benefit solution.
• For more information about Anthem Blue Cross visit www.anthem.com/ca.

* Anthem Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Association.

The Corporate Wellness Conference, http://www.corporatewellnessconference.com, takes place October 27th and 28th, 2009 in Los Angeles, California and will feature up to 400 high level executives in the corporate wellness area, over 20 sponsors, and over 50 expert speakers.   The conference will feature key speakers from Pepsi, Intel, Jack in the Box, Intuit Inc., Caterpillar Inc., Centers for Disease Control, the USDA, the National Institutes of Health and many more employers, and government officials.  This will be the first employer focused corporate wellness conference that features private one-on-one networking meetings.  Attendees will be able to pre-schedule private one-on-one networking meetings.  The Corporate Wellness Conference is the first conference focused on employers and is the official conference of Corporate Wellness Magazine, http://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com, and the Health and Wellness Association, http://www.healthandwellnessassociation.com.  

The Corporate Wellness Conference would like to announce Home Access Health Corporation as a Sponsor of the 1^st Corporate Wellness Conference on October 27^th and 28^th, 2009. 

Home Access Health Corporation makes it easy for people to take control of their health, at home.  With their accurate, affordable, and easy-to-use laboratory tests, requiring just a few drops of self-collected fingerstick blood, individuals are both screened and monitored for diabetes and cholesterol values.  From a single fingerstick sample, a total of seven tests are available, including:

• Complete Cholesterol Panel (four tests — total Cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, Triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol),
• Hemoglobin A1c,
• Fasting Glucose, and
• ALT Liver Enzyme. 

They design and support programs that are tailored to specific outcomes.  They partner with wellness and disease management companies, clinical research organizations and insurance companies, in addition to selling their products directly to consumers.

They hold accuracy certifications from Cholesterol Reference Method Laboratory Network (CRMLN) and the National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program (NGSP), and their laboratory is CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited.

Their test kits include everything necessary to self-collect a small fingerstick sample, package and mail the sample using the prepaid mailer included with each test.  All testing is done in their laboratory, and results are generally available within 3 business days of receipt of sample.

They operate their own call center, staffed with trained healthcare consultants, available to assist individuals with using their product and understanding their test results.

In addition to the more familiar tests for clinical chemistry assays, Home Access Health Corporation has the only tests for the HIV-1 and the Hepatitis C viruses that are approved by the FDA for self-use, without the need for a physician order.

The Corporate Wellness Conference, http://www.corporatewellnessconference.com, takes place October 27th and 28th, 2009 in Los Angeles, California and will feature up to 400 high level executives in the corporate wellness area, over 20 sponsors, and over 50 expert speakers.   The conference will feature key speakers from Pepsi, Intel, Jack in the Box, Caterpillar Inc., Centers for Disease Control, the USDA, the National Institutes of Health and many more employers, and government officials.  This will be the first employer focused corporate wellness conference that features private one-on-one networking meetings.  Attendees will be able to pre-schedule private one-on-one networking meetings.  The Corporate Wellness Conference is the first conference focused on employers and is the official conference of Corporate Wellness Magazine, http://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com, and the Health and Wellness Association, http://www.healthandwellnessassociation.com.  

The Corporate Wellness Conference would like to announce Viverae as a Sponsor of the 1^st Corporate Wellness Conference on October 27^th and 28^th, 2009. 

Founded in 2003, Viverae (viv-AIR-ā) is a national provider of customized health management solutions that enable organizations to reduce health care costs by keeping employees healthier. Through comprehensive health assessments, unique employee incentives, creative engagement strategies and proprietary software to track the insurance claims process, Viverae’s customized health management programs command high participation.  The end result includes maximized employee participation, early detection of health risks and positive lifestyle changes that reduce health care costs. For more information, visit http://www.viverae.com.  

The Corporate Wellness Conference, http://www.corporatewellnessconference.com, takes place October 27th and 28th, 2009 in Los Angeles, California and will feature up to 400 high level executives in the corporate wellness area, over 20 sponsors, and over 50 expert speakers.   The conference will feature key speakers from Pepsi, Intel, Jack in the Box, Caterpillar Inc., Centers for Disease Control, the USDA, the National Institutes of Health and many more employers, and government officials.  This will be the first employer focused corporate wellness conference that features private one-on-one networking meetings.  Attendees will be able to pre-schedule private one-on-one networking meetings.  The Corporate Wellness Conference is the first conference focused on employers and is the official conference of Corporate Wellness Magazine, http://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com, and the Health and Wellness Association, http://www.healthandwellnessassociation.com.  

The Corporate Wellness Conference would like to announce Cardio Ready as a Sponsor of the 1^st Corporate Wellness Conference on October 27^th and 28^th, 2009. 

Headquartered in Toms River, NJ, CR Certification Corporation (”CardioReady®”) is a totally independent entity comprised of doctors, attorneys and AED industry veterans, dedicated to reviewing cardiac emergency readiness programs such as golf clubs, health clubs, hotels, convention centers, conference centers, other public venues and work places to determine if best practices have been employed. CRCC certifies only those facilities as CardioReady® which have met or exceeded this strict standard. CardioReady® is a federally registered certification mark owned by CR Certification Corporation.

The Corporate Wellness Conference, http://www.corporatewellnessconference.com, takes place October 27th and 28th, 2009 in Los Angeles, California and will feature up to 400 high level executives in the corporate wellness area, over 20 sponsors, and over 50 expert speakers.   The conference will feature key speakers from Pepsi, Intel, Jack in the Box, Caterpillar Inc., Centers for Disease Control, the USDA, the National Institutes of Health and many more employers, and government officials.  This will be the first employer focused corporate wellness conference that features private one-on-one networking meetings.  Attendees will be able to pre-schedule private one-on-one networking meetings.  The Corporate Wellness Conference is the first conference focused on employers and is the official conference of Corporate Wellness Magazine, http://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com, and the Health and Wellness Association, http://www.healthandwellnessassociation.com.  

The Corporate Wellness Conference would like to announce Concentra as a Sponsor of the 1^st Corporate Wellness Conference on October 27^th and 28^th, 2009. 

Concentra is a leading health care company focused on improving America’s health, one patient at a time. Through its affiliated clinicians, the company provides occupational medicine, urgent care, physical therapy, and wellness services from more than 300 medical centers in 40 states. In addition to these medical center locations, Concentra serves employers by providing a broad range of health advisory services and operating more than 250 worksite medical facilities. Through this complement of services, Concentra intends to raise the standard of health by putting individuals first, treating them with clinical excellence, and focusing on their ongoing wellness.

The Corporate Wellness Conference, http://www.corporatewellnessconference.com, takes place October 27th and 28th, 2009 in Los Angeles, California and will feature up to 400 high level executives in the corporate wellness area, over 20 sponsors, and over 50 expert speakers.   The conference will feature key speakers from Pepsi, Intel, Caterpillar Inc., Centers for Disease Control, the USDA, the National Institutes of Health and many more employers, and government officials.  This will be the first employer focused corporate wellness conference that features private one-on-one networking meetings.  Attendees will be able to pre-schedule private one-on-one networking meetings.  The Corporate Wellness Conference is the first conference focused on employers and is the official conference of Corporate Wellness Magazine, http://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com, and the Health and Wellness Association, http://www.healthandwellnessassociation.com.  

The Corporate Wellness Conference would like to announce New Century Diagnostics as a Sponsor of the 1^st Corporate Wellness Conference on October 27^th and 28^th, 2009. 

New Century Diagnostics, Inc. was established in 2000 and is located in Buffalo Grove, Illinois.  New Century Diagnostics’ innovative, state of the art laboratory provides comprehensive clinical laboratory services to physician’s offices and other healthcare facilities throughout the Chicagoland area. New Century Diagnostics offers the convenience and customer service of a local laboratory with the sophistication of a large reference laboratory.

In the past two years New Century Diagnostics, Inc., has been involved in the process of developing and implementing a revolutionary blood collection device known as Advance Dx collection card. This patented technology was born out of the increasing demand for simplified yet cost-effective health risk assessment and disease management.  They are currently one of the few laboratories in the world specializing in Serum Separation Extracting technology.

Their strength lies in the way they collect, transport, extract and process samples. By integrating their extensive flexibility with the needs of their customers, they possess an array of problem solving solutions.

Look no further than New Century Diagnostics to provide you with unparalleled diagnostic capabilities today and into the future.

The Corporate Wellness Conference, http://www.corporatewellnessconference.com, takes place October 27th and 28th, 2009 in Los Angeles, California and will feature up to 400 high level executives in the corporate wellness area, over 20 sponsors, and over 50 expert speakers.   The conference will feature key speakers from Pepsi, Intel, Jack in the Box, Intuit Inc., Caterpillar Inc., Centers for Disease Control, the USDA, the National Institutes of Health and many more employers, and government officials.  This will be the first employer focused corporate wellness conference that features private one-on-one networking meetings.  Attendees will be able to pre-schedule private one-on-one networking meetings.  The Corporate Wellness Conference is the first conference focused on employers and is the official conference of Corporate Wellness Magazine, http://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com, and the Health and Wellness Association, http://www.healthandwellnessassociation.com.  

The Corporate Wellness Conference would like to announce Maxim Health Systems as a Sponsor of the 1^st Corporate Wellness Conference on October 27^th and 28^th, 2009. 

Maxim Health Systems, an industry-leader in providing on-site immunization and health screenings, offers customized wellness programs to fit the goals of organizations of all types and sizes. Their comprehensive corporate wellness services are designed to increase employee productivity and decrease health-related costs.  Since their inception in 1996, they’ve been providing new avenues of opportunity that positively impact the health and wellness of the communities they serve.  Among the services they offer are:

Contact Maxim Health Systems at www.maximwellness.com to receive a free consultation about your company’s wellness needs.

The Corporate Wellness Conference, http://www.corporatewellnessconference.com, takes place October 27th and 28th, 2009 in Los Angeles, California and will feature up to 400 high level executives in the corporate wellness area, over 20 sponsors, and over 50 expert speakers.   The conference will feature key speakers from Pepsi, Intel, Jack in the Box, Intuit Inc., Caterpillar Inc., Centers for Disease Control, the USDA, the National Institutes of Health and many more employers, and government officials.  This will be the first employer focused corporate wellness conference that features private one-on-one networking meetings.  Attendees will be able to pre-schedule private one-on-one networking meetings.  The Corporate Wellness Conference is the first conference focused on employers and is the official conference of Corporate Wellness Magazine, http://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com, and the Health and Wellness Association, http://www.healthandwellnessassociation.com.