| Highmark
Helping Its Employees Scale Heights Of
Health Improvement
Highmark Inc. is taking its employee health into
its own hands, opening two health centers at its two worksites. The
company wants to reduce its healthcare costs and get employees more
engaged in their own healthcare decisions. The centers are in Camp Hill
and Pittsburgh.
It will offer its employees a variety of services,
including primary care, vaccinations, physical therapy and a pharmacy.
Employees also have access to an on-site fitness center and wellness
classes, as well as the opportunity to participate in Lifestyle
Returns, a wellness program stressing healthier lifestyles.
Highmark is working with Take Care Health Systems
to aid operating the health centers. Take Care Health Systems is part
of Walgreens Health and Wellness Division and currently operates more
than 375 worksite health centers around the country.
In 2007 Highmark published a wellness study that
indicated for every dollar spent on wellness efforts it saved an
additional $1.65.
"Based on our research, we expect to save several
hundred thousand dollars on our overall healthcare costs" in 2009, said
Dr. Kenneth R. Melani, Highmark president and CEO. "Employees will be
able to see a doctor at work rather than spending several hours going
to an off-site appointment."
According to Cambridge, Mass.- based Fuld
& Company, worksite health centers can offer employers
immediate savings of 10 to 30 percent on healthcare costs by reducing
services, increasing productivity among the workforce and improving the
overall health and well being of the employee population. Fuld is a
research and consulting firm in the field of business and competitive
intelligence.
Based in Pittsburg, Highmark is an independent
licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, servings 4.8
million people through the company’s healthcare benefits
business.
Address: Highmark, Fifth Avenue Place, 120 Fifth
Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3099; (412) 544-7000, www.highmark.com.
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