One key way to improve employee condition management
While general health is still important, employers are often turning their wellness investments to focused condition management.
When I first started out in employee wellness twenty years ago, risk reduction was the name of the game. Walkathons and on-site biometric screenings took on health issues like inactivity and high blood pressure. Their ultimate goal was to prevent diabetes, heart disease, and other common conditions.
Of course, general health is important. But return on investment from those kinds of wellness programs was notoriously difficult to measure.
Related: Beyond the 3 pillars of effective employee wellness programs
These days, employers are often turning to focused condition management solutions. General health still matters. But modern programs are more capable of tackling wellness within the context of a specific condition. Employers in turn are able to evaluate programs that address not only the symptoms of a condition, but also the risk factors that get in the way of recovery.
Risk factors can be more effectively addressed within the context of a condition
Lack of exercise, poor nutrition, and sleep problems can all impact effectively managing chronic conditions. But different conditions need unique approaches to improving health.
In chronic musculoskeletal pain, for example, inactivity can worsen pain symptoms. For these employees, general interventions like setting a steps goal with a gift card reward may not help. That’s because up to 70% of people with persistent pain experience kinesiophobia – fear of movement. Before people with pain can start an exercise program, underlying fears around safety and exercise need to be addressed.
The same principle applies to other interventions, such as sleep and nutrition programs. People living with diabetes have specific nutrition concerns. Employees living with asthma or depression may both experience sleep problems – but need their own solutions.
Mental health challenges can be barriers to recovery
Employers today are also more focused than ever on addressing mental health in the workplace. Depression and anxiety are common comorbidities of many chronic conditions. In fact, one-third of people with chronic conditions also experience depression. Workplace stress in particular has been linked with chronic low back pain.
Changes to diet, exercise habits, and social support can all help, but depression itself makes it difficult to start something new. Solutions that include features like personal coaching, stress reduction techniques, or behavioral therapy – catered to the specifics of a condition – can all help overcome mental health issues that can worsen and perpetuate symptoms.
Most companies launch their programs because they’ve already noticed high cost drivers. For example, in corporate musculoskeletal programs, companies track metrics like spending on back surgery and other costly interventions before and after launch. While there are still often many confounding variables, targeted solutions make it much easier to match impact to the interventions than generalized health improvement programs.
If programs aren’t bringing in the results you hoped and planned for, unaddressed lifestyle factors and mental health barriers may be getting in the way. As you consider new programs, think about whether they take lifestyle and psychological barriers into account, too.
Integrate targeted solutions with your other employee benefit offerings
Ideally, condition management solutions address general health within the program. Employers can also integrate condition management solutions with their other offerings. Integrating solutions can help support employees whose needs go beyond what your programs offer.
For example, more severe mental health challenges may need support from a licensed mental health clinician. A health coach for a condition management program may identify someone who could benefit from your company’s EAP. On-site clinics can refer eligible employees to your company’s targeted offerings for support outside of the clinic.
Targeted solutions combined with more general offerings create a supportive ecosystem for employees with and without chronic conditions.
Context is key
Employee condition management solutions can – and should – work hand in hand with general health interventions. Whether lifestyle factors are integrated within the problem or through other resources at a company, it’s critical to treat each employee as a whole person – not just as someone living with one condition. This perspective change makes a significant difference in outcomes for both individuals and organizations, too.
Brad Lawson is CEO at Fern Health, a digital health company that provides virtual musculoskeletal pain programs through employers. Lawson has been a leader in employee wellness for 20 years. Prior to Fern Health, Brad was an Executive In Residence at Avia Health Innovation and Abundant Venture Partners. Previously, he was Chief Growth Officer at StayWell, and spent 8 years at WebMD Health Services as SVP Employer Sales. Lawson also hosted his own podcast on employee wellness, To Health With It, which features interviews with experts on topics like behavior change and the social determinants of health.
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