Beneficiary Health and Wellness/Health Literacy
Covington Healthcare Associates offers plans and employers tactical and strategic health and wellness services designed to engage the employer and employee more directly in the health care process. Employee (and dependent) health literacy is at the very marrow of optimal health.
The traditional, paternalistic model of health care is failing America. Cost is high and accountability is low. In spite of spiraling health care costs, public health data indicates that in many cases the health status of Americans is in decline.
Covington Healthcare Associates is focused on creating employer value by addressing both quality of care and cost of care issues, particularly as they relate to employee health and wellness. The road to employee health and wellness should start (or at least pass through) the office/workplace.
Direct plan and employer action (and more of it) is required to produce a healthier, more productive work force. Health literate employees are healthier employees. Employees with high health literacy are more capable of working more actively and effectively as a partner with health professionals in maintaining their health, improving their health status and preventing or slowing the progression of disease.
Consider the following:
- Health risk is highest when consumer health literacy is low.
- The type of health information most sought after by employees is information on specific medical conditions and treatment of these conditions.
- Growth in the number of workers with long-term disabilities is accelerating and is increasingly related to unhealthy worker lifestyles.
- To leave it all to health care providers invites the status quo.
All too often, plan or corporate health and wellness programs fail to build a foundation of employee health literacy. If employees (and dependents) are not intellectually empowered, they may never fully realize the importance of cancer screening, immunizations, diabetes monitoring/testing, adherence to prescribed drug therapy, proper diet, fitness and on and on.
High cost, high recidivism health and wellness initiatives such as smoking cessation, weight management, fitness, and health coaching are somewhat akin to building the walls or roof of a house before the foundation has been built. The foundation is consumer health literacy and access to health information that provides a steady, reliable stream of tactical and strategic health information.
Covington Healthcare Associates offers two primary services that are foundational to the achievement of health maintenance, healthier lifestyles, better managed illness, increased workplace productivity and lower health care costs. These are . . . . .
- "Medication and Wellness Focus", a high-value, low-cost health and wellness newsletter.
(To learn more about "Medication and Wellness Focus", click here). - "Health and Wellness Focus", a comprehensive, readable and affordable web-portal.
(To learn more about the health and wellness web-portal, "Health and Wellness Focus", click here).