THE PROBLEM

A high percentage of Americans are living with chronic conditions — such as elevated blood pressure, blood glucose, and cholesterol — that put them  at high risk for disease and disability. Many of them are unaware of their risk
factors and the dangers. PicMed Wellness’ biometric screening program encourages your employees to learn about their personal health risks. It then directs them, as appropriate, to medical care and health promotion programs
that can mitigate those risks and improve your employees’ quality of life and productivity — as well as your company’s health care cost trend.

According to a variety of sources, including the American Medical Association and the Centers for Disease Control, more than 75 cents of every dollar spent on healthcare in this country is spent on treatment of a preventable disease. Cost of preventable illnesses because of obesity, stress, inactivity, and tobacco and alcohol abuse are astounding. According to two recent studies, the medical costs for treating conditions caused by obesity ran as high as $147 billion and as high as $116 billion for treating diabetes. Faced with numbers such as these, many employers are creating wellness programs designed to lead employees to adopt long-term healthy lifestyles and make behavior changes that reduce preventable health care expenses. Because these programs offer many benefits to employees at
little or no cost, it would seem that employees would find these programs valuable and want to participate. However, the concept that “if you build it, they will come” just isn’t the case when it comes to wellness programs.

. If we can convince our employees to make better choices regarding exercise and diet, the potential cost savings are huge. That‟s where our wellness programs come in. Wellness initiatives can implicate a variety of federal and state laws. The federal laws at the center of the wellness storm are the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)—specifically, its nondiscrimination rules—and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  Our job at PicMed is to guide you through the legal hurdles of implementing an effective wellness program.