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St. John helps workers become healthier


The St. John Providence Health System has improved its financial health in part by pioneering its own wellness plan for a small group of employees who account for 50 percent of its health care spending.

After facing 8 percent annual hikes in health costs for its 17,000 employees, the Warren-based health system launched a program in 2006 that includes providing resources such as disease education and free nurse managers to help the employees control their chronic conditions.

The program has lowered the group's health care costs 22 percent and kept its net health care costs per employee flat in the past four years, the health system said.More and more people are attracted towards them and it is becoming the household juicy couture watches during the recent years.

"Health care leaders, we have to lead the way to figure out the way to drive down (health care) costs," said Patricia Maryland,Juicy Couture sunglasses Coutured started in Pacoima, California and is a modern line of casual and sporty type apparel. president and CEO of the St. John system and ministry market leader for Ascension Health in Michigan,The Abercrombie juicy couture purses provides you the funky and cool looking clothes that are intended for the young generation. which includes five health systems and 31,000 employees.

The voluntary program has saved Ascension Michigan an estimated $8 million to $9 million since 2006 because hospitalizations and use of the emergency room have been reduced, Maryland said.

With such success, St. John has turned its health enhancement program into a potential revenue maker, inking contracts so far with three Metro Detroit businesses, said Dr. Andrew Vosburgh, St. John's corporate medical director for associate health and wellness and medical director for the system's health plan.

"We're actually selling to businesses to give them the opportunity to try to control some of their costs," he said.

The use of wellness programs continues to grow nationwide as employers look to help control health care costs.

A recent study by the Vitality Group, an incentive-based wellness program, found wellness programs with positive incentives to exercise can help spur behavior changes that lower health care costs over time.

Two years ago, St. John's program was rolled out at other Ascension systems in Michigan. St. John CEO Maryland said it's being replicated nationally among St. Louis-based Ascension's locations in 20 states.

To date, St. John's program has been implemented at one health system in Pensacola, Fla., and will be expanded to five other health systems in 2012 and additional systems in 2013 and 2014, said Steve LeResche, vice president of communications for Ascension Health.

St. John's health enhancement program began after Vosburgh said an analysis of health insurance claims found 3.4 percent, or about 1,100 of St. John's employees, were responsible for half of the system's spending on health care.

Vosburgh said he asked to fund a program specifically around the needs of high-risk employees. St. John invited about 550 workers with chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes to participate, and about 25 percent have, he said.

The health enhancement program includes assigning employees to a primary care doctor who oversees their care, engaging employees to make lifestyle and behavioral changes, and monitoring progress, Maryland and Vosburgh said.