Study Highlights the Value of Wellness Center Attendance
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A
study published in the
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine reinforced the notion that simply attending a comprehensive wellness center can lower health care costs. Examining more than 3,000 Mayo Clinic employees and their use of in-house wellness services from 2007 to 2010, the research demonstrated that wellness center attendance was associated with significantly lower health care costs and body mass index (BMI) improvement, generally commensurate with the frequency of attendance.
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The study included 3,199 employees and dependents enrolled continuously in the wellness center during the 4-year study period (1-year base period and 3-year follow-up with available BMI measurements for each period). Compared to people making 1 to 60 visits to the wellness center during the follow-up, those making between 181 and 360 visits and those making more than 360 visits were respectively 46 percent and 76 percent more likely to experience a drop of at least one BMI category from their baseline. Additionally, subjects making more than 60 visits over the study's 3 year follow-up had significantly lower overall average health care costs than those making between 1 and 60 visits, with savings ranging from 28 to 37 percent compared to the mean.
The authors concluded that although attendance is unlikely to be the only or ultimate influence on outcomes, workplaces that are able to offer comprehensive wellness facilities may be capable of achieving similar positive gains. Future research into identifying the motivating factors that drive wellness center attendance may be valuable for increasing the use of health and preventive services across an entire workforce or population.
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Cigna CEO Highlights Pitfalls of America's Health System Compared to Other Developed Nations
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In an interview with Business Insider, Cigna CEO David Cordani expressed his belief that America should invest more in keeping people healthy rather than on interventions after they're already sick, and that the employer-provided insurance model has value because employers have a vested interest in keeping employees healthy.
From his vantage as the leader of a multi-national corporation, Cordani described the differences he's seen between America's health care system and those of other developed nations. Notably, he highlighted that other nations do a better job serving patients and communities with social services and community-based support. Additionally, he linked the prevalence of specialists in America with a relative de-emphasis of whole-person, coordinated care that is often managed by generalists in other countries.
In addition to the importance of health to productivity, Cordani recognized that an employer's culture, worksite environment, and dedication to health can play a major part in a patient's life. He lauds programs that improve engagement and communication, provide on-site care, and foster peer support. These key tools, he contends, should be utilized and experimented with by employers. The
full article includes complete quotes, a video interview, and additional themes about Cigna's work.
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New Financial Coaching Method Aims to Improve Medication Adherence
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A new financial coaching intervention called 'FINMed' has been
introduced by researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison to help people facing new, modest out-of-pocket medical expenses in an effort to improve treatment adherence rates and overall health outcomes.
The proposed solution-focused coaching is designed to be offered by telephone with 2-3 follow-up sessions or check-ins, and would include:
- Determining the patient's health goals and motivations
- Planning for the costs of health care
- Setting up a process to make sure the patient will have funds to pay for upcoming refills or appointments
Researchers studied the relationship between household financial behaviors and the ability to pay for relatively modest out-of-pocket medical expenses ($20-$100), particularly prescription drugs. They found that households struggling to manage their finances appear more likely to skip medical treatments due to cost and more often fail to follow through on medical treatment, which can lead to worsening health status and higher costs.
As no well-designed financial management interventions were in common use, the authors outlined the need for and recommend a framework for FINMed in a report titled 'Financial Coaching and Medication Adherence: the Potential for a New Model.' The
report and a webinar recording discussing the research and new model are available from the University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for Financial Security.
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Calling for Practice Examples in Lifestyle Medicine – We want to share your success stories. Tell us how you, your practice, organization or agency have implemented lifestyle and behavior interventions to improve the health of your patients, communities and populations. Submit your stories to ACPM's Dani Pere (dpere@acpm.org).
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Study Shows Intensive Blood Pressure Control Reduces Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and the Combined Risk of MCI and Dementia – Significant reductions in the risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and the combination of MCI and dementia, have been shown for the first time through aggressive lowering of systolic blood pressure in new
research results from the federally-funded SPRINT MIND Study. The results of this large-scale, long-term clinical trial provide the strongest evidence to date about reducing risk of MCI and dementia through the treatment of high blood pressure, which is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular disease worldwide. "To reduce new cases of MCI and dementia globally we must do everything we can—as professionals and individuals—to reduce blood pressure to the levels indicated in this study, which we know is beneficial to cardiovascular risk," said Maria C. Carrillo, chief science officer of the Alzheimer's Association.
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Register to attend ACPM's free
brain health pilot webinar
September 11 (12:00–1:30pm EDT) discussing the benefits of preventing and managing hypertension and other risk factors to prevent cognitive decline and dementia.
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Million Hearts® Community-Clinical Linkages Toolkit – The American Heart Association and the Million Hearts® Collaboration developed a new
toolkit to help public health practitioners further the goal of preventing heart attacks and strokes through the development and strengthening of effective community–clinical linkages. Community-Clinical Linkages (CCL) are defined as connections between community and clinical sectors to improve population health. Research has shown CCLs improve clinical outcomes in heart disease, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and asthma, as well as improve behavioral changes in nutrition, physical activity, diabetes self-management, smoking cessation, and medication adherence.
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Fruits and Vegetables Report – The CDC released the
2018 State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables which highlights approaches to increase the purchase, supply, and demand of these foods in states and communities across the United States. Despite the benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, only about 10 percent of U.S. adults eat the recommended amount each day. Essential is a collective approach involving education and innovative programs that improve the convenience and affordability of healthy foods where Americans live, learn, work, and play.
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Active People, Healthy Nation – An
article in the
Journal of Physical Activity and Health discusses the purpose of the Active People Healthy Nation℠ initiative and its aims to achieve major, sustained improvements in aerobic physical activity levels of U.S. youth and adults over the next decade. Authors outline five action steps centered on core public health functions and emphasizes the importance of broad engagement from many sectors to achieve wide-scale impact.
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Youth Compendium of Physical Activities – An
article in the
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport describes the rationale and development of the Youth Compendium of Physical Activities and highlights its value toward standardizing the scoring and interpretation of physical activity data from children and youth.
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Are We Ready to Practice Lifestyle Medicine? – "With all of these powerful examples of the profound impact of lifestyle on health, how are we in the medical community doing to help our patients adopt positive lifestyle habits? Sadly, very poorly." – James M. Rippe (The American Journal of Medicine)
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Share your lifestyle medicine news, research, and upcoming events with your colleagues. Submit information to ACPM's Dani Pere at
dpere@acpm.org
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ACPM Program Director -- ACPM is seeking a
program director to manage ACPM's grant work related to the Diabetes Prevention Program and Lifestyle Medicine. The successful candidate will be responsible for meeting all project deliverables and serving as the primary contact with the cooperative agreement parters at CDC.
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Healthy Eating in Practice – The
Healthy Eating in Practice 2018 Conference is a hands-on event for practitioners, researchers, and influencers focused on changing the culture of healthcare to better support healthy eating behaviors and prevent chronic diet-related diseases in children and families. The event—scheduled for August 26-29 in Asheville, NC—features farm field trips and participatory cooking workshops in addition to presentations by leading practitioners. As a conference sponsor, ACPM encourages clinicians interested in lifestyle medicine to
register and welcomes all attendees to visit the ACPM booth.
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Lifestyle Medicine 2018 – As a conference sponsor, ACPM supports the
Lifestyle Medicine 2018 meeting and the part it plays in promoting evidence-based interventions and behavior modification that are essential in the wholistic shift toward value-based care. To be held October 21-24 in Indianapolis and themed 'Real Health Care Reform,' the event provides an opportunity for clinicians to follow up on lessons learned through the
Lifestyle Medicine Core Competencies Program. ACPM Executive Director
Donna Grande and Associate Executive Director
Dani Pere will be in attendance and encourage you to visit the ACPM booth. Advance
summer registration pricing for the conference ends August 29.
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European Lifestyle Medicine Congress – The
early registration deadline is August 31 for the 1st European Lifestyle Medicine Congress to be held November 10-11 in Geneva, Switzerland. Registration includes admission to the Congress halls and exhibition areas, the Opening Ceremony & Welcome Reception, daily lunches and coffee breaks, congress material, and a certificate of attendance. ACPM is an affiliate partner of the European Lifestyle Medicine Organization and will be in attendance.
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Prevent Heart Attack Workplace – Attend a
webinar September 6 (3:00-3:30pm EDT) discussing "Strategies to Prevent Heart Attack and Stroke in the Workplace: Findings from the CDC Workplace Health in America Survey."
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Brain Health Pilot Webinar – ACPM has received a grant from the CDC Division of Population Health to develop a 90-minute course the benefits of preventing and managing hypertension and other risk factors to prevent cognitive decline and dementia. The course will be released as an elective of the Lifestyle Medicine Core Competencies Program. ACPM will host a free
pilot webinar September 11 (12:00–1:30pm EDT) providing an overview of the course and a question and answer session to solicit feedback.
Registration is required.
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Million Hearts® Update – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will release a new
Vital Signs report on Million Hearts 2022. Learn more about how partners have successfully implemented Million Hearts® strategies by tuning into the Vital Signs
Town Hall Teleconference on September 11 (2pm EDT).
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CHEF Coaching Program – Practitioners can learn culinary coaching skills and telemedicine in tandem with the
Clinicians CHEF Coaching Remote Program, offered by Harvard Medical School and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. There are a few spots left for the autumn remote cohort starting September 12. Learn more about these techniques at the cutting edge of prevention, and register for the program today!
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Population Health Academy – This 5-day
continuing education program, October 15-19 in Philadelphia, provides a high-level overview of the concepts covered in Jefferson's Population Health Graduate Certificate program. Through case studies and real-life workplace applications, participants review and analyze key areas of Population Health.
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ACPM members may take 20% off the cost of registration for this academy — a $600 discount. Apply the 'ACPM' discount code when registering.
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Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine
August 17-19; Brisbane, Australia
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August 26-29; Asheville, NC
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American College of Lifestyle Medicine
October 21-24; Indianapolis, IN
Summer pricing discounts are available until August 29. Full registration for ACLM member and non-members is $749 and $849 respectively.
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American Board of Lifestyle Medicine
October 25; Indianapolis, IN
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European Lifestyle Medicine Organization
November 10-11; Geneva, Switzerland
ACPM representatives will be in attendance! Early registration deadline is August 31.
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American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery / The Obesity Society
November 11-15; Nashville, TN
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Institute of Lifestyle Medicine
December 6-8; Waltham, MA
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Institute of Lifestyle Medicine
May 2-4, 2019
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