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NEWS YOU CAN USE FROM THE OUTCOMES-BASED WELLNESS EXPERTS
April 2013 |
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BRAVO TIP:
BEWARE OF BAD ADVICE |
We are hearing from our clients that they are receiving information and suggestions from "experts" that are promoting wellness plan designs that are either non-compliant, or so watered down and easy for employees to complete that employers stand little chance of motivating behavior change or even covering their costs. It is important when you are evaluating different wellness companies and plan options that you ask the tough questions about important issues like compliance, appeals, real behavior change, and actual results. The deeper you dig, the more informed you're going to be to choose the right partner to help you reach your wellness program objectives. We make sure the plan you put in place reaches your objectives and remains compliant. |
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MONEY TALKS WHEN IT COMES TO LOSING WEIGHT, MAYO CLINIC STUDY FINDS |
Financial incentives help weight loss study participants drop pounds, stick with program.
Thursday, March 07, 2013
SAN FRANCISCO - Weight loss study participants who received financial incentives were more likely to stick with a weight loss program and lost more weight than study participants who received no incentives, according to Mayo Clinic research that will be presented Saturday, March 9 at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session.
Link to full article |
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POSITIONING YOUR WELLNESS PROGRAM FOR SUCCESS | |
 Sometimes it's not what you say, but how you say it that counts. This holds true when it comes to designing and implementing a wellness program, and how you communicate it to employees. There is a great opportunity to avoid negative feedback and promote employee engagement if your program is communicated in a positive manner.
The first opportunity for employee engagement is making sure you explain to employees why you are implementing a new wellness program, or changing the one that is currently in place. Make it clear to them how much you care about their health and wellness, and that with healthcare costs rising, you want to provide them with an opportunity to control their costs and improve their health. Make sure you also explain the appeals process to them so they know that it is important to you that the program be fair for all participants.
The second opportunity is making sure you design and position your program for success with your employees. An important part of this is the communication of reward versus penalty. Instead of positioning your plan design in a way that makes employees feel penalized for not participating, or for not meeting certain goals or criteria, position your plan design so you adjust employee contributions up front, and then reward them with the possibility of earning back the increase through program participation and meeting goals. For the employer, the net math and ROI is the same, but for the employees, the opportunity to be rewarded can make a big difference and will promote program engagement.
Contact Bravo and we will be happy to review your communications program with you and make sure it is positioned for success. |
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BRAVO WEBINAR SERIES: KEEPING YOU INFORMED |  As the proposed federal wellness regulations continue to evolve and develop, Bravo is here to keep you updated, share with you the potential impacts to your plan, and ensure your wellness program remains compliant. Bravo is deeply engaged in reviewing the regulations and in communicating the impact to our customers and their employees.
We invite you to join our six-part webinar series we have started regarding the impact of the Affordable Care Act on wellness plans. We focus on varying aspects of the regulations to decipher the noise and ease concerns that may arise. These hour long webinars will take place the last Thursday of the month at 11 A.M. EST. The first webinar of the series was on March 28th and can be viewed at www.bravowell.com/news/webinars.
Click on the dates below to register for the upcoming webinars.
Thursday, April 25 at 11 A.M
Thursday, May 30 at 11 A.M.
Thursday, June 27 at 11 A.M.
Thursday, July 25 at 11 A.M.
Thursday, August 29 at 11 A.M.
WEBINAR SERIES SPEAKER
Jim Pshock is the founder and CEO of Bravo Wellness and IncentiSoft Solutions. His career spans over 20 years in the health insurance industry. He has developed a comprehensive and unique expertise in the regulations related to governing wellness programs and the practical application of incentives to improve employee health. |
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UNDERSTANDING THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (ACA) 9.5% RULE | |
 As the health care reform Affordable Care Act (ACA) regulations evolve, the Departments announced that employers will be subject to a penalty for each full time (e.g., 30 or more hours per week) employee that enrolls in the exchange and gets a federal subsidy for whom they did not offer an "affordable" health plan option that provides minimum value. Unaffordable health coverage has been defined as coverage for which the contribution for employee only coverage is equal to or more than 9.5% of the employee's household income, W-2 earnings, or current rate of pay multiplied by 130 hours per month.
What Important Information do I Need to Know About the Rule?
As one of the leading outcomes-based wellness industry experts, one of the areas you hire Bravo for is to help you stay informed on the compliance rules. In the link below we have provided valuable information and FAQ's concerning the 9.5% Rule and Bravo's solutions and guidance for the different scenarios that might materialize with the final 9.5% ruling.
9.5% Rule FAQ's |
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BRAVO'S SOC 2 CERTIFICATION SHOWS DEDICATION TO CLIENT SERVICE AND SECURITY |  As part of our commitment to compliance expertise and providing the best service to our clients, Bravo Wellness has recently completed a Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type 1 audit. The audit of Bravo's system and controls included a detailed review of the security and processing integrity criteria set forth in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Trust Services Principles. The SOC 2 report demonstrates Bravo's commitment to service excellence by maintaining the highest standards of operational excellence, maintaining adequate controls, safeguards and processes when hosting or processing data belonging to our clients. Independent auditors from Ernst & Young LLP conducted the extensive and detailed audit which determined that Bravo's facilities, systems, information security practices, operations, policies and procedures met or surpassed rigorous SOC 2 standards for security and processing integrity. The newly defined standards tested in the SOC 2 put stricter requirements in place and set a higher bar with a more meaningful audit standard that truly distinguishes Bravo from other wellness providers. The SOC 2 Report is available to customers and prospective customers upon request and execution of a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Please contact your account manager if you would like to have a copy of the report. |
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BRAVO CLIENTS MASTERBRAND CABINETS AND SIMONTON WINDOWS HONORED | |
Fortune Brands Home and Security Inc., which includes Bravo clients MasterBrand Cabinets and Simonton Windows, was recently ranked No. 3 on Fortune's 2013 list of "World's Most Admired Companies" in the Home Equipment, Furnishings industry category.
Fortune's rankings are published each year and reflect the observations and opinions of executives who rate their peers and competitors on nine different aspects. These aspects include innovation, people management, use of corporate assets, social responsibility, quality of management, long-term investment, financial soundness, quality of products and services, and global competitiveness.
Link to full article |
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