BSG^® WellBlog

HIPAA regulations specify that the wellness plan must offer an alternative standard to any participant for whom it is unreasonably difficult due to a medical condition (or medically inadvisable) to meet the regular standard. Using the example of a walking program, let’s see how this would work.

The employer sets up a reward of a $25 gift card for every month participants log at least 500 minutes of walking.  One employee, however, walks with a cane and another has difficulty walking because of overweight. Each of these employees may object to the 500-minute standard on the basis of unreasonableness due to a medical condition.  A third employee objects because she does not have enough spare time to devote to walking, due to her work hours and family obligations. Which employees do you suppose are candidates for the alternative standard? The answer will be discussed in my next post.

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Permalink | November 16, 2009 10:44

Twitter....you love it, you hate it, you wonder what the heck it is and why you should care.

In fact, you probably should care. Twitter may be one of the best wellness tools yet. Think about the possibilities of sending short wellness tips and links instead of distributing brochures, flyers and reams of paper that, more often than not, end up in the circular file. The big guys are already doing it, from WebMD to the Cleveland Clinic and more. Even in companies where workers do not have daily access to computers, an awful lot of them have computers at home or are connected via gadgetry like smart phones.

Now, think about bringing the wellness tweets home to roost. You could tweet to employees about upcoming wellness events, chances to earn points for incentives, community wellness happenings, reminders to get preventive screenings, and more.

Like anything new, there is a learning curve and worry about legal issues, but it's free, it's quick and it's not rocket science.

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Permalink | November 12, 2009 10:50

Availability of an alternative standard is central to the design of HIPAA-regulated wellness plans.  Any wellness plan which requires participants to meet a wellness goal (such as no tobacco use) must provide an “out” for participants who can’t meet that goal.

Here is the regulatory wording:  a reasonable alternative standard (or waiver) must be available to anyone for whom it is unreasonably difficult due to a medical condition or medically inadvisable, to satisfy the otherwise applicable standard.

The next few posts will discuss the many issues associated with how plans can comply with the alternative standard.

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Permalink | November 2, 2009 07:57

Throw this up on your wellness, HR or benefits Intranet site—http://www.caloriecontrol.org/healthy-weight-tool-kit/lighten-up-and-get-moving.

It's a fun calculator that can give you estimated calories burned for activities ranging from the mundane to the frenetic. For example, I could burn 158 calories while grocery shopping for 45 minutes. 30 minutes of playing piano earns me 81 calories burned. And 60 minutes of ice hockey would burn a lovely 405 calories for me.

From kissing to kickboxing, it's fun and illuminating for employees to check how their daily activities stack up.

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Permalink | October 29, 2009 10:19

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. It’s the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women. Did you know that men can get breast cancer too? Nearly 2,000 men are diagnosed each year. The earlier breast cancer is detected, the easier it is to treat.  This is why it’s so important to do monthly self-exams and get recommended mammograms.  You should talk with your doctor about getting a mammogram if: 

• You have a family member who has had breast cancer
• You are a woman over age 40
• You notice dimples, lumps, swelling or any changes to the normal look and feel of your breasts (or chest area, for men)

 For more information, go to: www.nationalbreastcancer.org

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Permalink | October 12, 2009 14:36