Avon, OH, November 14, 2009 –(PR.com)– The producers of Inside Business are pleased to announce that Bravo Wellness, LLC will be featured in an upcoming episode on Wellness Solutions – Improving Clinical Outcomes and Reducing Healthcare Costs as part of the show’s Medical Minutes series.

In today’s economy, businesses are trying to reduce costs wherever they can. In many cases, that means cutting health insurance benefits or eliminating them completely. Business owners desiring to keep from taking such extreme measures are turning to results-based wellness programs offered by Ohio-headquartered Bravo Wellness, a niche provider of consulting and administrative services related to incentives for employee wellness.

“Results-based wellness programs are a ‘win-win’ for both the employee and the employer,” says Jim Pshock, President of Bravo Wellness. “Providing employees with a choice of benefit plan designs, based on their participation in wellness programs and their individual results helps them recognize a direct connection between their health and the cost of benefits.”

The CDC recently reported that 75 percent of all healthcare spending is spent treating conditions that are lifestyle related and largely preventable. Bravo Wellness believes that the reason for poor lifestyles is often not a lack of education, but rather a lack of motivation. By introducing a “live well, pay less” philosophy, employees are motivated to make healthier choices.

Bravo Wellness creates customized wellness programs to meet the specific needs of each business. Employers typically tie 15 or 20 percent of their total health insurance cost to the wellness program, and set moderate goals for things like blood pressure, cholesterol, body fat and tobacco use.

Filmed on location in West Virginia, the five-minute segment tells the success story of Bravo Wellness customer, Simonton Windows. Simonton Windows’ officials and employees, and Bravo Wellness President, Jim Pshock, share their thoughts with viewers on the benefits of results-based wellness programs.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Healthier lifestyle = lower Lovelace insurance premiums

New Mexico Business Weekly – by Dennis Domrzalski NMBW Staff

Lovelace Health Plan thinks it has a way to keep New Mexicans healthy: Money, as in the form of lower health insurance premiums.

The Albuquerque insurer has rolled out a new premium-based wellness program that will offer members lower premiums if they meet certain healthy lifestyle goals.

Lovelace is partnering with the Ohio-based Bravo Wellness to offer the program, which will set wellness targets for cholesterol levels, blood pressure, body mass index, tobacco use and glucose levels.

People whose ratings fall within so-called healthy ranges for those areas will be given premium reductions.

Lovelace Health System, which owns the health insurance plan, is testing the program on its 3,600 employees in New Mexico. The way it’s designed, employees could be in line for premium reductions of up to $160 a month, said Marlene Baca, vice president and chief sales and service officer for Lovelace Health Plan.

The plan differs from current wellness programs in that it offers a direct financial incentive to people who maintain healthy lifestyles.

“This offers some accountability, and when we think about health care costs and reform, we feel strongly that this needs to be focused on,” Baca said.

The plan’s concept is simple. Lovelace will work with employer groups and Bravo Wellness to set target levels for the areas that have been selected for testing. Blood work will be done and the results will be sent to Bravo. That blood work is generally done at the beginning of an enrollment period. Based on the results, individual premiums can be raised or lowered. The blood work results are confidential and can’t be shared with the employer.

Employees who don’t qualify for those target rates can appeal the decision. Or they can work to get those levels in line with healthy guidelines by working with their physicians and using Lovelace Health Plan’s Healthy Steps program, which provides services ranging from nutritional counseling and smoking cessation to disease management. Employees can be retested every year or as often as their employer allows.

“As health care costs continue to rise, employers can realize tremendous return on investment by providing financial incentives for employees to take control of their own health,” said Lovelace Health Plan CEO Dennis Wilson. “We are committed to this program and believe in its effectiveness, which is why we are offering this benefit to all Lovelace Health System employees.”

The program, which can also penalize people in the form of higher premiums, was made possible by new federal regulations approved at the end of 2007 by the U.S. Department of Labor, said Bravo President Jim Pshock.

“Being able to penalize or reward people based on the results of wellness screening became illegal when Congress passed HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), and that was because of uniform coverage rules,” Pshock said.

The new rules take into account the reality of health care in the U.S., Pshock added.

“The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 75 percent of all health care coverage is lifestyle-related. We call this program the Good Driver Discount for Health Care. If you are doing a lot to stay healthy, then you are going to pay less than the person who is not managing those lifestyle risks.”

Bravo Wellness was founded in the fall of 2008 and has 27 employer groups in its programs, Pshock said. “They are spread throughout the nation and we’ve literally got hundreds in the pipeline.”

Pshock said more wellness incentive programs will hit the market in the coming years as employers look for ways to cut their health insurance costs and to keep offering their employees health insurance.

“We have found that with many companies, it is not enough to have wellness tools,” Pshock said. “With meaningful incentives, employees adopt lifestyles and behaviors to sustain good health.”

dfdomrzalski@bizjournals.com | 505.348.8306

Press Release

  

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug 31, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Ardent Health Services (www.ardenthealth.com) has selected Bravo Wellness to provide health assessment and wellness incentive services to its 6,500 employees. In addition to improving employee health and productivity, the partnership has the potential to reduce the company’s overall health care costs, including out-of-pocket expenses for employees.

As part of the three-year agreement, Ardent will supplement its current wellness efforts by offering employees the opportunity to participate in an online health risk assessment as well as blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, tobacco and body mass index screenings. Participating employees will receive a discount on their monthly health insurance premium contribution while those who meet certain screening criteria will qualify for additional deductions.

“As a provider of both health care and health insurance services, we see tremendous value in engaging employees in the wellness process from the very beginning,” said Neil Hemphill, Ardent’s senior vice president of human resources. “Partnering with Bravo will allow us to better manage our overall health care costs while providing a meaningful benefit that can positively impact our employees’ health as well as their wallets.”

Bravo’s corporate wellness programs provide employers with an average annual savings of nearly 10 percent. While only three in 10 employees participate in traditional wellness programs, Bravo’s programs provide financial incentives that increase employee participation. Most Bravo clients experience an average of 92 percent participation.

“We are thrilled to work with a premier provider of health services such as Ardent,” said Jim Pshock, president of Bravo Wellness. “We have found that with many companies, it is not enough to have wellness tools. With meaningful incentives, employees adopt lifestyles and behaviors to sustain good health. We are pleased to supplement Ardent’s wellness tools with our results-based wellness incentive solutions to assist them in effectively managing rising health care costs.”

About Ardent Health Services

Based in Nashville, Tenn., Ardent subsidiaries own and operate acute care health systems located in growing urban and suburban areas. The network includes seven acute care hospitals, a rehabilitation hospital, a multi-specialty physician group, a 220,000 member health plan and a nationally-recognized medical laboratory. Through continued investment and a shared commitment to quality, Ardent is building stronger hospitals and stronger communities in each of the markets it serves. For more information about Ardent Health Services, visit www.ardenthealth.com.

About Bravo Wellness

Bravo Wellness offers services to employers and business partners desiring results-based incentives for wellness. Customers experience immediate cost savings by linking employee incentives to participation and results. Bravo Wellness recognized the potential legal challenges of health insurance law, including HIPAA non-discrimination regulations, and has unique expertise in the practical application of wellness regulations for group health plans. Bravo Wellness is headquartered in Avon, Ohio. For more information about Bravo Wellness, visit www.bravowell.com.

SOURCE: Bravo Wellness

Bravo Wellness
Jim Pshock, 440-934-2090
jimpshock@bravowell.com
or
Via Vera Group
Nikki DiFilippo, 216-780-0472
nikki@viaveragroup.com

Gearhart Insurance Helps Companies Further Gain Control of Health Insurance Costs by Incorporating Results-Based Wellness Incentives from Bravo Wellness

CLEVELAND–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Gearhart Insurance Agency, a leader in employee benefit solutions and results-based wellness programs, has been selected by Simonton Windows, a Fortune Brands Company, to assist in mitigating the escalating costs of health insurance with innovative benefit plans. Gearhart Insurance has been able to lower health insurance costs for its clients by partnering with Bravo Wellness to incorporate incentive-based wellness programs into its client’s plan designs.

Robert Jacobs, Vice President of Human Resources of Simonton Windows, states, “We are continually faced with increasing healthcare costs, and in working with our consultants at Gearhart Insurance to optimize our benefit plans, we selected Bravo Wellness to implement a results-based wellness program. With Bravo’s help, we quickly implemented our program with over 99% employee participation in this voluntary program. With proper design and incentives, we expect to fully recover our implementation costs and we now have hard data about the overall health and wellness of our employees and a clear path to remediation and future cost savings. We expect to realize measurable returns both from bottom line cost and employee satisfaction perspectives.”

“We recognize that over seventy-five percent of claims are directly related to lifestyle, and we have designed plans to incent healthy behaviors and give employees the option to lower costs for areas within their control,” says Joe Ceccacci, Partner of Gearhart Insurance. “One of our clients in the manufacturing business, similar to Simonton, now is in its fourth year of such a program, and they have seen measurable improvement in year over year claim costs. Over the last three years, their claims have decreased an average of 14% per year. For 2008, their per capita claim cost declined over 25% from 2007.”

“Results-based wellness programs are a win-win for both the employee and employer,” says Jim Pshock, President of Bravo Wellness. “Providing employees with a choice of benefit plan designs based on their participation in wellness programs and their individual results helps them recognize a direct connection between their health and the cost of benefits.”

About Gearhart Insurance Agency

Gearhart Insurance is a regional health insurance broker that began in 1991 as a health care claims administration company. In 1998 the administration company grew into a full service health and life insurance agency. Today, we have a national presence representing a diverse group of companies ranging from small privately held firms to some of the nation’s largest manufacturers. We are experienced and qualified to assist our clients with evaluating and purchasing the right health insurance program to meet the needs of their employees. For information, call (800) 806-4359 or visit www.gearhartinsuranceagency.com.

About Simonton Windows

Founded in 1946, Simonton’s hallmark has been to deliver its made-to-order products in seven days or less. Part of consumer products company Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO), Simonton has manufacturing facilities in Pennsboro, Harrisville and Ellenboro, W.Va.; Paris, Ill.; McAlester, Okla.; and Vacaville, Calif. Simonton is a founding sponsor of The Weather Museum and a corporate partner of Homes for Our Troops. For information, call (800) SIMONTON or visit www.simonton.com.

About Bravo Wellness

Bravo Wellness offers services to employers and business partners desiring results-based incentives for wellness. Customers experience immediate cost savings by linking employee incentives to participation and results. Bravo Wellness recognized the potential legal challenges of health insurance law, including HIPAA non-discrimination regulations, and has unique expertise in the practical application of wellness regulations for group health plans. Bravo Wellness is headquartered in North Olmsted, Ohio. For more information, call (440) 716-0709 or visit www.bravowell.com.

Bravo Wellness helps employers reduce health insurance costs by an average of 10% within the first year.

Cleveland, Ohio — November 20, 2008 — Bravo Wellness launched to provide results-based, HIPAA compliant wellness programs for companies with 25 – 25,000 employees. Bravo gives employers a practical way to reduce insurance costs by an average of 10% in addition to rewarding employees who make healthy living choices. This is accomplished by linking a member’s cost of healthcare and/or their benefit plan design to their participation in wellness programs and their individual results in key areas like tobacco use, body mass and blood pressure.

Industry statistics state that over 75% of every dollar spent in healthcare is spent treating conditions that are lifestyle related and largely preventable. “Bravo Wellness helps employers navigate the non-discrimination laws associated with such plans as well as to coordinate the biometric screening process, the appeals process and the need for alternatives for individuals who have medical issues that prevent them from achieving a goal,” said Jim Pshock, President and founder of Bravo Wellness. “In my experience, over 92% of employees participate in plans that offer financial rewards for results, and many make meaningful changes for the better.”

Bravo Wellness solutions can work with employers’ existing carriers and brokers. Bravo Wellness offers a fully integrated set of services and resources to support HIPAA compliant wellness support including:

• Expert consulting in wellness incentives
• National screening partners for group and individual screenings
• Results-based programs
• Appeals and alternatives management

Bravo Wellness plans on hiring ten to fifteen sales and operations employees in 2009. Bravo Wellness currently occupies 2,300 square feet of office space with BeniComp, a partner offering a patent-pending wellness solution that utilizes a supplemental insurance policy.

About Bravo Wellness

Bravo Wellness offers services to employers and business partners desiring results-based incentives for wellness. Customers experience immediate cost savings by linking employee incentives to participation and results. Bravo Wellness recognized the potential legal challenges of health insurance law, including HIPAA non-discrimination regulations, and has unique expertise in the practical application of wellness regulations for group health plans. Bravo Wellness is headquartered in North Olmsted, Ohio. For more information about Bravo Wellness, visit http://www.bravowell.com.

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