Cleveland Clinic mandates healthy employees to cut costs

While other institutions are cutting costs in just about every way they can to promote patient health, leading system Cleveland Clinic is taking an alternative approach in requiring that its employees stay healthy.

Like some other institutions, Cleveland Clinic banned hiring smokers four years ago, as well as launched a healthy food campaign on campuses that eliminated sugary drinks, reported The Plain Dealer yesterday. Even though it was all for the health of its employees, the Clinic's CEO Dr. Toby Cosgrove came under national fire for the strict approach as an employer. Critics argued the employer's approach to required wellness was too much like big brother and that employees had a right to act as they wish in their personal lives.

The Clinic is "proud of the many success stories of our caregivers who have stepped up and made positive lifestyle changes" said Cosgrove in a statement to the newspaper. "[W]e need to focus on 'health' care, not 'sick' care."

However, keeping employees healthy isn't just about wellness but a smart business strategy, according to Bill Baun, president of the National Wellness Institute and manager of the wellness program at Houston's MD Anderson Cancer Center.

"It has nothing to do with the federal government and Obama saying we need prevention," Baun said in the article. "This has everything to do with businessmen looking at the costs and saying that we have to try to stop this."

Cleveland Clinic also offers yoga classes to employees and a free on-campus gym, with workers using the facilities, rising from an average of 21,000 hours annually to more than 240,000 hours this year, according to The Plain Dealer. The Clinic also offers free Weight Watchers that has resulted in a total 250,000 lost pounds since 2005.

Since making the wellness changes, the Clinic has seen flattening costs through the self-insured health plan.

Cleveland Clinic's required employee health is still up for debate on how it affects employee satisfaction though. While some might love the fitness benefits, other employees might be turned off. And as yesterday's Hospitals & Health Networks column reminds organizations, "...before a hospital can truly improve the patient experience, leaders need to start by making their institutions satisfying, supportive workplaces that give employees the foundation to provide excellent, compassionate care," wrote columnist Haydn Bush.

For more information:
- read The Plain Dealer article
- check out the H&HN column

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