WATERTOWN, Mass., Nov. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Tufts Health Plan was recently honored by the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) with a Gold Well Workplace Award distinction.
According to WELCOA's standards, a "Well Workplace" is an organization that fully embraces its responsibility for maximizing the health and well-being of its employees. The award level designations are based upon progressive development and implementation of wellness initiatives against WELCOA's benchmarks. By successfully achieving these benchmarks, Well Workplace Award winners have demonstrated that their programs are not only comprehensive, but effective.
So far in 2011, 51 companies have been recognized as a Well Workplace, and Tufts Health Plan is the first Gold-level recipient in Massachusetts since 2009.
"We are proud to be awarded this distinction," says Lydia Greene, vice president of human resources and diversity. "At Tufts Health Plan, we strive to practice what we preach. We have worked hard to create a real culture of health in the workplace."
Included in Tufts Health Plan wellness programming are a 12,100 square foot subsidized onsite fitness center, incentive programs promoting various health goals, such as walking more and losing weight, free monthly nutrition seminars, subsidizing the salad bar at the onsite cafeteria, subsidizing onsite Weight Watchers meetings, offering stress reduction seminars, and installing treadmill workstations, so employees have the option to move during the workday rather than sitting at their desks for hours.
Tufts Health Plan also offers free flu shots, health screenings, and in 2012 will be planning to open an onsite clinic where employees can see a nurse practitioner and get routine blood work.
Results have shown that the wellness programming has been effective. While the industry average for health insurance premium increases range between 6-10%, Tufts Health Plan's increases for its employee coverage were just 1% for 2011 and projected to be only 2.6% for 2012.
"Our senior management is committed to improving the health of our employees," says Ms. Greene. "Not only is it the right thing to do, but it also lowers health costs."
About Tufts Health Plan
Tufts Health Plan is recognized nationwide for its commitment to providing innovative, high-quality health care coverage to individuals and through employer groups. Tufts Health Plan supports its members and employers with an array of physician-led health management programs that use evidence-based medicine to design coverage that supports proven approaches to providing care and improving quality. Overall, Tufts Health Plans' HMO/POS ranked second, its PPO ranked fourth in NCQA's Private Health Insurance Plan Rankings, 2011-2012*, and its Medicare Advantage program ranked eighth in the nation in NCQA's Medicare Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2011-2012, (the most recent available). Our HMO/POS products have had the highest NCQA accreditation status available since 1996 and the highest available NCQA accreditation for our Medicare product since 1997.
* NCQA's Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2011-12 – Private
**The source for data contained in this publication is Quality Compass® 2011 and is used with the permission of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).Quality Compass 2011 includes certain CAHPS data. Any data display, analysis, interpretation, or conclusion based on these data is solely that of the authors, and NCQA specifically disclaims responsibility for any such display, analysis, interpretation, or conclusion. Quality Compass is a registered trademark of NCQA. CAHPS® is a registered trademark of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
***HEDIS is a registered trademark of NCQA.
NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care.
More information about Tufts Health Plan is available at www.tuftshealthplan.com.
SOURCE Tufts Health Plan