Healthy Lifestyle Incentives: Strategies to Control Healthcare Costs, a September 7, 2005 audio conference on CD-ROM, examines how organizations are employing incentives to promote consumer accountability for healthcare costs as an attempt to reduce healthcare costs driven by lifestyle-related habits.

Some health plans and employers have begun using incentives to encourage their members/employees to adopt healthy lifestyles as a means to control healthcare costs associated with preventable conditions.

During this 90-minute audio conference on CD-ROM, your expert panel of speakers, Tami Collin, principal with the National Health and Productivity Management specialty practice at Mercer Human Resource Consulting, Rebecca Kelly, wellness coordinator at American Cast Iron Pipe Company (ACIPCO) Health Services and Michelle Kirby, vice president of people and culture for Texas Health Resources provide you with strategies on how to structure an incentives program, which incentives are most motivating and the results that an incentive program can yield. You will get details on:

• The types of incentives offered;
• Structure of the incentive program;
• What types of incentives are more motivating than others;
• Results from program incentives; and
• Planned enhancements to the incentives program.

You can "attend" this program right in your office and enjoy significant savings – no travel time or hassle; no hotel expenses. It’s so convenient! Invite your staff members to listen in.

WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS AUDIO CONFERENCE?

CEOs, medical directors, disease management directors, managers and coordinators, health plan executives, care management nurses, business development and strategic planning directors.

Here's what participants said about the live program:

"The ACIPCO plan could be easily understood, communicated, implemented, and followed through on," according to Rod Cook, Program Director for Nasomah Health Group.

"Good cross section of strategy and theories with real examples." The program helped us "focus on the big picture of getting programs and incentives in place to get more participation and improve results," according to Basil Laslett, Principal for LBA HealthPlans, Inc.

"Great information for anyone looking to learn more about the use of incentives in a wellness program for employees," according to an executive with a population health management company.

ABOUT OUR PANELISTS:

Tami Collin

Tami Collin is a senior consultant in the Chicago office of the Health Care and Group Benefits practice and a member of the National Health and Productivity Management Practice. Collin’s role is to assist clients in finding dollars spent unnecessarily on healthcare, disability and lost time. In this capacity, she assists clients in developing strategies and executing plans that reduce cost and improve productivity.

Prior to joining Mercer Human Resource Consulting, Collin was regional manager for WellMed, Inc., an eHealth tools and services ASP. She was responsible for developing and executing strategic partnerships with clients regarding eHealth strategies. Earlier, Collin worked as regional manager and executive consultant for Healthwise, Inc. and Staywell Company, respectively. Her responsibilities included development and implementation of self-care programs and strategic execution of Health Management concepts within integrated program offerings.

Collin has implemented and supervised on-site health promotion programs for Amoco Corporation and Baxter Healthcare Corporation.

In addition to her 15 years of health management experience, Collin holds a Bachelor of Science in corporate fitness/health promotion from Northern Illinois University.

Rebecca K. Kelly

Rebecca K. Kelly is the corporate wellness coordinator for American Cast Iron Pipe Company (ACIPCO) in Birmingham, Alabama. ACIPCO is a manufacturer of pipe for the water works, utilities and energy industries, and is also listed in the Hall of Fame for Fortune Magazine’s "100 Best Companies to Work for in America." During Kelly's 12 years of corporate health management, she has built the wellness program from the ground floor, with continued growth in participation and programming. The ACIPCO Wellness program serves as a national model for corporate health programs with over 80 percent employee participation in the screening, educational, health, fitness, and health management programs.

Kelly is a registered dietitian, an exercise physiologist and a doctoral candidate in health promotion at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her expertise includes the high-touch approach to health risk reduction and health management in 12 health management areas.

Kelly has lectured and consulted nationally on wellness and health management. She is adjunct instructor of nutrition at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Additionally, Kelly has worked with numerous healthcare councils and corporations to develop health management programs and services.

Michelle Kirby

Michelle Kirby is senior vice president of People & Culture for Texas Health Resources (www.TexasHealth.org). Texas Health Resources is one of the largest faith-based, non-profit health care delivery systems in the United States. The system serves more than 6 million people living in 29 counties in north central Texas. It has 13 acute-care hospitals, 3,200 physicians and 17,500 employees.

Kirby joined Texas Health Resources in 1990 and during her tenure has fulfilled a wide range of business leadership assignments, including development of an Integrated Health & Welfare program with a long-term measurement strategy, Integrated Disability Management, Total Rewards focused programs and a Wellness Program.

In addition to working for Texas Health Resources, Kirby is also on faculty with WorldatWork, the professional association for compensation, benefits and total rewards. With 20 years in the healthcare industry, she has directed all areas of human resources.

In addition to being a featured speaker at several conferences this year, Kirby has been published in several professional magazines including Employee Benefit News, Health Management Technology, Workspan Magazine and most recently was interviewed about THR’s wellness program for articles published in USA Today (August 2005), The Dallas Morning News (July 2005) and KPMG’s Health Care Insider (May 2005).

Kirby has a master’s degree in Human Resources from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University in Waco, Texas.