Written by April Bettencourt, Vice President of Global Employee Benefits at VSP Vision (first published in HR Future)
Nearly half the population of the U.S. – an estimated 129 million people – have at least one major chronic disease such as diabetes, obesity and hypertension. Living with a chronic condition has a domino effect that can also impact mental health. For example, according to the CDC, people with diabetes are two to three times more likely to have depression, yet only 25% to 50% of people with diabetes who have depression are diagnosed or treated. At a time when chronic diseases and mental health conditions are at an all-time high, there are strategies employers can put into place to help people living with these conditions. This article will explore VSP Vision’s learnings after leveraging telehealth tools to better support employees’ overall health.
In order to best support employees across multiple conditions to improve overall health and well-being, it’s important to consider the strong connection between physical and mental health. It’s common for employees who are managing chronic conditions to simultaneously experience mental health challenges as well.
At VSP Vision, we were faced with the challenge of rolling out a scalable solution to reach 5,000 employees in office, manufacturing, distribution and lab facility settings, including a subset of Spanish speakers. We work with companies like Teladoc Health that have helped us roll out telehealth digital programs that allowed us to easily provide one-on-one coaching support to improve diabetes and hypertension management.
VSP also rolled out an evidence-based mental health program offering a comprehensive set of digital self-care resources and on-demand access to expert coaches. Employees’ have shared these programs have helped them to be more engaged and accountable. VSP has also seen an increase in virtual appointments and a decrease in blood sugar and blood pressure.
As a result of leveraging telehealth tools, including connected devices, digital programs and coaching, VSP has experienced strong employee engagement, ranging from 16% to 37% across the different programs. By contrast, enrollment in an employee assistance program (EAP) is just 2%-3% on average.
Solutions offered need to consider ways to support the entire workforce – ranging from desk office remote workers to on-site employees. Some employees may not have access to a computer or laptop, but most have access to a smartphone. Providing solutions that are easily accessible with medical providers, including apps on connected devices that allow for healthcare consultations and even administering some treatments from home can ensure more employees are receiving the care they need. A user-friendly intranet page with comprehensive information on benefits and easily scannable QR codes can help guide employees directly to the apps and resources needed.
Integrating care amongst all partners, including the medical plan, EAP partnership and vendor solutions is also crucial to streamlining the process and having one central place for employees to go when seeking help.
As employees continue to embrace remote work, virtual programs provide a proven path to increase access to care. This not only leads to a higher ROI, but employees are also more likely to engage with virtual telehealth tools due to their ease of use. After 6 months of participating in a telehealth hypertension program, 79% of VSP’s employees maintained or improved blood pressure control.
However, it’s not enough to just put a program in place – it’s important for companies to implement a communication strategy that works best for all employees. Driving enrollment and engagement in a telehealth program that isn’t a one size fits all approach is largely dependent on effective communication and taking a holistic view of the whole person. For example, the way a program is communicated to an employee who understands their diabetes diagnosis is going to look different than how you’d communicate to an employee who is newly diagnosed. Having these benefits in place not only sends a message to current employees, but also to future employees too – that their overall health is valued. By utilizing telehealth tools, companies can effectively boost their ROI and help employees effectively manage their chronic conditions and improve their mental health.
Reprinted with permission from HR Future
