BLOOMFIELD, Conn., Feb. 21, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Consumers
now have a convenient way to get important health screenings and
personalized coaching to help them meet their health goals through a new
worksite health and wellness program introduced by CIGNA HealthCare.
The new program helps employers to offer employees cost-effective and
time-saving access to confidential screenings for cholesterol, glucose
levels, blood pressure, height/weight/waist circumference and body mass
index (BMI). Immediately following the screenings, employees can meet
one-on-one with a health coach. The screenings and coaching meetings are
provided at the worksite and employers can schedule them for day or night,
weekdays or weekends. CIGNA HealthCare is offering the program in
collaboration with Health Solutions, a national health risk identification
and health improvement firm, based in Owings Mills, Maryland. The program
became available on January 1, 2007.
The health coaching sessions are not only based on information gathered
from the biometric screenings, but also on a short survey taken by
participants. Health coaches then explain what the individual scores and
overall results mean, and discuss the steps consumers can take to make
healthy changes, including connecting employees to CIGNA HealthCare's
health advocacy programs and other programs offered by the employer or
available in the community.
"Most consumers already know that health risks such as having high
blood pressure can lead to health problems in the future," said Dr. David
Ferriss, CIGNA HealthCare's national medical director for clinical program
development. "But what many people don't know is their own level of risk or
what very specific steps they can take to reduce their risk. We've designed
this program to make it convenient for employees to get screenings, to get
immediate feedback and coaching on what the results may mean for the
individual and to get specific and personalized information to help them
take action."
Employers who implement the onsite health and wellness program receive
an aggregate population report that indicates overall participation rates
and aggregate information on overall scores. This information can be used
to create wellness and disease management programs that address the most
common health needs of a company.
One such company, Performance Food Group (PFG), piloted the onsite
program last fall. "This program literally changed the lives of some of our
associates," said Charlotte Perkins, Senior Vice President and Chief Human
Resources Officer. "It provided a good baseline of their current health,
and more importantly, it helped them understand how they could improve
their health. And for several associates, the program uncovered potentially
life-threatening conditions that they didn't even know they had.
"As an employer, the program helped us learn more about the specific
health conditions most affecting our associates and allowed us to better
target our resources. We were also able to use this information to develop
our new Healthy Awards program that provides financial incentives to
associates to encourage their participation in wellness, maternity
management, disease management and fitness programs. Overall, the health
assessment program has helped our associates take steps toward becoming
more healthy and productive. And, a productive workforce is critical to our
business' success."
The new onsite health and wellness screening program, which is also
available to employer customers of CIGNA Behavioral Health and CareAllies,
adds to the extensive and growing array of CIGNA HealthCare programs that
promote the health and wellness of members including:
* CIGNA Health Advisor(SM) -- gives members ongoing access to a personal
health coach, available by phone or email.
* CIGNA Well Aware for Better Health(R) -- the nation's largest
population-based disease management program, serving approximately one
million members in programs that address 18 specific chronic disease
conditions, for example, asthma, diabetes, depression, obesity, heart
disease and low back pain.
* CIGNA Lifestyle Management Programs -- behavior modification programs
featuring ongoing coaching on weight management, tobacco cessation and
stress management.
* CIGNA HealthCare Healthy Rewards(R) -- one of the most robust amenity
programs, offering discounts of up to 60 percent on a variety of health
and wellness products and services designed to promote good health.
Discounts include, but are not limited to weight management programs,
fitness center memberships, anti-cavity products, chiropractic care,
eyewear, contact lenses, guided imagery and mind-body techniques,
health and wellness products, hearing care, laser vision correction,
magazine subscriptions, massage therapy, natural supplements and
tobacco cessation. The program is available to CIGNA's medical, dental
and behavioral members.
* myCIGNA.com -- CIGNA's personalized web portal that gives members
access to an extensive suite of online education, decision support and
health maintenance tools. Members can use these tools to assess their
health, determine their risk for health problems, and receive
customized information to help them take action to improve their
overall health.
About CIGNA HealthCare
CIGNA HealthCare, based in Bloomfield, CT, provides medical benefits
plans, dental coverage, behavioral health coverage, pharmacy benefits and
products and services that integrate and analyze information to support
consumerism and health advocacy. "CIGNA HealthCare" refers to certain
operations of Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, which is an
operating subsidiary of CIGNA Corporation (NYSE: CI). Products and services
are provided by such operating subsidiaries, and not by CIGNA Corporation.
For more information, visit http://www.cigna.com.
SOURCE CIGNA HealthCare
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http://www.cigna.com
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CONTACT:
Amy Turkington, CIGNA HealthCare,
+1-860-226-3489, amy.turkington@cigna.com
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