Are you educating your employees about blood pressure? If not, you should be. High blood pressure impacts one in three adults in the U.S., making it one of the most common chronic conditions in the country. Plus, it typically develops without signs or symptoms, so many people don't realize they have it.
Topics: Biometric Health Screenings
A couple of drops of blood for a biometric screening might not seem like a big deal, but for many employees, the mention of biometric screenings strikes fear in their hearts.
Topics: Biometric Health Screenings
A biometric screening program is an important first step toward improving the health of your employees and reducing health care costs. Many health indicators, such as high blood pressure, can go undetected. Screenings are an ideal way to not only help employees become aware of their current health status, but also to educate and get them on the road to health.
Topics: Biometric Health Screenings
What's the price? This, of course, is always one of the first questions many wellness and HR professionals have when starting the research process for an on-site biometric screening program.
The cost of a biometric screening varies according to level of service provided by national vendors and the total number of employees to be screened, but is typically $40 to $70 per participant.
Before choosing any on-site biometric screening vendor, be sure to look into the whole cost of the program. Unfortunately, some biometric screening vendors tempt companies with low initial pricing but when you read the fine print you uncover hidden costs and additional fees you weren't expecting.
Topics: Biometric Health Screenings
When it comes to measuring the overall health of employees, a simple measuring tape may be what your on-site biometric screening program is missing.
Topics: Biometric Health Screenings
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), cardiovascular disease remains the No. 1 killer of men and women in the United States, claiming 2,200 lives every day. Yet the majority of your employees may be dangerously unaware of personal heart risks or the steps to lower those risks.
Topics: Biometric Health Screenings
For companies considering hosting on-site health screenings, one of the most commonly asked questions is about fasting vs. non-fasting lipid testing.
Traditionally, most doctors will tell you: for accurate results, you must fast for at least eight hours before a lipid profile. But a recent large study in Canada showed that cholesterol levels aren't radically different in people who ate compared to those who fasted before their blood was drawn. The study, which was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in November 2012, suggests that fasting for routine lipid level determinations is largely unnecessary.
While both types of lipid testing provide results concerning total cholesterol levels, there are some items HR and health promotion professionals should consider when choosing health screening tests.
Topics: Biometric Health Screenings
Biometric screenings are like a secret weapon for employers, giving them a deep dive into the health status of their employees.
The reports from these screenings not only help in identifying health risks among employees but also in tracking health trends and changes over time.
Now, it's time to roll up our sleeves and figure out how to use this goldmine of information to craft effective health and wellness strategies for our workforce.
Topics: Biometric Health Screenings
Human resource and wellness professionals have difficult jobs - improve employee health AND be able to document success. With so many tests, numbers and equations that you can use to determine the health of employees, it can be daunting.
Topics: Biometric Health Screenings
More employers are encouraging employees to quit smoking with incentives (or penalties!) According to the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM’s) 2018 Employee Benefits survey report, 16% of employers provide a discount on health insurance premiums to people who do not use tobacco products, 10% offer a discount for participating in a program to quit smoking and 18% impose a smoking surcharge.
Given the often high-valued health care discounts, many employers are turning to nicotine testing to discourage dishonesty and ensure incentives are appropriately distributed.
