HEALTHY WORKFORCE,
HEALTHY STAFF:
Atlantic General Hospital
Prioritizes Wellness
CASE STUDY
Atlantic General Hospital (AGH), based in Berlin, Maryland, is
an independently owned hospital that’s committed to delivering
advanced, personalized care to the Maryland, Virginia and Delaware
community — but it’s equally dedicated to the health of its employees.
With the help of BHS, AGH introduced a wellness program that gives
employees countless ways to prioritize their overall well-being and
help them lower blood pressure, BMI and cholesterol.
The Challenge
AGH employs 640 full-time staff members, and the organization through its wellness
committee wanted to empower the staff to be as healthy as possible. “Because we’re a
hospital, we care deeply about wellness and the health of our associates. We recognized
that if we had a healthy, productive workforce, we could give the care and support that
our patients need,” said Tracey Mullineaux, AGH’s employee health and wellness nurse.
“The healthier we are, the more productive we are, and the less absenteeism there is.”
With a diverse employee population, AGH knew it needed a program that could adapt
to each individual’s unique needs — a cookie-cutter wellness program wouldn’t work.
To be successful in the long term, encourage participation and provide significant health
benefits, AGH’s wellness program needed to be creative, flexible and agile.
In addition, the organization didn’t want a program that felt forced. Like all hospitals,
there are already a fair number of mandates that associates must comply with, such as
getting a flu shot every year. When it came to wellness, Mullineaux and her colleagues
wanted a program that allowed associates to feel like they were in the driver’s seat —
one that enabled them to log into the portal on their own, look at their health metrics
and benchmarks and make their own choices.
AGH also recognized that individualized support would be necessary to empower its
employees to meet tangible goals, such as lowering overall blood pressure, BMI and
cholesterol, as well as to help the staff learn how to live a healthier life.
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AGH employs
640
full-time staff
members
Medical claims
were 20% lower
than expected
in 2016.
Ultimately, AGH
found that BHS had
the experience and
expertise to develop
and implement a
customized program
that would meet its
needs. The hospital
valued BHS’s oneon-one support and
ability to make the
wellness program
experience personal.
The Program
AGH implemented the Associates Getting Healthy wellness program with the goal of developing a culture that
empowers associates and families to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle. To ensure the program’s success,
AGH focused on seven key areas to drive participation and encourage long-term wellness changes.
1.Establishing Incentives To encourage
participation, the program includes incentives for
eligible associates. Associates who are covered
by AGH health insurance and complete the
requirements of the program receive $25 per pay
period toward their insurance premium or $650 a
year. Non-Medical Participants that complete the
requirements will be entered into a raffle for a one
time $150 gift card. Quarterly random drawings are
also awarded based on total number of points.
2.Encouraging a Personal Commitment to Health
To create lasting change, AGH understood that
participants must be personally committed to their
wellness. The first step was helping employees
get familiar with common health indicators, where
they currently stand and how they can improve.
To do that, BHS provides hospital associates with
yearly biometric screenings, as well as a software
portal that allows employees to check in to see
how they’re doing.
“We encourage our associates to know their
numbers — blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI and
fasting glucose,” said Mullineaux.
“We found that
everyone at BHS is
really approachable,”
said Mullineaux. “We
work very closely
with the program
managers, and I’m so
comfortable asking
them questions. BHS
is always right there;
we feel like they’re our
family. It’s a closeknit, comfortable
relationship.”
- Tracey Mullineaux, BSN,RN
AGH Employee
Health and Wellness
3.Providing Coaching and Resources Once
employees know their numbers, the program goes
a step further to help them improve or maintain
those benchmarks.
“If their blood pressure is in the ideal range, then
we encourage them to keep doing what they are
doing,” said Mullineaux. “If their blood pressure
or any of the biometric numbers are in the high
risk range, BHS contacts them either by phone
or email to make sure they’re aware of the many
resources that are available to them.”
For AGH associates, that includes tools such as
unlimited well-being coaching. Associates can
work with coaches to develop personalized action
plans to address specific areas of concern and set
and pursue personal wellness goals.
4.Establishing Trust When the wellness program
was first introduced, some employees were
worried about confidentiality. “Initially, our
associates wondered what was going to be done
with the information,” said Mullineaux. “We
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explained that any information given to BHS
is confidential and these numbers don’t get
reported to the insurance company or to us.”
To further appeal to its staff, AGH also
customizes the program by asking associates
what they’re looking for. For example, employees
recently wanted to learn how to eat healthy on a
budget, so AGH and BHS held a seminar on that
topic. Because it was a subject associates wanted
to learn about, it was very well-received.
5.Providing Ongoing Education While part of the
program focuses on health metrics such as blood
pressure and cholesterol, it goes far beyond yearly
biometric screenings.
“We educate our associates on the many
benefits of lowering blood pressure and overall
heart health through a variety of mediums,
including weekly emails, articles, webinars,
electronic whiteboards and bulletin boards,”
said Mullineaux. “We also offer two educational
webinars or seminars each month, which BHS
helps with.”
6.Encouraging Friendly Competition Adding
an element of competition also encourages
participation. “We offer walk and movement
challenges, as well as weigh-in challenges,”
explained Mullineaux. Then, they make sure to
provide ways for employees to succeed in those
challenges. For example, AGH has a one-mile
walking trail around the campus, and they host a
family fun 5K walk/run each fall.
7.Continually Engaging Employees AGH and
BHS work together to constantly develop
new ideas to engage employees. This year, for
example, AGH had a nutritionist come and
provide demonstrations for healthy smoothies
and grilling recipes.
“BHS provides us with presenters for webinars, as
well as fitness instructors for in-person classes,”
said Mullineaux. “We’ve been really satisfied with
the providers that BHS has sent to us, and if we
ever did have a problem, I’m confident that BHS
would be there to listen and to make sure we had
the right providers moving forward.”
The Results
Since implementing the incentive program in 2013, AGH has seen improvements
in employees’ overall health, as well as participation. “The compliments that we
receive from associates who participate in our wellness activities and the stories that
are shared of positive lifestyle changes confirm to us that the wellness program is
effective,” said Mullineaux. “Our program is making a difference.”
Mullineaux has even seen it on an individual level. She had one associate come into her
office concerned about her blood pressure measurement — which came as a surprise,
since the person had never had a blood pressure problem before. Because of the
screening, this person went to their primary care physician and got on medication to
regulate their blood pressure. “It was the biometric screening that brought this issue to
light,” said Mullineaux. “To me, that proves the success of the program.”
BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS
biometric
participants
moved out
of high risk
category in HDL
and LDL.
35
biometric
participants
moved out of
the high risk
category.
78
47
biometric
participants
maintained
ideal health
status.
biometric
participants
showed an
improvement in
a health tier.
77
107
biometric
participants
showed an
improvement
in a
health tier.
AGH participants
have experienced
510 instances
of health
improvements in
key wellness areas.
82%
316 of 384
biometric
participants are
in a healthy/
moderate blood
pressure risk
category.
BMI MEASUREMENTS
biometric
participants
moved out of
the high risk
category.
16
31
biometric
participants
maintained
ideal health
status.
52%
199 of 384 biometric
participants are in
a healthy/moderate
BMI risk category.
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A
ccording to Mullineaux, the program benefits AGH on an organizational level by
reducing absenteeism and lowering health insurance costs. In fact, medical claims
were 20 percent lower than expected in 2016, and Mullineaux credits the program. “Our
participants have moved from an average wellness score of 79 to 81, which is calculated
based on biometric measurements, lab results and other healthcare measurements.
Seeing the numbers changing and improving is great.”
The improvements haven’t gone unnoticed. “We received the gold tier
award for Maryland’s Healthiest Businesses, and we also received the 2016
Second Quarter Dedication to Excellence award,” Mullineaux said.
“Our commitment
to health and
our successes are
being recognized,
and we’re so
excited about it.”
- Tracey Mullineaux, BSN,RN
AGH Employee Health and Wellness
OVERALL RESULTS
77%
of eligible associates
participate in the
AGH wellness
program
2015
2013
Medical claims
were 20% lower
than expected
in 2016.
Wellness participants went
from a wellness score of
79 in 2013 to 81 in 2015.
510
^
Participants experienced
instances of health improvements
over a two-year span.
Better begins today.
For additional information about BHS and how we can help
your company, visit:
www.BHSonline.com | 877-524-0555
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