One of the nation’s largest parking companies has partnered with a ConnectiCare subsidiary to develop what it calls a “next generation employee benefit program” designed to improve employee health and its financial bottom line.
“For the last few years, we’ve realized how hard it can be to navigate the health care system,” said Andi Campbell, senior vice president of human resources at LAZ Parking. “And it was not just for our frontline workers, but for our more educated senior staff as well.”
The Hartford-based company, which operates lots throughout Fairfield County, hired a pair of full-time life coaches to help employees better manage their own health as well as the ins-and-outs of the ever-shifting health care system.
“But we didn’t have the technology to take it to the 2.0 level,” Campbell said. “We wanted to be able to dig into our claims data and be more proactive in identifying people who were in, or were on the verge of being in, the chronic disease category.”
While one tech company could handle the data mining, “it just wasn’t enough,” she added. “We kept looking for someone who could help us with everything we were looking for, and eventually I was introduced to Bert.”
That would be Roberta Wachtelhausen, president of WellSpark Health. Part of ConnectiCare, WellSpark offers a program powered by Silver Fern Healthcare’s proprietary behavior diagnostic toolset to address the unique bio-psycho-social aspects of each individual. Using data to create customized programs, WellSpark achieves what Wachtelhausen calls “an outside-of-the-box, single-point solution.”
“Are there other companies that do what we do? Yes and no,” she said. “They might focus on weight loss or controlling high blood pressure, but we feel that you have to look at the whole person — their physical, psychological and social health.”
While WellSpark’s diabetes prevention program has been recognized as exceeding national averages of traditional CDC programs, yielding increased average weight loss and reduced A1c levels, it can reach further by providing emotional support and helping to solve multiple business issues associated with the health of a workforce. These include the cost of absenteeism related to illness, disability and workers compensation, Wachtelhausen said.
Campbell said the approach fits well with LAZ’s dedication to “conscious capitalism,” the concept created by Whole Foods co-founder John Mackey and marketing professor Raj Sisodia. That approach revolves around the idea that companies should operate ethically while pursuing profits, and that they should try to serve all of their stakeholders — not just management and shareholders, but also employees, the environment and humanity at large.
“The bottom line is that we are providing a…
Read More: LAZ Parking, WellSpark Health partner to create ‘next generation’ employee