A Checklist of Information You Will Need

Transcription

1 Getting Started with WISCORE,, the Wellness Impact Scorecard A Checklist of Information You Will Need In order to assist you in using WISCORE, the Wellness Impact Scorecard ( Scorecard ), we have developed this checklist that provides a list of all the questions in the Scorecard. It may be helpful to print this checklist and complete it before proceeding to the online tool. You can submit your responses by going to the WISCORE website located at: Note: In order to complete WISCORE, you will need data from your: Health assessment; Vendor/employer participation reports; Disability vendor; and Medical claims. We realize some employers may not have all data readily available. As a result, the Scorecard is designed to allow you to enter in as much information as you wish at any one time and return at a later date to complete the Scorecard. For more detail on any of these data elements or definitions, please refer to our Methodology and Metrics Dictionary documents. If you have additional questions, please contact the Business Group at benchmarking@businessgrouphealth.org. WISCORE, the Wellness Impact Scorecard was developed by the National Business Group on Health, which should be cited accordingly National Business Group on Health. All rights reserved.

2 Demographic Information Company Name: Industry: Please select the industry classification that best describes your company s primary business. Chemicals Consumer Products Energy Production Entertainment and Hospitality Financial Government and Education Health Care Insurance Materials Manufacturing Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Printing and Publishing Professional Services Retail Technology Telecommunications Transportation Utilities Name of Person Completing Scorecard: Title: To Begin How would you describe your level of implementation for your company's health improvement program(s)? 1=Developing/ Pilot Phase 2 3=Behavioralbased interventions Number of eligible employees in this assessment Total number of U.S. employees _ 4 5=Comprehensive, integrated, multicomponent program If you do not include all U.S. employees in this assessment, what populations are not included? _ Comprehensive, integrated, multi-component program - A comprehensive integrated multi-component program consists of a series of interventions that address all of the modifiable lifestyle areas of wellness (nutrition, physical activity, stress, non-tobacco use, and preventive screening) integrated under one overarching business strategy. Number of Eligible Employees in this Assessment - Number of U.S. eligible employees in this assessment. Do not include retirees, spouses or dependents. Total annual employer medical plan costs/expenses per employee (PEPY) - Indicate annual medical plan costs per covered employee. Definition of medical plan costs: For fully insured plans: employer's contribution to premiums. For self-insured plans: all paid medical, pharmacy, dental and behavioral health claims net of employee contributions, employer contributions to medical accounts (FSA/HRA/HSA) and ASO/TPA fees. Do not include vision or claims on spouses, retirees or dependents. Total annual wellness program expenditures per employee (PEPY) - Annual wellness program expenses should include the cost of administration of your health assessment and/or biometric screening (including data feedback), any program costs for smoking cessation, physical activity, stress management, weight management, nutrition and general health coaching, personnel and overhead costs including staff of any onsite medical clinics who are devoted to wellness activities as well as any additional ASO fees associated with wellness programs administered by health plans. In addition, if incentives are offered and not designed to be cost neutral, please include the additional cost of incentives. Communication costs, paid discounts for community programs/membership, fitness centers expenses, consultant expenses, and any other wellness related expenses should also be included. These expenses should then be divided by total number of U.S. employees. Total annual employer medical plan costs/expenses per employee (PEPY) Total annual wellness program expenditures per employee (PEPY) What would you like to name this session? _ 2

3 Wellness Offerings Please check the box(es) for the wellness activities you currently offer. Note: additional questions regarding your specific efforts will be asked on the subsequent pages for those activities selected. Nutrition/Weight Management Physical Activity Stress Assessment and/or Management Tobacco Cessation Promotion of Clinical Preventive Services Promotion of Clinical Preventive Services - Promotion of appropriate preventive services refers to efforts by employers to promote appropriate preventive screenings to their employees. This could include communications specific to getting screenings, on-site vendors to conduct certain screenings, incentives to promote use of these screenings as well as any other activities related to preventive screening utilization. Please indicate which vendors you utilize for the following programs or if they are done in-house with company employees: Nutrition/Weight Management Tobacco Cessation Physical Activity HA/Biometric Screenings Stress Assessment and/or Management Other Program Please describe the type of other program 3

4 Level 1: Strategy and Tactics Part A: Strategy Level 1 of the scorecard evaluates the strategy and tactics your company has implemented to improve the health of your employees. It includes evidence-based components shown to improve employee health across a variety of health behaviors. Your score will be based on the comprehensiveness of your program. The first section of Level 1 focuses on the components of your Health Improvement Strategy. Please indicate whether you have any of the following. Please note: This entire section is worth 15 points. Purpose statement- A purpose statement is a statement that describes the objectives of a program. It guides the program s creator when setting expectations such as what is to be achieved, who is the intended audience and what is the time frame. Targets - A target is a specific goal. Some examples of targets include program participation goals, health behavior change improvement goals, goals for risk reduction and clinical prevention improvements. Do you have a purpose statement for your health improvement program? Yes No Do you have targets for any of your health improvement programs? Yes No Do you have an operational plan to achieve targets? Yes No Score out of 2 points Score out of 2 points Score out of 2 points Operational plan - An operational plan encompasses the strategies and details of a program. It can include processes, tactics, ways to ensure sufficient funding sources and stakeholders support. Corporate mission/vision/values statement Corporate mission or vision/values statement are short statements that highlights the company s focus, future direction and valued assets. Adding health and wellness to these statements emphasizes the importance the company places on employees health. Health and wellness metrics - Examples of health and wellness metrics are wellness program participation, health behavior rates and health care costs. Is health and wellness included in the corporate mission/vision/values statement? Yes No Score out of 2 points Are health and wellness metrics provided to middle management (e.g., division heads, site leaders, manufacturing line managers) in an effort to connect business success to employee health? Yes No Score out of 2 points On which of the following do you evaluate the impact of your wellness programs? Health care costs Absenteeism Presenteeism Workforce engagement Health care utilization Turnover Safety incidents Quality of products produced (e.g., number of defects/rejected products) 4

5 Level 1: Strategy and Tactics Part B: Tactics This second section of Level 1 focuses on your health improvement tactics. Please indicate whether you have any of the following. Please note: The entire section is worth 30 points. Health Status of Employees Which method(s) have you used in the past two years to collect health-related & health risk information on your employed population? Health assessment Biometric screening Population analysis based on age and Obesity calculator on your own gender population Other form of assessment Please specify Other: Nutrition and Weight Management Which of the following activities do you do to support good nutritional choices: Health-related & health risk information - Healthrelated information includes data on an employee s health status, presence of chronic conditions, identification of risk factors, etc. This information is often gathered through HAs, employee health surveys or biometric screenings. Population analysis based on age and gender - A population analysis predict the risks and future medical costs of your employee population based on several factors, most common being age and gender. This includes any predictive modeling tool that can help an employer assess the risks of the population and quantify what those risks could mean to future costs. Obesity calculator on your own population - An obesity calculator is a tool that allows employers to understand, based on basic characteristics of their workforce, what the prevalence of obesity is and to estimate the associated costs to the organization. Other form of assessment - This might include an employee health survey/ lifestyle-related claims analysis. Corporate policy - Corporate policy for good nutritional choices is a set of guidelines regarding the availability of healthy food options (meeting specific nutritional measures), the pricing and presentation to encourage selection, or the provision of information on nutritional content. Corporate policy specifying appropriate requirements for nutritional food options in cafes, vending and catered events On-site, online or off-site behavior management program, including counseling/health coaching Nutritional education (e.g., webinars, food demonstrations, nutrition-based apps) At least 50% healthy food options in cafes, vending and/or catering Subsidies/price differential for healthy food Cafe, vending and catering audits Nutritional labeling combined with motivational signs or easy color-coded labeling Healthy checkout Behavior-based weight management program - Behavior-based weight management programs are onsite, online, or community programs, that offer systematic approaches for determining a healthy weight, developing healthy eating for weight reduction or maintenance of healthy weight. Nutritional counseling/health coaching - A program by which a health coach or counselor helps an individual address and manage their weight, including determining an achievable target with the employee, providing ongoing monitoring and additional support. Coaching may be telephonic, in-person or web-based. Healthy food options in cafeteria, vending, and/or catering - Healthy food options (e.g. low fat, low calorie, low cholesterol) should comprise 50% of available food. Subsidies/price differential for healthy food - Favorable or discounted pricing for healthy choices or a frequent buyer program for healthy food options. Cafeteria, vending and catering audits - Audits are detailed reviews of current healthy food offerings. An example of this type of audit would be assessments available in the Business Group s Toolkit "Promoting Healthy Weight by Promoting Healthy Dining at Work. Nutritional labeling combined with motivational signs Labeling must easily designate healthy items. In addition, motivational signage must be placed near points of purchase/decision to further encourage appropriate choices. Healthy checkout - A healthy checkout is defined as a checkout where only nutritious and wholesome foods are presented for those employees who wish to make an impulse buy while waiting in line. Unhealthy foods are moved to a location away from the checkout. 5

6 Physical Activity Do you offer any of the following programs or initiatives to encourage long-term adoption of regular physical activity? Environmental strategies to encourage physical activity (e.g., walking trails, treadmill desks, etc.) At least one subsidized on-site fitness facility Discounts for off-site gym membership Policies to allow for flexible work time to engage in fitness activity or regular exercise breaks Stress Assessment and/or Management Regular physical activity programs such as walking clubs, challenges or exercise classes Health coaching with physical activity focus Tools for employees to track physical activity Which of the following do you do to help employees manage their stress? Flexible workplace policies Provide access to stress assessment tools Offer mindfulness-based stress management approaches Provide access to relaxation programs such as yoga, meditation, deep breathing and visualization Provide access to resiliency training/energy maximization & performance programs Provide access to other types of stress management interventions Provide job-related skill building courses (i.e., innovation, problem solving, conflict resolution or communication courses. Environmental strategies to encourage physical activity Environmental modifications that improve access to or opportunities for physical activity, such as on-site fitness centers, walking trails or treadmill desks. Subsidized on-site fitness facility On-site facilities that are being offered to employees free or below market value due to cost off-sets by the employer. Health coaching with physical activity focus A program in which a health coach or counselor helps an individual address and manage health behavior change. Health coaching for physical activity must include protocols and guidelines for how to engage employees to increase their physical activity levels over the long term. Coaching may be telephonic, in-person or web-based. Tools for employees to track physical activity Programs or platforms that allow employees to track daily steps as measured by pedometers, physical activity minutes per day or daily activity intensity. Flexible workplace policies These policies allow individuals to take time to participate in physical activity and/or other stress-reducing tactics throughout the work day. Flexible work schedules can allow individuals to come in early, work late or take an extended lunch in order to participate. Stress assessment tools - Tools to measure an individual s level of stress and how he/she manages it. (Note: Stress assessments may be part of your organization s health assessment) Mindfulness-based stress management approaches - Mindfulness-based stress management programs are often multi-week programs that teach individuals how to be more aware moment-to-moment to reduce stress levels. Resiliency training/energy maximization & performance programs - These cognitive behavioral programs are designed to help individuals adjust to and become more resilient to stress. The programs focus on building personal resources to increase the energy an individual has in one s life as well as their ability to respond to situations. Job-related skill building course - Job-related skill building interventions can decrease stress and improve employee health by better equipping an individual with the ability to respond to job demands. Examples include training on goal setting, scheduling and prioritizing, problem solving, conflict resolution and communication. 6

7 Tobacco Cessation What have you done to support tobacco cessation? Tobacco free campus Tobacco free campuses do not permit tobacco use anywhere on the company s property, including indoor and outdoor areas, parking lots and cars. All campuses tobacco free Tobacco cessation program or health coaching focused on tobacco cessation Coverage for tobacco cessation prescription and/or non-prescription medications Unlimited attempts to quit Health coaching focused on tobacco cessation - A program in which a health coach or counselor helps an individual to quit use of tobacco products by assisting them is setting a quit date, identifying triggers and ways to manage them, as well as provide additional support during the quitting process. Coaching may be telephonic, in-person or web-based. Evidence-Based Preventive Services Which of the following do you do to encourage use of appropriate preventive services? On-site preventive screenings On-site or off-site immunizations (e.g. flu shots) Access to health personnel/ telephonic nurse line Health fairs that include guidance on appropriate clinical screening Postcards/reminders for preventive screening Appropriate preventive services - Coverage of preventive services should be based on recommendations by independent groups such as the United States Preventive Services Task Force. 7

8 Level 1: Strategy and Tactics Part C: Engagement This last section of Level 1 focuses on the tactics you have in place to engage employees and dependents in your health improvement programs. Please indicate whether you have any of the following. Please note: The following section is worth 15 points. Employee Engagement Which of the following does your CEO or C-suite do to engage employees in their health? Health and wellness messages communicated directly from the CEO/C-suite The CEO/C-suite participate in health promotion activities/programs Do you offer incentives or disincentives for any of the following? Program participation Progress toward achieving health goals Achieving health goals Score out of 2 points Score out of 3 points Do you use any of the following communications strategies to increase health awareness and promote health improvement programs? Branding of your wellness program Wellness champions Targeted communications (e.g., segmentation of population to create customized communications, etc.) Multiple modes of communication (e.g., print, , visual promotion, online portal, advanced technology, etc.) Dependent Engagement Testimonials by employees who have successfully improved their health Ongoing communications throughout the year (e.g., monthly newsletters) Use of social networks/support to engage employees Which of the following have you done to engage spouses, domestic partners and/or dependents in their health? Collect health and wellness data Create communications directly Provide access to wellness program(s) targeting spouses/domestic partners Provide incentives for participation and/or dependents in wellness programs and/or health outcomes C-Suite - C-Suite is a company s chief officers such as CEO, CFO and COO. Incentives or disincentives These are monetary rewards or penalties employees receive as a result of taking some type of action to improve or maintain their health. Incentives include (but are not limited to) cash, gifts, vouchers, premium differentials, raffles, and contributions to a health care spending account. Participation-based incentives Incentives for program participation are awarded to individuals who take part in or complete specific requirements. Progress-based incentives Incentives for progress toward achieving a goal are awarded to individuals who have shown year-over-year improvement in a specific health indicator even though it may not yet meet national guidelines or a pre-set goal. These are often tied to improvements in BMI, for example. Achieving health goals Incentives based on achieving goals (i.e., outcome-based incentives) are incentives awarded for achieving a specific health indicator, and are most frequently tied to BMI, blood glucose, cholesterol or blood pressure. Branding Branding is an identity given to your wellness program to make it easily recognizable to employees. Branding can include a specific name, tag lines or icons. Wellness champions Wellness champions are employee volunteers who serve as an extension of the wellness staff. Champions go beyond providing employee testimonials and take an active role in communicating, planning or implementing wellness programs at specific locations or to specific business units. Advanced technology - Examples of this form of communication would be Web 2.0, Twitter, and blogs. Testimonials A statement from an employee which explains how the wellness programs offered by the company have had a positive impact on their health, their ability to do their job or their overall well-being. 8

9 Level 2: Wellness Program Participation The second level of WISCORE looks at how well you are engaging employees in the wellness programs offered at your company. Below we ask you to indicate your annual participation achieved in various programs. These rates are important because programs require a certain level of participation in order to demonstrate an effect on population health. Scores for each question will be based on how your participation rates compare to the targets. Please note: The entire section is worth 30 points. Please indicate the year of the data inputted below. Health Assessment (HA): Employees Only # of employees who completed HA / # of total employees Target _ Health Assessment (HA): Spouses/Domestic Partners Target # of spouses/domestic partners who completed HA / # of spouses/domestic partners eligible to participate in the HA Participation 69% % Score out of 4 points Participation 39% % Health Assessment - The Health Assessment (or Health Risk Appraisal/Health Risk Assessment) is generally a tool that an employee uses to submit individual health and risk factor data. The HA includes questions on lifestyle, health behaviors, and personal and family medical history. This information is analyzed and reported back to the individual as an individualized assessment of an employee's current health status/quality of life and often contains strategies for reducing risk. These data are also reported back to an employer on an aggregated basis. The assessment promotes individual health awareness through the review of one's lifestyle practices and the subsequent discovery of those behaviors that may impact current or future health status. _ Score out of 1 points Biometric Screenings # who completed biometric screenings / # of total employees Target Participation 60% % Biometric screenings - Screening: An initiative during which laboratory tests or other physical measurements are conducted. In this metric, the assessment of any health indicator beyond the HA will be classified as "screening." Examples of these health indicators can include measures of weight, height, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressure, blood sugar, lipid panel (cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides), body fat, vision, hearing, and mental health. _ 9

10 Tobacco Cessation Program # who completed an effective program / # of employees who use tobacco products Target Participation 10% % Tobacco cessation program - An effective tobacco cessation program must provide employees with guidance, suggestions and tools to assist them in quitting smoking. These programs help employees to set minigoals and track progress over time. _ Weight Management Program Target Participation # who participated in an behavior-based weight management program / # of employees with a BMI 25 20% % Behavior-based weight management program - Behavior-based weight management programs are onsite, online, or community programs, that offer systematic approaches for determining a healthy weight, developing healthy eating for weight reduction or maintenance of healthy weight. _ Physical Activity Program # who participated in an effective physical activity program / # of total employees Target Participation 38% % Participation in a physical activity program - Employees participation in any physical activity program you have offered, including on-site fitness centers, walking clubs and multi-week fitness challenges, etc. _ Stress Management Program # who completed a stress management program / # of total employees Target Participation 19% % Stress management program - Any intervention aimed at helping employees to cope with the different stressors in their lives. Interventions can include time management training, cognitive behavioral techniques and relaxation exercises. _ 10

11 Level 3: Impact on Workforce Part A: Healthy Behaviors Level 3 of the scorecard focuses on an analysis of your wellness programs and the outcomes you have been able to achieve thus far. The first section measures changes in employee health behaviors. Your will be scored based upon how much improvement you have seen over time for each health behavior. To complete each metric, you will FIRST need to indicate which range of years you are pulling your data from. Then, enter the percentage of your population that engaged in each healthy behavior for those years. You may need to use data from your health assessment or medical claims to complete this section. We acknowledge that measuring the impact of wellness programs over time can be challenging because of changes in your employee population due to such events such as mergers/acquisitions and layoffs. We recommend that when possible you choose measurement years where there were minimal changes in the population. For example, if you had a merger in 2005 that expanded your employee population substantially. We suggest you measure changes in outcomes from 2005 going forward. Please note: The entire section is worth 50 points. Tobacco Free point change in population classified as non-tobacco users from first to most recent year. Tobacco Tobacco is defined as cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, and any other product containing tobacco. most recent years. Note: The span of years between your and cannot be greater than 5 years. Enter the percentage of your population classified as nontobacco users at the first year and the most recent year under and. % % _ Score out of 10 points 11

12 Eating Nutritiously point change in population that is eating nutritiously from first to most recent year. most recent years. Note: The span of years between your and cannot be greater than 5 years. Eating nutritiously Eating nutritiously is defined as either eating 3 or more vegetables a day or eating 5 or more fruits/vegetables a day. Enter the percentage of your population eating nutritiously at the first year and the most recent year under and. % % _ Score out of 10 points Physically Active point change in population who engage in regular physical activity from first to most recent year. most recent years. Note: The span of years between your and cannot be greater than 5 years. Engaging in regular physical activity - Physical activity is defined as moderate activity at least 30 minutes per day 5 times a week or vigorous activity at least 20 minutes per day 3 times a week. Enter the percentage of your population engaging in regular physical activity at the first year and the most recent year under and. % % _ Score out of 10 points 12

13 Cholesterol Screening point change in eligible population that has had a cholesterol screening in the past five years from first to most recent year. most recent years. Note: The span of years between your and cannot be greater than 5 years. Enter the percentage of your eligible population that had received a cholesterol screening in the past five years at the first year and the most recent year under and. % % Cholesterol screenings - The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force strongly recommends that men 35 and older and women 45 and older receive cholesterol screenings to test for lipid disorders. Calculating percentage of eligible population that had received a cholesterol screening in the past five years - To calculate, you will need to include data from prior years. To determine the, calculate the percentage of the eligible population that had a cholesterol screening in the or in the prior four years (for a total of 5 years of data). To calculate the, determine the percentage of the eligible population that had a cholesterol screening in the or in the prior four years (for a total of 5 years of data). _ Score out of 10 points Blood Pressure Screening point change in eligible population that has had a blood pressure screening in the past two years from first to most recent year. Blood pressure screenings - The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force strongly recommends that adults aged 18 and older be screened for high blood pressure. most recent years. Note: The span of years between your and cannot be greater than 5 years. Enter the percentage of your eligible population that had received a blood pressure screening in the past two years at the first year and the most recent year under and. % % Calculating percentage of eligible population that had received a blood pressure screening in the past two years - To calculate each percentage, you will need to include data from the year prior to the year you are measuring. For example, if your first year being measured is 2011, the calculation should be based on 2010 and 2011 data. To determine the, calculate the percentage of the eligible population that had a blood pressure screening within the year prior to and. To calculate the, determine the percentage of the eligible population that had a blood pressure screening within the year prior to and the Recent Year. _ Score out of 10 points 13

14 Level 3: Impact on Workforce Part B: Outcomes The second section of Level 3 focuses on impact of wellness programs on certain health outcomes. Your will be scored based upon how much improvement you have seen over time for each health outcome. To complete each metric, you will FIRST need to indicate which range of years you are pulling your data from. Then, enter the percentage of your population that engages in each healthy behavior for those years. This data is typically available from your health assessment or disability vendor. We acknowledge that measuring the impact of wellness programs over time can be challenging because of changes in your employee population due to such events such as mergers/acquisitions and layoffs. We recommend that when possible you choose measurement years where there were minimal changes in the population. For example, if you had a merger in 2005 that expanded your employee population substantially. We suggest you measure changes in outcomes from 2005 going forward. Please note: The entire section is worth 60 points. Healthy Weight point change in population with a BMI of 25 or less from first to most recent year. most recent years. Note: The span of years between your and cannot be greater than 5 years. Enter the percentage of your population with a BMI of 25 or less at the first year and the most recent year under and. % % _ Score out of 15 points 14

15 Stress point change in population classified as being at low or moderate risk for high levels of stress from first to most recent year. most recent years. Note: The span of years between your and cannot be greater than 5 years. Low or moderate risk for high levels of stress - of employees who are classified as being at low or moderate risk for high stress or classified as managing their stress. This information is generally obtained from aggregated health assessment reports. Enter the percentage of your population classified as being at low or moderate risk for high levels of stress at the first year and the most recent year under and. % % _ Score out of 15 points Low Risk point change in population classified as Low Risk from first to most recent year. Low Risk - Low Risk defined as having 0 to 2 risk factors, as determined by your health assessment. most recent years. Note: The span of years between your and cannot be greater than 5 years. Enter the percentage of your population classified as Low Risk at the first year and the most recent year under and. % % _ Score out of 15 points 15

16 Absenteeism Change in average short-term disability (STD) claim duration (in days) from two consecutive years. Average short-term disability (STD) claim duration Average short-term disability claim duration is defined as: Lost calendar days associated with closed STD claims in the year /Total number of closed STD claims. most recent years. Note: You must choose two consecutive years for this metric. Prior Year * Lost calendar days are equal to the amount of days from when the employee became disabled and the date the benefits ended. * Closed STD claims are claims where either the employee returned to work or the disability benefits ended. Enter the average short-term disability claim duration (in days) for both years under Prior Year Average and Recent Year Average. To calculate average short-term disability claim duration by taking the total number of calendar days associated with closed STD claims divided by the total number of closed STD claims. Prior Year Average days Average days _ Score out of 10 points Overall Employee Satisfaction with Wellness/Health Promotion Target of all employees (participants and nonparticipants) who stated they are highly satisfied with the wellness programs. Note: If you only have data on those who participated in your wellness programs, you can find a lower estimate across the whole employee population by taking the percentage of participants who said they were highly satisfied with the wellness offerings times the percentage of your employees who were participants. Actual 75% % Overall employee satisfaction with wellness/health promotion - Overall employee satisfaction is level of satisfaction among all eligible employees, including participants and nonparticipants. of all employees (participants and nonparticipants) who stated they are highly satisfied with the wellness programs Scoring is based on a predetermined scale. Do not enter a company target. We don't collect this information. _ 16

17 About WISCORE S M As more and more employers have implemented wellness programs to improve employee health, they have also struggled with how to evaluate the success of their programs. As a result, the National Business Group on Health developed WISCORE, the Wellness Impact Scorecard to help employers objectively and quantitatively assess the impact of their company's wellness programs, and to evaluate and track progress over time. The purpose of the WISCORE is three-fold: Share guidance with employers on what are the appropriate data elements they should use to determine the impact of their wellness efforts; Offer a standardized measurement tool for employers to quantify the impact they are having and follow trends over time; and Provide a process for employers to benchmark against other employers. About the National Business Group on Health The National Business Group on Health (the Business Group) is the nation s only nonprofit organization devoted exclusively to representing large employers perspective on national health policy issues and providing practical solutions to its members most important health care and health benefits challenges. Business Group members are primarily Fortune 500 companies and large public-sector employers representing the nation s most innovative health care purchasers that provide health coverage for more than 55 million U.S. workers, retirees and their families. The Business Group fosters the development of a safe, high-quality health care delivery system and treatments based on scientific evidence of effectiveness. Business Group members share strategies for controlling health care costs, improving patient safety and quality of care, increasing productivity and supporting healthy lifestyles. National Business Group on Health 20 F Street NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC Phone (202) Fax (202) Brian Marcotte, President and CEO, National Business Group on Health 17