An Overview of LACERS’ Retiree Wellness Program

1

Background

LACERS has nearly 19,000 beneficiaries and nearly 20,000 covered lives in its health plans.

LACERS health plans include Kaiser Permanente, Anthem Blue Cross, UnitedHealthcare, SCAN, Delta Dental, and Anthem Blue View.

Wellness has been a component of LACERS’ outreach efforts for over a decade:

Planning for Retirement Seminars

Open Enrollment

Workshops and Seminars

Newsletters

Website

2

2012 – A Pivotal Year for Wellness

Kaiser Permanente contributed $200,000 toward wellness for our retired Members as part of its 2012 contract renewal proposal.

Based on this, LACERS’ health and welfare consultant, Keenan and Associates, requested contributions from our other carriers – Anthem Blue Cross, UnitedHealthcare, and SCAN.

LACERS suddenly had over $250,000 in wellness funds and quickly developed a program.

Staff met regularly with Keenan and carriers to develop and manage the program, which included an online walking program (Thrive Across America), fitness activities at various locations in Southern California, and workshops.

A similar plan was developed for 2013.

3

2014 – LACERS Welcomes a Wellness Program Coordinator/Manager

LACERS did not have sufficient resources or time to optimally oversee the wellness program, and requested permission from the carriers to direct wellness contributions toward the salary of a wellness program coordinator.

Anthem Blue Cross was the only carrier to agree to this request.

Keenan contracted with a wellness company to provide wellness program coordination services to LACERS and Anthem Blue Cross funds were used to reimburse Keenan the cost of this service.

The wellness program coordinator/manager assigned to LACERS was Tara Miller.

4

LACERS Well Continues to Evolve

LACERS formalizes its program by developing a strategic plan for 2015

LACERS Well Mission

Enhance the quality of life and retirement for LACERS Members by providing resources and activities that promote optimal health and wellness.

Goals of the program:

Increase Member interaction with their health care provider and carrier resources.

Increase the number of wellness champions, retired Members who lead activities for other LACERS Members in their region.

Increase membership in LACERS Well.

Areas of focus are based on data received from the carriers and trends identified through Keenan’s data dashboards.

5

Preventive Healthcare Services (PHS) Initiative

To better engage Members with their healthcare provider, LACERS developed the PHS Initiative.

Members were sent a form to be signed by their doctor verifying that they discussed health status and preventive screenings with the Member.

Members who returned the forms received a reward card.

6

LACERS Well Wellness Champions

LACERS has approximately 80 Champions who are involved with the program to some degree

Champions meet three times a year for training and to make future plans.

There are approximately 25 who regularly lead activities or assist with events.

Currently, there are about a dozen champion-led events each month throughout Southern California.

Events have included:

Walking groups

Hikes

Bike rides

Guided tours at points of interest (such as Huntington Gardens, Cabrillo Beach, and the Japanese Garden at the Tillman Water Reclamation Plant)

Looking to add more social and fitness activities

7

LACERS Well Membership

To date, LACERS Well membership is at approximately 2,500.

A brief presentation about the program is provided to Members during their retirement group counseling session.

Members are reminded about registering for the program through LACERS’ regular communications.

Members can register online or by mail.

Members receive monthly eblasts with wellness information and are eligible to participate in certain incentive programs.

8

LACERS Well Passport to Health

To better engage Members with the LACERS Well program, a Passport to Health program was developed where Members can win prizes by earning points for participating in program activities.

Monthly drawings are held for Members who have submitted a completed passport worth 10 points

9

Other Components of LACERS Well

Carrier-sponsored educational presentations, workshops, and events

Community-based programs, such as Healthier Living With Chronic Conditions Workshops

Champions Who Care – Champions coming together to lead volunteer activities

Technology workshops to familiarize Members with smart phones and tablets

Quarterly health challenges to test knowledge and promote engagement in the program

LACERS Well newsletter

LACERS Well website

10

Program Highlights Targeted Marketing Strategy

Exceptional Events

Senior-specific Health

Screenings

Growing Wellness Champion Network

In 2016, 2727 Health-related, Educational, & Activity Opportunities

= 40%

Total Program Involvement Increase

from 2015

11

Program Highlights

This year (to date), 417 new LACERS Well Members registered through retirement group counseling sessions.

In 2015, over 400 Members returned their completed PHS forms, indicating that they had discussed their health status and preventive screenings with their doctor.

This year’s annual LACERS Well Extravaganza, entitled Make Your Move, with a focus on mobility, was held in Ontario to connect with Members in our Eastern region. Over half of the 200+ attendees had not participated in LACERS Well events prior to this due to proximity.

In 2018, an Extravaganza with a focus on Diabetes will be held in three regions to reach more Members.

12

Program Highlights In 2017, LACERS Well introduced Move Well to be Well, a 10-week program

designed to help Members improve their mobility by conducting pre- and post-mobility assessments, and encouraging participation in an ongoing stretching program. Move Well to be Well focused on a collection of stretches designed to address all major muscle groups of the body.

97%

3%

Yes

No

Mobility Program Goals Outcome

Increased activity levels Achieved – 100%

Reduced stress and pain Achieved – 66%

Improved overall quality of life Achieved – 100%

Improve overall flexibility and range of motion

Achieved – 97%

100% Yes

No

“This program positively impacted my ability to perform daily activities”

“Awareness of my flexibility and range of motion has increased”

13

LACERS Well Program for 2018 Diabetes Awareness, Prevention, and Management

Based on Kaiser Q4 2016 reports, 75% of Members enrolled in Kaiser were diagnosed as having prediabetes or diabetes, which resulted in $12 million in additional costs.

The LACERS Well program will focus on diabetes in 2018 and offer various opportunities for people to learn about diabetes, determine if they are at risk, and participate in prevention programs.

14

2018 Program Snapshot

15

LACERS Well Data Dashboards

16

LACERS Health Management Dashboard

17

Data Dashboard – Health Conditions Example: Anthem HMO

18

Data Dashboard – Health Conditions Example: Anthem HMO

19

Data Dashboard – Health Conditions Example: Anthem HMO

20

Data Dashboard – Preventive Care Example: Anthem HMO and PPO

21

Data Dashboard – Preventive Care Example: Anthem HMO and PPO

22

Data Dashboard – Wellness Program Participation Example: Anthem

23

Data Dashboard – Wellness Program Participation Example: Anthem

24

Conclusion

25

Some Lessons Learned

It’s important to find a focus and not to try to do too much.

Messages get muddled.

Less likely to influence behavior.

A strong cohesive communication strategy is the lynchpin of participation.

Social activity is just as important as physical activity.

Many seniors become isolated and depressed, which leads to decreased health status.

Seniors have varying degrees of mobility.

Although retired Members are becoming more comfortable with electronic communications, direct mail still gets the best results.

26

Challenges to a Retiree Wellness Program

Members are not housed together in one building, like at a work site, but are living individual lives all over the United States (or the world).

Comfort with technology varies among the senior population, which can limit the impact of web-based programs or electronic communications.

The number of retirees who are comfortable with technology is increasing.

A lack of retiree wellness program models from which to reference in the development of our own program.

Funding sources are currently limited to those provided by the carriers and are not guaranteed from year to year.

Transportation can be an issue for many seniors.

27

Looking to the Future

Future Areas of Focus

Purpose – when a person feels their life has purpose, they are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors.

Engagement – we would like to reach out to those who do not engage with LACERS or its wellness program to determine if they would like to connect more with other retirees.

Active Members – unhealthy active Members become unhealthy retired Members. LACERS would like to coordinate wellness efforts with the Personnel Department so that we are sharing the same messages and achieving the same goals.

Same health plan carriers, consultants, and interests.

Continue wellness program participation seamlessly from employment to retirement.

28

29