A healthy heart is one of the key components of overall health and wellbeing—but year after year, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
And while cardiovascular disease can refer to a broad umbrella of conditions, the most prevalent is coronary artery disease, which impacts roughly 1 in 20 working adults and poses one of the greatest risks to a heart attack.
Beyond the serious health effects of heart disease, it can also be incredibly expensive for both employees and employers to treat and cover. The most recent data from the American Heart Association shows cardiovascular disease costs the U.S. nearly $318 billion per year in medical expenses, and up to $237 billion per year in lost productivity.
Improving and maintaining heart health is vital to overall employee wellbeing and organizational success, yet over half of working adults skip routine checkups and forgo common health screenings. So how can leaders encourage preventive care action and support their employees’ long-term health?
Wellness platforms are playing a crucial role in lowering employees’ risk for coronary heart disease and encouraging physical activity. The right software tool will incorporate a variety of educational and programmatic initiatives to engage and inform employees, ultimately creating a personalized wellness program to prevent heart disease for the unique conditions of your workforce.
Of course, this requires data—but don’t worry, it’s nothing personal. Rather than collecting HIPAA-protected medical health records and diagnoses, personalized wellness platforms gather information about how employees’ behaviors impact their overall health and wellbeing.
For instance, personalized wellness platforms can be used to collect and organize information from:
- Self-reported symptoms and heart disease risk factors
- Health surveys that spread awareness while identifying employee concerns
- Biometric screenings that gather data on heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol level, etc.
Case in Point: How Biometric Health Screening Transformed Employee Health Outcomes
At WellRight, we’ve seen firsthand how truly life-changing this technology can be for clients from all industries. With over 600 members in their health system, Pullman Regional Hospital takes employee wellbeing very seriously. As long-time advocates of employee wellness, Pullman utilized our platform to promote incentivized biometric screenings to their employees.
During early promotional communications and activities, one employee was unable to discern why their blood sugar levels were so high. Upon following up with their doctor, the employee discovered they were actually diabetic, and with support from Pullman program administrators and WellRight’s platform, received the treatment and care they needed.
By leveraging actual health data, Pullman’s personalized wellness platform was able to shed light on a serious health condition that made all the difference to one employee’s life.
It’s obvious why employers have a vested interest in helping their employees improve their health and prevent heart disease, but it’s not always clear how they can go about doing that.
Fortunately, personalized wellness platforms make it much easier for companies to spread awareness, organize healthy heart campaigns, and improve employee wellbeing by:
Ultimately, improving employee heart health requires a multifaceted approach, incorporating a wide range of programs, from preventive care screenings to moderate exercise at work.
At WellRight, we understand that true wellness requires a holistic view of health, from the heart and body to the mind and emotions. Our tailored wellness program, combined with our cutting-edge platform, offers a complete package to help employees improve and maintain their wellbeing.
Reach out to our team to learn more about what a holistic wellness program can do for the heart health of your employees.
