How Sutton Bank Moved from Reactive to Proactive Health Care

The high cost of employee health care—plus employees focused only on getting care when they were sick—had leaders at Sutton Bank worried about their future budget. But with a few plan changes and the right motivation, Sutton Bank is now one of the Healthiest Companies in America.

Initial concernsLeaders at Sutton Bank wanted to start saving on employee health care costs. To do this, they were considering a self-funded High-Deductible Health Plan, or HDHP. But they weren’t sure how this would go over with the employee population. Leaders were concerned this type of plan wouldn’t be successful unless employees were engaged as smart consumers in their own health and wellness.

Proactive vs. reactive careSutton Bank employees were older on average—with 73 percent at 45-plus years of age. Overall, these employees had a very traditional and reactive concept of health care benefits—i.e., they were accustomed to using their benefits for care when they got sick. The idea of using benefits proactively to prevent sickness was a novel concept. Leaders knew it would take a paradigm shift for a new HDHP and wellness program to be accepted by employees.

The plan—year oneSince Sutton Bank employees were new to wellness, leaders wanted to be sure efforts to roll out a wellness program didn’t fade into the background. To ease employees into a more proactive mindset and encourage participation in a new wellness program, Sutton Bank started out slowly—their first-year wellness offering was a Healthy Merits Wellness Program from Meritain Health® that simply featured wellness challenges. To boost participation, targeted email communications helped leaders create a buzz among employees and pique interest.

Leaders needed a way to link wellness to the new HDHP with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), an important component of their HDHP. To do this, they also offered credits for wellness challenge participation that allowed employees to earn funds for their HSAs. Employees were receptive to this valuable way to help them pay for health care expenses.

About the Healthiest Companies in America Report

For 2019 and in previous years, a biometrics screening vendor reviewed the progress of its clients for successful outcomes.

This vendor’s Healthiest Companies in America have the following in common:

z >70 percent wellness program participation rate

z At least 40 percent of high-risk members reduced risk

z At least 45 percent of moderate-risk members reduced risk

z Low health risks across employee population

z In 2019, just 107 companies across the country and throughout a variety of industries were awarded this honor

The plan—years two and beyondAfter a successful first year, leaders added health care premium discounts to the Sutton Bank wellness program. Employees could pay less for their premiums if they completed a biometric wellness screening and online health assessment provided by the company’s biometric screening vendor.

Over the first two years, employee acceptance and excitement over the wellness program has encouraged Sutton Bank to expand to a Healthy Merits program that includes the following:

z Health assessments—offered online, to help employees understand their current health.

z Company-sponsored wellness challenges—offered 2–4 times throughout the year. Topics include lowering cholesterol, quitting tobacco, financial wellness, healthy eating and walking for fitness.

z Biometric wellness screening—including an on-site blood draw gives employees a foundation from which to make healthy changes.

z Digital active lifestyle coaching—online programs employees can take to learn more about health and wellness.

z Annual well visit—covered at 100 percent under the health plan.

z Tobacco cessation—with access to both online and call-in programs for support.

Making it workWith the wellness program in place, Sutton Bank needed a way to get, and keep, employees on board. They currently use all of the following techniques:

z Frequent communication—regular contact by email helps the wellness program coordinator reach employees across multiple sites. Communications include reminders of upcoming wellness events, tips for how to use the online portal, and encouragement to participate.

z Comprehensive annual wellness fair—each year, Sutton Bank offers an open enrollment and wellness fair event that helps employees learn about their health care benefits and get excited about wellness. Features include a presentation by their Healthy Merits population health management consultant, financial resources, vision and hearing checks, the annual on-site biometric blood draw, massages, nutrition counseling and much more.

z Easy program participation—employees only have to complete two wellness activities to earn premium credits: the on-site biometric screening and health assessment.

z Multiple wellness options—to earn credits towards HSA contributions, employees have a wide variety of options they can complete, including gym attendance, weight management program membership, tobacco cessation, sanctioned walks and races, employer-offered wellness challenges, and more.

z Online tools—the Healthy Merits portal provides easy and convenient access to wellness resources, including the health assessment and digital health coaching program.

z Leadership buy-in—by joining wellness activities, Sutton Bank leaders “eat their own cooking” and set a good example for employees to participate.

Successful results Sutton Bank’s employee population has fully embraced the wellness program, with a 95 percent participation rate. This has lead to health improvements among employees in factors that decrease the risk of heart disease. Wellness program participants have improved their Personal Health Scores—given to them by their biometric screening vendor after their biometric screening—beyond those of national benchmarks. As a result, Sutton Bank has been recognized as one of the Healthiest Companies in America.

“Personally, the most difficult challenge for me is my LDL cholesterol level. Prior to participating in our wellness program, my LDL level was approaching 300. By use of the “eating well” challenges and logging what I eat, I have been able to reduce this level to 210. I will continue to participate in the Healthy Merits program for further improvements. I have highly recommended our wellness program to my colleagues here at Sutton Bank.”

- Sutton Bank employee

n Regressed n Improved

Blood pressure

LDL cholesterol

Blood glucose

Triglycerides

“Prior to partnering with Meritain Health, our organization never had a wellness program. Introducing the plan and communicating how to be an active participant in overall well-being was new for everyone. I found our employees quickly became interested and enjoyed the quarterly challenges. Employees began to seek out additional activities they could do on their own. Tracking devices soon became very popular. The success of our wellness program would not be what it is if not for the strong partnership with Healthy Merits personnel.”

- Dollie Schultz, HR Manager

Participation in wellness program Health improvements among wellness participants

100%

50% 50%

27.3% 72.2%

30.8% 69.2%

95%

5%n Participating employees

n Non-participating employees

Health Scores average health scores

2017 2018Sutton Bank -4.3 -5.2Benchmark 3.2 3.5

The Personal Health Score (PHS) is designed to help members better understand their overall health risks. This index is composed of five modifiable risk factors: blood glucose /A1c, blood pressure, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and tobacco use. It ranges from -20 (healthiest) to 20 (unhealthiest).

Health score risk levels

Level of health riskPercentage of participants

National benchmark2017 2018

Low 72.2% 82.7% 67.5%

Moderate 16.5% 10.7% 15.9%

High 11.4% 6.7% 16.5%

Ready to begin your success story?Becoming a healthy company requires commitment, knowledge and experience. That’s why Meritain Health is your Advocate for Healthier Living—improving clinical outcomes, while reducing the Total Cost of Care. We work with companies and organizations every day to understand your unique population health needs and what’s driving up plan costs. We help our clients build efficient health plan strategies, including wellness programs, to improve employee health. Plus, we offer easy-to-use health care and ancillary benefits your employees can use to lead healthy, productive lives.

To learn more, just contact your Meritain Health representative or Healthy Merits population health management consultant.

This material is for information only and is not an offer or invitation to contract. Health benefits and health insurance plans contain exclusions and limitations; see your plan documents for complete description of benefits, exclusions, limitations and conditions of coverage. Plan features and availability may vary and are subject to change.

The reference to previous outcomes made as a part of this communication does not guarantee success in any new or future case(s), as the result of each case depends upon many factors, including the facts of each case.

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