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As you review your goals for the new year, include engaging employees in their Florida health care decisions on your list. Educating employees on their part in medical care can lead to increased quality of life and productivity, and decreased sick leave and health care expense. Consider the impact of employee health empowerment in these terms: When an employee chooses to see a primary care provider or visits an urgent care facility instead of taking an unnecessary trip to the emergency room, it can save thousands of dollars in medical expenses. And early detection and prevention bring the priceless benefit of longer, healthier lives.

Use information resources

Health plans work hard to offer quality health care, but employees still play an important part in the process. Excellent employee resources include access to online information, on-site health fairs and case managers who help with serious medical conditions. These trained professionals can help people make educated decisions about seeking treatment. Supplying employees with a book covering basic health problems and distributing health information brochures also educates them. Inviting local doctors, nurses and health insurance representatives to put on presentations can further enhance employees’ access to health knowledge.

Choose a doctor

Employees’ first step to becoming more involved entails finding doctors who will work with them in caring for their health or letting their current doctors know they desire to actively participate in their treatment. Encourage employees to look for the following qualities in a primary care physician.

An attentive listener who wants to work with the patient
A clear communicator who explains the diagnosis in a helpful manner
Solid medical training and experience, including board certification
Accessible in terms of office hours, appointment availability, response to messages and hospital locations
Supply a thorough list of questions employees should consider when choosing a physician. Also, make sure they understand how to locate a physician within their health plan.

Evaluate the condition

Thorough self-evaluation before calling or seeing a doctor can help employees determine when to see a medical provider and make their visits most productive. Consider providing copies of a form or placing a document online that lists the questions asked at the beginning of every doctor visit.
What are your symptoms and when did they begin?
Is this the first time you have experienced this problem?
Do you have any idea why you might have this condition, including life changes or people around you having these symptoms?
Are you taking any medications?
Before and after going into the doctor, employees should try to research their condition. Asking the doctor for reference material, searching the Internet for reputable information and referring to employee health guides can help them develop a sense of what might be wrong and what treatments are available.

In learning about their conditions, patients actively participate in their health care.

Ask questions

While employees are at a visit, they should always feel comfortable asking questions. Make sure employees know to ask:
What tests, medicines and treatments are you recommending?
Why are these actions necessary?
Are there risks involved in these procedures, and are there alternatives?
What procedures do I need to follow when taking tests or medicines?
Do I need to call for results or to schedule another appointment?
Should I look for certain warning signs?
Patients have a right to know and understand what a doctor recommends. They also have the responsibility to learn about the choices available to them.

Encourage employees to ask questions and to make a record of their doctors’ answers. Patients should never feel pressured to make a quick decision. Depending on people’s medical history, values and preferences, they may choose a different alternative than the first option the doctor suggests.
Partnering in their health care enhances employees’ medical care and also plays a significant role in containing health care costs. Make employee health education one of your top goals for 2006 and contribute to a healthy, happy new year.

When buying Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Software which is better ASP or Client/Server? Unfortunately there is no right answer. You’ll need to decide what’s important to your practice and what’s not. In this article we’ll explore the advantages and disadvantages of each model so you’ll be able to make an educated decision when the time comes to purchase an EMR software solution.

ASP is a remotely hosted software system accessed via an internet web browser, similar to the model used in online banking. This remotely hosted system is accessed by paying a rental or service fee. The server is secure and HIPAA compliant and is not located in your office. All technical aspects of the server are managed by a professional IT company, and you pay a monthly access fee (or per occurrence fee) for the services of this IT company. The cost of an ASP-based system is relatively low in the beginning, however because the fees never stop the cost over the long term adds up and is usually ends up being more expensive than using a Client/Server-based system.

One of the other benefits of the ASP based system is that almost all computing is done on the remote server, thereby reducing the minimum computer hardware requirements on the clients/workstations. ASP allows you to access all of your information at any time, from any place with internet access. Like all comparisons with advantages come disadvantages. Loss of customize-ability; the host server is being accessed by many different users.

Although your data is secure, your individual customized needs are not met as readily as you may desire. One of the other disadvantages is that an ASP system does not move as quickly as a Client/Server system. This is and important factor to consider with point n’ click intensive Electronic Medical Record software as vital time may be lost by waiting for data to transfer over the internet; these seconds can quickly add up to minutes and hours of a couple weeks time. Accountability issues are a deep consideration to ASP. Company service degradation is felt more acutely and such things as vendor bankruptcy could have a more drastic impact on the practice as a whole. Periodically check the stability of the EMR software vendor, and ask for a backup copy of your data for your own records.

Client/Server models allow for quicker response times in the application as the data from the server to the client is transmitted much faster (usually 100 Mbits/second). The newer client/server products developed in Java and Microsoft .Net are capable of offering the “best of both worlds” as they have the speed of a local system plus the accessibility from a remote location. Where traditional client/server products required practices to use MS Terminal Services or Citrix technology to access their data from remote locations, these newer systems can be accessed from any internet browser. Client/Server also boasts the benefits of practice having the control over there data. However with this control comes responsibility; the responsibility of being responsible for your data as you are now open to the risk of theft, fire, hard-drive failure and data corruption.

Many IT futurists consider ASP based systems to be the future however many offices find they don’t have the need for remote access and don’t want to put their data in the hands of another company making client/server systems still a popular option. In most cases, if an office has multiple locations an ASP system should always be considered but if an office requires high-performance and doesn’t have multiple locations the client/server system may be the better option. Speak with your IT consultant and the software vendor to get all the facts you need to make an educated decision.

Employers increasingly are realizing the value that worksite wellness programs deliver as an effective tool to improve employee health, increase productivity, reduce absenteeism and lower health care costs.

A 2003 report published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) highlighted how important it is for employers to incorporate health promotion as part of their business strategy. The report asserts that preventable diseases place a heavy toll on business, including lower productivity and higher health insurance costs.

The HHS estimates that $1.66 trillion was spent on health care in 2003. and it attributes a majority of those costs to chronic diseases and conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and asthma. Sadly, the money allocated for preventing or controlling these conditions is negligible.

In a recent article, American Cancer Society CEO John Seffrin reported twothirds of cancer deaths in the United States could be prevented through lifestyle changes in diet, exercise, cancer screening and “especially” tobacco use. A well-designed worksite wellness program, provided by your health benefits company, serves the best interests of both employer and employee.

Bottom line return on investment
Ron Goetzel, a nationally recognized expert in the field of health management, data analysis and applied research, said in a recent interview that with an investment of $100 to $150 per employee per year in health promotion, an employer can expect an average return on investment of approximately $3 for every $1 invested ($300 to $450 savings per employee per year). Goetzel says, however, that these returns are not typically realized until two to three years into the wellness program.

Legislative incentives
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has been an outspoken proponent in seeking legislative solutions for a strained health care system. “As a nation, we have a ‘sick care’ system that is focused on helping people after they get sick, rather than a ‘health care’ system which focuses on keeping healthy people healthy,” he says. Harkin introduced the Healthy Lifestyle and Prevention (HeLP) America Act of 2004. One of the initiatives under Title II – Healthier Communities and Workplaces, provides tax credits to businesses that offer comprehensive programs to promote employee health and grants for small business.

Worksite wellness, getting started
Implementing a worksite wellness program with your health insurance carrier can be accomplished with simple, lowcost strategies.

Offer incentives for participation.
Create a wellness campaign.
Schedule seminars on nutrition, diabetes and cholesterol.
Establish programs such as fitness, sleep diary, smoking cessation and injury prevention.
Offer chair massages or simple stretching exercises to do at the desk.
Change vending machine options to offer healthier, low-fat snacks and drinks.
Work with a health insurance carrier that can implement, manage and maintain your program. Actively promote employee participation.

A successful worksite wellness program can boost company morale, enhance productivity, reduce organizational conflict, attract superior workers and lower the rate of employee turnover.

The case for establishing a worksite wellness program is well worth the effort.