With a fresh wellness program this fall, merely evaluating your current state of health will pay off in the new year.
The University of Missouri has announced a partnership with Cerner Health to provide a new $100 Wellness Incentive as part of the health and wellness plan changes for 2012, and faculty and staff can already partake in the program.
Subscribers in the UM System medical plan who complete both a health screening and a 15-minute personal assessment questionnaire will receive $100 deposited into a tax-favored account to use for medical expenses in 2012. Even though the funds may not be used until 2012, the Wellness Incentive components can be completed as soon as possible, said Laura Schopp, director of Healthy for Life: T.E. Atkins University of Missouri Wellness Program.
The personal assessment questionnaire portion can be completed online, while the health screening is completed at a separate time and consists of general testing of cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, height and weight. The personal assessment portion asks lifestyle questions, offers recommendations and resources and calls attention to any health risks for the subscriber.
Schopp explained the incentive is voluntary and all information is confidential and not examined on an individual basis.
“This program will help us to uncover our population’s health needs and to design programs to address those health needs effectively,” Schopp said.
A subscriber is identified as the individual who signed up for UM System health coverage. At this time, they are the only individuals eligible for the $100 Wellness Incentive.
Subscribers can start their voluntary Wellness Incentive by heading to healthyforlife.umsystem.edu and creating a Cerner Health account. Cerner Health is a confidential personal health platform that allows users to maintain a personal health record. It is also where the personal health assessment must be completed.
There are two ways to complete the second component of the Wellness Incentive — the health screening. Free health screenings for individuals covered by the UM System health care plan will be conducted on campus at scheduled times before April 30, 2012, though faculty and staff are encouraged to complete screenings before the new medical plan year begins Jan. 1.
Many dates allow walk-ins, but an appointment is preferred and can be set up at healthyforlife.umsystem.edu. The screening can be completed at any campus-held health screening, but faculty and staff can also have the screening completed at their discretion by their own physician and have the results faxed to the UM System to complete the Wellness Incentive. The form for physician screening information can be found at wellness.umsystem.edu.
If one were to choose the latter, however, the screening must be completed between October 2011 to April 30, 2012. Any screenings completed before October are not valid.
“This is exciting because it really illustrates the university’s commitment to preventive measures rather than simply waiting for people to get sick,” Schopp said. “… A healthy, vital population helps us meet our mission, so we need to cultivate a work place that supports our employees’ health.”
Upcoming free health screenings on campus will be Oct. 25, Oct. 26, Nov. 8, Nov. 10 and Nov. 11. For times and locations, or to learn more about the 2012 Wellness Incentive, go to wellness.umsystem.edu.