Healthcare Innovation Journal

The Vitality Group announced that Savvis, Inc. has selected its incentive-based wellness program to motivate and support Savvis associates as they take ownership of their personal health. Savvis, one of the largest IP network and hosting providers in the world employs more than 2,200 employees. The Vitality program will be made available to its U.S. employees.

"We are incorporating this program as a key element of our overall benefits offering to provide our employees with the tools and support to be healthy," said Laura Fisher, VP, Human Resources Operations, Savvis. "We selected Vitality because it has tools to motivate those with good heath to maintain it, as well as tools to help employees with health challenges. We've already seen a significant improvement in participation of health screenings, increased 200 percent from last year, with additional screenings still to be held. We are pleased to be partnering with Vitality and look forward to having healthier and more productive employees."

Accessed online, the Vitality program begins with a Health Risk Assessment that identifies relative risk factors for each member and provides them with their Vitality Age. This is a scientifically calculated representation of their risk-adjusted or "true" age, allowing each member to easily understand how their current behaviors are impacting their health. Additionally, each member is presented with a Personal Pathway, or a personalized set of activities and goals to assist them in improving their health. This provides a verifiable and clinically sound mechanism to track and reward more than 30 health-related activities including exercising, achieving health goals such as losing weight or stopping smoking, receiving routine preventive care, such as a prostate exam or mammogram, and participating in health education program. Members are incentivized for their participation throughout the program and earn Vitality Bucks, redeemable for merchandise on the Vitality Mall.

"In the last decade, healthcare premium costs have increased 131 percent, presenting a significant cost burden for employers," said Arthur C. Carlos, CEO of The Vitality Group. "Companies such as Savvis, with the foresight to invest in and provide incentives to encourage healthier employees, should see a positive return on investment through improved productivity and healthcare claim savings."