American Health Strategy Project Businesses Lead the Way in Worksite Health Promotion

WASHINGTON, March 31, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Improving health while reducing costs was a key focus for the employers who participated in the American Health Strategy Project (AHSP) according to a new report released this week by the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH), Partnership for Prevention, and Pfizer Inc. AHSP is a national pilot launched in 2010 by NBCH in cooperation with Pfizer, with five business health coalitions selected to work with employers to improve the health of their employees and families, promote wellness and prevention, unlock the full value of health benefits, and manage health care costs.

The business health coalitions that participated in AHSP:  Dallas-Fort Worth Business Group on Health, Midwest Business Group on Health in Chicago, Oregon Coalition of Health Care Purchasers, Pittsburgh Business Group on Health and the Virginia Business Coalition on Health.

The new report produced by Partnership for Prevention, "Creating a Corporate Health Strategy: The American Health Strategy Project Early Adopter Experience," tells the story of four of these coalitions and their participating employers.

"Health programs developed with a solid understanding of an employer population's data and clinical evidence will be more likely to improve the health of their workforce," said Marcia Wright, PharmD, Senior Director, Pfizer. "We've found this often to be the case in this national project."

The strategies implemented by many of the businesses included:  promoting healthy lifestyles to employees; offering incentives for activities like health risk assessments; providing coverage for evidence-based preventive screenings; designing benefits based on data; and making environmental changes to promote health.

"Through the AHSP pilots, employers recognized the value of tailoring benefits to the health risks of their employee population and became savvier decision makers as they were more strategically-invested," said Sara Hanlon, Vice President, NBCH. "Businesses nationwide can benefit from these pilots by adopting similar models to make better, more informed benefit decisions for their workforce."

The American Health Strategies Project is grounded in quality improvement processes, incorporating evidence based disease support from Pfizer's Medical Outcomes Specialists and a suite of tools to support employers in improving the health of their population.

"Employers with strong health management teams and access to real data can help foster healthier, more productive employees and may achieve higher value for their health care spend," said Elissa Myers, President and CEO, Partnership for Prevention. "We're sharing these success stories in the hopes that other purchasers can learn from these tested strategies."

About the National Business Coalition on Health
The National Business Coalition on Health is a national, non-profit, membership organization of purchaser-led business and health coalitions, representing over 7,000 employers and 25 million employees and their dependents across the United States. NBCH and its members are dedicated to value-based purchasing of health care services through the collective action of public and private purchasers. www.nbch.org.

About Partnership for Prevention
Partnership for Prevention is a national organization that advances policies and practices for evidence-based prevention. Since its inception, Partnership for Prevention's Leading by Example initiative has served as a forum for peer-to-peer communications targeted to employers of all sizes, emphasizing the value of health promotion and healthy worksite cultures.  Business leaders are spotlighted and share their new and successful approaches to worksite health and productivity. www.prevent.org.

About Pfizer Inc.
At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care products. Our global portfolio includes medicines and vaccines as well as many of the world's best-known consumer health care products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world's premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, Pfizer has worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. To learn more, please visit us at www.pfizer.com.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

Comments from American Health Strategy Project Participants

The statements below may be used with attribution in connection with today's announcement of the final American Health Strategy Project report.

Dallas-Fort Worth Business Group on Health (www.dfwbgh.org)
"We're pleased to share the impressive results achieved by the seven pace-setting DFWBGH employers who participated in the Texas Health Strategy Project. The structured, data-driven approach to benefits design, coupled with group learning, information sharing and collaboration, created an environment of innovation, idea generation and mutual accountability which resulted in creative new solutions or enhancements to existing programs to address employees' health needs."
Marianne Fazen, PhD, Executive Director, Dallas-Fort Worth Business Group on Health

Midwest Business Group on Health (www.mbgh.org)
"As a result of the Midwest Health Strategy Project, MBGH employers learned how to access and better use actionable data in order to make more informed decisions regarding the health of their employees and develop key benefit design decisions using innovative value-based approaches. The project was also successful in supporting the employers to develop a more business-focused, integrated health management strategy by focusing on key guiding principles that fostered their individual company's overall health and well-being."
Margaret Rehayem, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives & Communications, Midwest Business Group on Health

Oregon Coalition of Health Care Purchasers (www.ochcp.org)
"Working with our purchaser members on the Oregon Health Strategy Project allowed us to show members how their health plan data tells a story about their population's health. The aggregate data brought to light key areas for improving health cost trend. Coupled with actionable solutions, members continue to realize value from this effort."
Jill Freeman, Member Support & Engagement Specialist

Pittsburgh Business Group on Health (www.pbghpa.com)
"The value individually and collectively to the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health employer participants is demonstrated in the number of employers that moved into "Best In Class" in the four core principles over the course of the project. In addition, many of the employers continue to use the AHSP as a template for other additional value-based health initiatives."
Diane C. McClune BSN, MBA, Director of Operations, Pittsburgh Business Group on Health

Virginia Business Coalition on Health (www.myvbch.org)
"Challenged to achieve optimum value for every dollar spent on health care, Virginia Health Strategy Project employers were open to address population and organizational strategies that addressed the ever growing rates of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease."
Eileen Ciccotelli, MPM, Vice President, Virginia Business Coalition on Health

SOURCE National Business Coalition on Health; Partnership for Prevention