Texas Business Group on Health Releases Compendium of Best Benefits Practices to Help Employers Improve Employee Health and Health Care

DALLAS, April 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas employers increasingly challenged with rising health care costs due to obesity, diabetes and other lifestyle-related conditions can take advantage of a new resource to help them design benefit programs that deliver better value for their health care dollars. The non-profit Texas Business Group on Health has released on its Web site a Compendium of Best Practices in Value-Based Benefits, highlighting seven Texas employers with innovative benefits and wellness programs that result in healthier employees, better health care outcomes, and lower costs.

The Compendium features CenterPoint Energy, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, H-E-B, cities of Mesquite and Odessa, National Instruments and USAA. Details are provided on how these employers are designing benefits that promote quality health care, remove barriers to access, and deliver significant savings, while empowering employees to take charge of their own health and become savvy health care consumers.

"Value-based benefits design is an innovative strategy that is gaining traction among employers in Texas and across the country," said Marianne Fazen, TBGH president. "This new online resource features Texas employers that are taking unique approaches to benefits design to fit their distinct situations, including corporate culture, workforce demographics, company resources and other influencing factors. By sharing these "best in class" examples, we hope to encourage other employers to continue their efforts to improve the health of both their employees and their bottom line."

This TBGH Compendium compliments the National Business Coalition on Health's new Value-Based Purchasing Guide, a tool developed to support the critical role that employers and coalitions play as "change agents" in improving health and health care.

In keeping with its mission to promote innovation, education and value in health benefits design and accountability in the health care delivery system in Texas, TBGH plans to build on this resource by adding other best practice employers to the Compendium.

Funding for the Compendium was provided by sanofi-aventis with additional support from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

About the Texas Business Group on Health

The Texas Business Group on Health (TBGH), founded in 1986, is a non-profit 501(c)(6) organization dedicated to the development and support of community-based employer coalitions across Texas. Members include Brundage Management Co., Cameron International, Cities of Austin, Odessa and San Antonio, H-E-B, Houston Metropolitan Transit Authority, Jason's Deli, Texas Association of Counties, Travis County, Westlake Chemical Corp., and 65 employer members of the Dallas-Fort Worth Business Group on Health (www.dfwbgh.org). For additional information: www.tbgh.org.

SOURCE Texas Business Group on Health