Viverae Helps Municipalities Manage Health Care Costs Through Configurable Wellness Programs

DALLAS, Sept. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Viverae^®, Inc., a workplace wellness provider, announces the expansion of its client portfolio to municipalities and academic institutions. Recent additions include the City of Annapolis, City of Issaquah, City of Farmers Branch, City of Fort Worth, City of Newport News, and Arlington Independent School District (ISD). The expanded success with state-run organizations represents the growing trend of government-led health initiatives and Viverae's ability to seamlessly integrate engaging, configurable wellness programs. By fostering health-oriented environments, public sectors can influence positive social changes, manage healthcare costs, and ultimately save taxpayer money.

An exceptional case is demonstrated with the City of Farmers Branch, a growing suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. By structuring a tailored, citywide program called BranchWellness, the city produced promising results after only one year of its inception. The municipality achieved a 75 percent increase in improved health scores for employees ranked in "fair" health score categories. Eleven percent of employees moved into the low cardiac risk categories, and 16 percent moved into lower-risk categories for HDL, also known as good cholesterol.  The program experts at Viverae know that for every dollar invested in wellness programs, there is an average decrease of $3.27 in medical costs.

"Considering the level of accountability of state-run entities to the public, we know that decisions to adopt wellness programs are not taken lightly," said Michael Nadeau, chief executive officer at Viverae. "We're pleased that these organizations understand the risks of foregoing any investment in their employees' overall health. We will continue to make the integration of wellness programs easy by designing innovative tools and solutions that members can easily incorporate into their lives."  

Viverae offers a full suite of services necessary to build an impactful culture of health. Flexible programs are designed to meet workplace culture, goals, and incentives with measurable results and sustainability in mind. Data is collected to benchmark results through biometric screenings and member health assessments. The member experience is enhanced through on-site and telephonic lifestyle coaching and disease management, peer and corporate challenges, as well as app and device integration. Award-winning program communications deliver strategic, configurable branded collateral and multimedia.

"We have had a tremendous response in participation," said Brian Beasley, director of human resources at City of Farmers Branch. "We know that the incentives outlined in the program drove engagement and raised health scores. Ultimately, our goal is to shift attitudes toward focusing on overall health, which will set the groundwork for real, long-term value."

In addition to health-cost savings, the program experts at Viverae also know that other positive benefits can be yielded from wellness programs. These additional benefits include increased employee satisfaction at work and new levels of employee leadership through wellness program advocates. Creating positive, health-oriented cultures can also attract and retain employees.

Viverae is best known for its expertise in workplace wellness with over 350 clients in a variety of industries across the U.S., and nearly one million members.  Its wellness programs are designed to help employers improve the health and well-being of their employee populations while managing healthcare costs.

About Viverae
Dallas-based Viverae is a workplace wellness program provider and an industry thought leader. Our comprehensive health management solutions help employers build healthy cultures and manage healthcare costs. Our configurable programs manage engagement and incentives with our proprietary application, MyViverae^™. This secure, simple yet powerful app integrates third-party claims and member health data to personalize wellness programs and create an engaging experience.

Viverae's health management programs are compliant with Affordable Care Act requirements and applicable law, and National committee for Quality Assurance and national health advocacy group standards.

About the City of Farmers Branch
The City of Farmers Branch, with a residential population of 28,800 and a daytime employment population of 66,000, is located on the northwest border of the City of Dallas. The city's 27 parks and lush greenbelts feature nationally-acclaimed, award-winning soccer fields, football facilities as well as baseball and softball complexes. The city's location in the center of the Metroplex and only 15 minutes away from both DFW Airport and Love Field, along with the 2,200 hotel rooms within the city, make Farmers Branch an ideal location for residents and for business. For more information on the City of Farmers Branch, visit www.farmersbranchtx.gov or call 972.919.2515.

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SOURCE Viverae, Inc.

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