Kaiser Permanente Highlights Best Practices for Keeping Employees Healthy at National Business Group on Health's Premier Conference

Kaiser Permanente and Avivia Health co-sponsored a plenary session today at the National Business Group on Health's 23rd National Conference on Health, Productivity and Human Capital, highlighting effective strategies employers can use to promote a healthy workforce. Speakers from Kaiser Permanente emphasized the value of maintaining employee health in a session with the theme "Creating a Culture of Total Health: A Customer Imperative.''

With U.S. health care costs continuing to rise, many employers are looking for new ways to invest in keeping employees healthy and on the job. Illness and injury that result in missed work can cause personal stress and hardship, as well as financial strain for both workers and employers. "Presenteeism," the result of employees being at work but not being fully productive due to such chronic conditions as allergies, diabetes and migraines, represents up to 60 percent of total health care costs. For every dollar employers spend in direct medical costs, presenteeism costs their business an additional two to three dollars.

"Engaging employees as active partners in care helps them manage their health and well- being. Giving them convenient access to effective, evidence-based online tools can improve their health and productivity," said Paul Wallace, MD, medical director, Health & Productivity Management Programs, Kaiser Permanente, and senior adviser, Avivia Health. "For more than 60 years, Kaiser Permanente has been committed to preventive care and total health. With superior technology, and a focus on prevention and disease management, Kaiser Permanente provides successful strategies for employers to keep employees healthy." (To hear more from Dr. Wallace on health and productivity in the workplace, watch him on video at www.youtube.com/kaiserpermanenteorg.)

During the NBGH session, Dr. Wallace demonstrated how Kaiser Permanente's coordinated care model puts patients at the center of quality care and services. He detailed how Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect(R), the world's largest civilian electronic health record, and other online tools empower members to manage their own care, how and when they need it, through the organization's market-leading personal health record, My Health Manager on kp.org.

My Health Manager allows more than three million members to securely e-mail their physicians, order prescriptions, schedule appointments for themselves and family members, and view lab results, at no extra charge. Kaiser Permanente's online tools also give members access to programs for diabetes, depression, insomnia, back pain, weight management, smoking cessation and more.

"Employees are a company's best asset and when they are empowered to live healthier more active lives, they also can be more productive,'' said Thomas A. Curtin Jr., senior vice president, National Sales & Account Management, Kaiser Permanente. "Convenient online access to health care means that employees can easily manage their health care, often without interrupting their work day by leaving the office or without having to make phone calls."

Avivia Health, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kaiser Permanente, offers disease management and wellness solutions that incorporate Kaiser Permanente's evidence-based medicine to employers nationwide. Avivia Health services include predictive modeling, health coaching, interactive tools that help members gain self-efficacy skills and extensive value reporting.

Avivia Health extends Kaiser Permanente's mission of empowerment through its offering of a complete suite of health management programs available to all employees in all locations.

About Avivia Health

Avivia Health From Kaiser Permanente is a complete wellness and disease management services provider powered by the knowledge gained from 60 years of population care management expertise. We offer a comprehensive suite of health, wellness, and productivity optimization capabilities that help control health care costs and give employees the resources they need to move toward a better path to life. We build our programs on a whole-person philosophy, focused on preventing disease, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, deploying evidence-based practices, and treating each member as an individual instead of a collection of symptoms. Today, Avivia Health offers services to mid-to-large-sized employers, community health plans, government entities, and labor and trust organizations. Our services are available in all 50 states and can be customized to fit into any self-funded or fully-funded health insurance plan. For more information, please call 1-877-4AVIVIA (1-877-428-4842) or visit our web site at www.aviviahealth.com