An increasingly large cadre of self-proclaimed new wellness “gurus” claim to be really good at providing wellness programs. Have you noticed that in the past several years, established health providers of all kinds are adding departments devoted to wellness? Traditional companies that have focused on health insurance for decades all of a sudden claim to be wellness experts. Health systems skilled in treating disease somehow become instant experts in prevention. So how do you navigate all these potential partners if you really do need some help implementing an effective wellness program?
Many people ask me if I can recommend a company that understands wellness or to help them evaluate organizations that claim to be skilled. My answer to the challenge of finding good people is simple: Ask the prospective provider to show to its wellness presence.
Ask about such things as results, participation, return on investment, awards, recognition, news coverage, integration with existing benefits, and the structure of their own employee wellness program. Make it an open-ended question and ask to speak to their clients. If a provider is worthy of taking your money to advise you, then their outcomes should be readily available. If a provider can’t show results beyond marketing materials then they’re going to come up short for clients as well.
All of a sudden many of these self-styled experts won’t say much. This vetting tool eliminates 95 percent of agencies who just plain stink at understanding wellness.
About Scott Foster and Wellco
Scott Foster is President of Wellco, based in Michigan. Wellco fixes health and wellness programs for organizations that want to measurably improve health costs and conditions. Wellco specializes in wellness ROI and appraisal systems, corporate wellness programs, speaking, and consulting. For more information, visit www.wellcocorp.com or call 248-549-4247.
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