Many people have set wellness goals at one time or another, such as exercising more, losing weight or quitting smoking. The hard part can often be following through and reaching those goals.
Having some help along the way, however, can make a difference in sticking to a wellness program and successfully reaching your goals.
Highmark members can find that help through the insurer’s wellness coaching programs. Wellness Coaches are highly qualified in their area of training, and include professional clinicians such as Registered Dietitians, Exercise Physiologists, Tobacco Treatment Specialists and Dental Hygienists.
“Wellness Coaches support our members’ whole health and spectrum of well-being no matter where they are in their health care journey,” said Amy Shannon, Health and Wellbeing Integration Director for Highmark. “Through personalized support, our Wellness Coaches help members create an individualized plan that fits their health needs, goals and lifestyle.”
Shannon said Highmark members are seeing real, tangible results with Wellness Coaches.
For example, members participating in the Weight Management program (My Weight Management Journey) with a Wellness Coach saw an average weight loss of 4.5 percent.
Additionally, 42 percent of members who participated in the Tobacco Cessation Program (How to Be Tobacco Free) were able to quit and stay tobacco-free for 30 or more days with the help of a Wellness Coach. This is higher than updated National American Quitline Consortium (NAQC) national benchmarking of 30.5 percent.
Highmark’s wellness and support programs help members stay on track with wellness goals such as weight management, nutrition, physical activity, stress reduction, sleep health, tobacco cessation, healthy pregnancy and post-partum support (Highmark Baby Blueprints Program), lactation and infant feeding, and even oral health & dental hygiene.
All Highmark members have access to these programs and the support offered by wellness coaches.
“Taking the first step to improve your health and finding the right support along the way can often feel daunting,” said Shannon. “For those members who may feel this way, connecting with a Highmark Wellness Coach is a great solution to help them get started.”
Highmark Health’s overall Living Health strategy is designed to engage members more proactively in their health, which improves health outcomes, reduces the everyday stress of managing chronic conditions and improves quality of life.
Highmark’s new virtual program for adults with type 2 diabetes, Well360 Diabetes Management, powered by Onduo, a Verily company, is one recent milestone on the journey to Living Health. Well360 Diabetes Management provides members with a care coordinator and is designed to give members simple, personalized, and proactive support to better manage the chronic condition, improve health outcomes and reduce costs.
Members can find more information on Wellness Coaches and Highmark’s wellness programs in the member portal.
About Highmark Inc.
One of America’s leading health insurance organizations and an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Highmark Inc. (the Health Plan) and its affiliated health plans (collectively, the Health Plans) work passionately to deliver high-quality, accessible, understandable, and affordable experiences, outcomes, and solutions to customers. As the fourth-largest overall Blue Cross Blue Shield-affiliated organization, Highmark Inc. and its Blue-branded affiliates proudly cover the insurance needs of more than 6 million members in Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia and New York. Its diversified businesses serve group customer and individual needs across the United States through dental insurance and other related businesses. For more information, visit www.highmark.com.
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