Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a Personal Health Assessment (PHA)?
- Can I participate in the PHA and Health Coach Service during work time?
- What kind of information do I get from completing the PHA?
- How will my confidentiality be maintained?
- How often can I take the PHA?
- Will participation be mandatory or voluntary?
- With budget cuts and financial difficulties, why is the University supporting this initiative ?
- The PHA incentive changed in 2012 to be "up to" $65. Why is this?
- How will this program be funded?
- Will this affect my health insurance premium?
- Can my spouse or dependents participate?
- Will retirees be eligible to participate?
- What if my report indicates something of significant concern and I have not given my permission to have someone contact me?
- How will this program interact with my health care provider?
- Are these services/programs a “one shot deal? "
- How will the organization know if these types of programs work?
- What if I do not give consent to be contacted on the PHA but later decide that I want a Health Coach?
- What are the Online Lifestyle Management Programs?
-
What are the different Online Lifestyle Management Program topics?
-
How do I get access to the Online Lifestyle Management Programs?
- How do the online Programs work?
- What is the Privacy/Confidentiality policy for the online Programs?
What is a Personal Health Assessment (PHA)?
The Personal Health Assessment (PHA) survey tool consists of questions related to individual lifestyle practices and health history factors that have the highest impact on individual health, and biometric measures to determine health status. Generally biometric measures include height, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol (total and HDL) and blood glucose. These numbers can be self-reported or measured professionally. Lifestyle questions focus on exercise, nutrition, diabetes risk, smoking, alcohol, stress, and well-being. Additionally, the PHA addresses a person’s “readiness to change” that allows for development of tailored interventions to meet specific needs. Utilization of an PHA every year provides for individual health risk reduction through follow-up counseling or referral to appropriate services.
Can I participate in the PHA and Health Coach Service during work time?
You may complete the PHA during work time, as your workload allows. It should take 15-20 minutes to complete. Meetings with a Health Coach must be done on non-work time or by receiving permission from your supervisor; the same is true for participation in any subsequent liveWELL programs. If you are unable to participate on work time, you can use vacation time to participate. Health Coach staff are available from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on most days of the week and at two campus locations or via telephone - call 353.2973 to set up a free visit with a Health Coach.
What kind of information do I get from completing the PHA?
You receive an individualized report that identifies your level of risk in a number of areas related to health risks and lifestyle. The report provides you with recommendations for health improvement based on your level of risk and readiness to make changes, and it directs you to campus and community resources. You also receive an annual incentive of up to $65 and a chance to win one of two monthly drawings for $500 for completing the PHA.
How will my confidentiality be maintained?
The information will be stored on a secure system that resides with our third party vendor, Quality Health Solutions. Information will be reported in aggregate format only as in an annual report. Information is not shared with Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa. Limited UI Wellness staff will have administrative access to individual and aggregate information.
Individual health information will not be reviewed with you or others without your specific consent. (Review our privacy practices notice.)
How often can I take the PHA ?
You must wait 90 days before retaking the PHA. Meanwhile, you can review your feedback from your last Quality Health Survey by clicking on "Feedback Report" from the PHA homepage (accessed through Self Service). You can only earn the monetary incentive one time per calendar year.
Will participation be mandatory or voluntary?
Participation is voluntary.
With budget cuts and financial difficulties, why is the University supporting this initiative?
The University views this as an investment in an extremely important asset – the faculty and staff of this institution. Research shows that preventive health programs provided at the workplace that support individual health improvement efforts provide a positive return for the organization. Additionally, cost-savings is shown for individuals completing work with a Health Coach.
The PHA incentive changed in 2012 to be "up to" $65. Why is this?
Effective January 1, 2012 all eligible employees will receive one-time annually the following amounts related to participation:
- $25 for completion of the PHA survey
- $20 for agreement to be contacted by a UI Wellness staff member if results indicate health risks
- $20 for non-smoker status (as indicated by completion of 2 questions within the PHA related to smoking behavior.
The incentive structure was changed to encourage the adoption of more healthy behaviors after faculty and staff complete the PHA. By following up with employees who face significant health risks offering an incentive to stop using tobacco, we can improve their health and reduce the high costs of health care. We believe this change will help our program evolve and become even more effective in improving the health of our faculty and staff.
How will this program be funded?
The University Benefits Office funds this program.
Will this affect my health insurance premium?
The liveWELL program is available to staff members in 50% or greater regular positions. The University’s health plans -in which approximately 10,000 employee participate- are considered self-insured, which means the University is responsible for the costs of the claims incurred. It is hoped that one of the benefits of the liveWELL program will be a reduction in health care claims from the plan participants, and a measurable savings to the University health plans. The funding for the initial program is tied to the potential savings we hope to achieve from these insurance plans. Information is not shared with Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa. Limited UI Wellness staff will have administrative access to individual and aggregate information.
Can my spouse or dependents participate?
At this time, the program is only open to faculty and staff. The current plan is a phased approach to open participation to spouses and dependents in the future.
Will retirees be eligible to participate?
At this time, the program is open to curent faculty and staff only.
What if my report indicates something of significant concern?
You will be contacted by a UI Wellness staff member after taking the PHA if your answers indicate a readiness to change a health-related lifestyle behavior or some sort of elevated risk for health conditions. The feedback report that you receive identifies resources that you can contact directly, as well. You may contact the UI Wellness staff at any time with questions regarding your report or our services.
How will this program interact with my health care provider?
With your consent, the information from the PHA, and any referrals to a Health Coach, behavior change program, or disease management program will be communicated directly to your health care provider. The goal of this program is to work collaboratively with your health care provider and provide you with resources that may be beneficial to your health. However, no communication will occur without your written consent.
Are these services/programs a “one shot deal? "
No, a comprehensive and integrated approach to health, productivity and safety is the long term goal of The University. liveWELL is an important part of this long term goal. This initiative will be an ongoing investment by The University to improve the health of faculty and staff.
How will the organization know if these types of programs work?
Measures of success have been identified for each phase of the program. Key metrics will be monitored and reported over time. These measurements include individual health improvement and reduction of risk factors, improvement in productivity/performance and containment of health care utilization/spending, as well as participation and satisfaction with services.
What if I am not contacted by UI Wellness but I want a Health Coach ?
No problem! You can still work with a Health Coach. Simply call the liveWELL office at 353.2973 to get started.
What are the Online Lifestyle Management Programs?
The Online Lifestyle Management Programs are self-directed behavior change programs that provide you support and assistance in changing unhealthy behaviors. Once you complete your Personal Health Assessment, the Online Lifestyle Management programs are available, if you indicate that you are interested in improving a specific health area (i.e. Weight Management or Smoking Cessation). These on-line programs are designed to help you better understand your behaviors and explore the benefits of changing as well as help you think about strategies to overcome your unhealthy habits. The Online Lifestyle Management Programs provide the support you get from working with a Health Coach, and the added benefit of accessing the programs anytime and at your own pace. The programs contain an expert survey system and an interactive workbook. Completion of the survey gains you access to the interactive workbook that includes informational articles, worksheets, journals, and many other resources to help you improve your lifestyle.
What are the different Online Lifestyle Management Program topics?
There are six modules on the following areas:
- Weight Management
- Stress Management
- Depression Prevention
- Exercise
- Smoking Cessation
- Medication Management (for cholesterol and high blood pressure)
How do I get access to the Online Lifestyle Management Programs?
After you take your Personal Health Assessment, the modules will become available to you as determined by your PHA answers. For example, individuals who indicate that they have never smoked will not have access to the Smoking Cessation online program. Someone who indicates that their Body Mass Index (height and weight measurement) is high will obtain access to the Weight Management module. You may have access to more than one module based on your PHA answers. Each module will appear on your Quality Health Survey Home page.
How do the Online Lifestyle Management programs work?
The first step is to complete the PHA. After that, the modules that are specific to your health needs will appear on your Quality Health Survey home page as a web link. Click on the module-specific survey - these surveys will take 10-20 minutes to complete and address areas specific to the behavior or health condition. For example, the Weight Management module has sections on nutrition, exercise, and managing emotions. Once the module-specific survey is complete, you gain access to a tailored workbook of information. The workbook includes information, tips and ideas, as well as worksheets and activities to help you be successful in meeting goals s as well as tailor and refine your health improvement plan. To measure your improvement over time, you can retake the topic-specific surveys every 30 days and the Personal Health Assessment as frequently as every 90 days.
What is the Privacy/Confidentiality policy for the online Programs?
All information is private and confidential. If as a result of your PHA survey, you have access to the online behavior change programs, all information is confidential and stored with our third party vendor, Quality Health Solutions. If you have not been contacted but think you might want to work with a Health Coach, you can call 353-2973 or email livewell@uiowa.edu. More information on privacy and confidentiality can be found at http://www.uiowa.edu/hr/privacynotice.pdf. Information is not shared with Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa.