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Wearable Wellness Technology Going beyond counting steps to impact your employee wellness program

Wearable wellness technology can be as simple as a pedometer used to count steps, or as complex as technology currently being designed and tested by Google’s research unit, Google X, that aims to detect and destroy blood cancer cells. There are wristbands that look like jewelry, watches that track sleep patterns, clothing that monitors heart rate and even smart contact lenses that will someday automatically test blood sugar levels of a patient with diabetes. Whatever the device, one thing is for sure, wearable wellness technology isn’t a fad.  It is a growing billion-dollar industry with an exciting future.

The wearable wellness tech market was estimated to be worth $2 billion in 2011. It is predicted to reach $6 billion by the end of 2016. IMS Research recently reported the rise in wearables from 14 million devices shipped in 2011 to an estimate of 171 million devices to be shipped by the end of 2016.   And while only 16% of the U.S. adult population used some sort of wearable technology in 2015, that number is predicted to increase to more than 33% by 2019.

What does this mean for employers?

Wearable wellness technology has great promise and opportunity for employer wellness programs. Wearables can be personalized to set and track individual goals and they can continuously measure important metrics such as blood pressure or calories burned. The ease of use and accessibility of data made possible by these wearables allow employers to inject fun and competition into once-dull wellness programs. Additionally, wearables foster community and social support as individuals are able to establish networks for accountability and encouragement.   For the employer, the technology offers a measurement paradise complete with data aggregation to monitor progress, quantify program outcomes and offer all types of incentives.
 
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BYOD Risks in the Workplace Use of Personal Devices at Work Can Create Opportunity and Risk

Employees at companies of all sizes, either through their own volition or due to corporate requirements, are engaging in bring your own device (BYOD) programs in ever greater numbers. Many of these employees continue to work at home, beyond the traditional workday, on personal laptops, tablets and smartphones as the work and personal life divide continues to blur. Companies, once resistant to BYOD programs and their inherent risks, now embrace the increased collaboration, productivity and cost savings that BYOD allows.

According to a recent survey of global CIOs, half will require employees to supply their own devices by 2017.^¹ Companies that do not take a proactive approach to managing the use of personal devices face growing risks, as costs associated with data losses, privacy breaches and other cyber threats continue to rise.

Yet, only 39% of companies have a BYOD policy in place, according to another recent study.^² One in five employees surveyed reported that they were not aware whether or not their company had a formal policy in place, suggesting a need for increased training and communication.
  
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Pharmacy Benefit Managers Report Significant Decrease in Trends for 2015

It’s that time of year again, the time when Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) release their annual drug trend analyses for the prior year.  To the surprise of many, the two largest PBMs in the country, CVS Caremark (CVS) and Express Scripts (ESI), reported 2015 trends at less than half of 2014 trends. CVS reported their annual trend at 5.0% while ESI reported a trend of 5.2%.  Compare these trends to the approximate 12% trend reported in 2014 – a shocker right?  According to CVS, brand-name drug inflation drove to 80% of aggregate drug trend.

Let’s break these numbers down a bit more.  ESI reported that specialty drugs trended at 17.8% while non-specialty drugs trended at -0.1%.  High specialty drug trends are nothing new and are here to stay. You should expect specialty drug trends to remain around 17% and drive an overall drug trend of roughly 7.5% over the next several years.

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Slips, Trips and Falls

A janitorial employee was scrubbing the steps and floors with water and a cleaning agent.  An observant worker realized that soon dozens of employees would be going down the same steps to exit the building for their lunch break.  This person then took the proper action to avert this potentially dangerous situation and set up a wet floor sign.

Do Your Safety Part

Slips, trips and falls constitute the majority of general industry accidents.  They cause 15% of all accidental deaths and are second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities.  An unguarded wet floor is just one of the many possible causes.  It is important to spot unsafe conditions that could lead to slips, trips and falls, and do what you can to prevent them.

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Hiring Safe Drivers for Commercial Vehicles

The majority of auto accidents are caused by driver error, whether it be following too closely, speeding, driving distracted, driving under the influence or a variety of other reasons.  As a business owner, you have control over who operates your vehicles and you should take this responsibility seriously.  Don’t underestimate the importance of making sure you are hiring a safe driver before you allow them to operate one of your fleet.  Always have an applicant sign a waiver permitting you to obtain a motor vehicle record (MVR) before you make a hiring decision.  If there is any doubt about the acceptability of the record, forward it to your Risk Advisor or insurance company for their guidance before allowing the applicant to drive a commercial vehicle.

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