An innovative, award-winning wellness program introduced by Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) in collaboration with Vanderbilt Health has helped enrollees improve their health while reducing the district’s health care expenditures.
It’s based on a simple approach articulated by David Hines, MNPS executive director for benefits. “If we focus first on health, the (savings) will come,” he said. “And it’s worked.”
Compared to community-based primary care, the program has achieved a nearly 30% reduction in overall medical costs, a 38% decline in inpatient admissions and 23% fewer trips to the emergency room. There has been a significant drop in catastrophic claims filed for urgent care, which indicates to Hines that "we're doing well in chronic disease management."
Enrollees have lost a combined total of 7,000 lbs., while illness-related absences among teachers have declined and retention has climbed.
“The teachers we are retaining tend to score higher on performance evaluations,” Hines said. “Healthy employees are better employees.”
For more details, check out this recent article in The Tennessean. You can learn more about Vanderbilt Health Employer Solutions here.
