In the face of rising health-care costs, some employers here are tweaking their wellness programs to workers who participate in options designed to keep them well.


The incentives, which include gift cards, lower insurance premiums, and fitness programs, give employees added reasons to maintain their awareness about their health and potentially to stave off costly medical maladies, employers say.


Mark Newbold, employee-benefits adviser for Spokane-based Moloney+ONeill Benefits, says that while workplace wellness programs are still in their infancy, a growing number of employers, especially larger ones with self-funded coverage, are showing interest in making the plans more appealing.


Employers who are implementing wellness programs are the innovators whose investments will result in reduction of absenteeism and increased productivity, he asserts.


One such employer, Pathology Associates Medical Laboratories Inc., of Spokane, is piloting a biometrics program at its main lab here at 110 W. Cliff that offers free health screenings for cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, and body fat for about 475 eligible employees, says Andrea Boures, PAML benefits specialist.


Participants in the initial health screening receive a $25 gift card from a choice of merchants, and get another $50 gift card for continued participation.


The screening is conducted through a third party, and individual results are confidential, she says. PAML does receive, however, aggregate numbers that point out risk factors, such as for diabetes or heart disease, for its work force.


We can target different programs around that, Boures says.


About 100 PAML employees participated in the initial screening, and Boures says she hopes at least another 100 employees will participate in two additional screenings.


If we get 50 percent participation, I would be thrilled, Boures says.


The pilot program will run the next six to eight months. Depending on how it goes, Hopefully, well make it available to all of our employees, she says, referring to workers at other PAML locations not yet included in the program.


Spokanes Avista Corp. is phasing in upgrades to its wellness program through which employees can earn up to $175 credited toward their health reimbursement account, says Mary Prince, manager of corporate benefits for Avista. Such accounts hold funds set aside by employers for workers to use to pay certain medical expenses.


Avista pays for screening for bone density, cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, and body mass index.


It brings awareness, Prince says. A lot of people have never had their cholesterol checked even though their annual physical is 100 percent covered.


This year, Avista has set up a wellness Web site through which employees can track their health activities and health risks and get access to health information.


Participants earn credit in their health reimbursement accounts for having the screenings, participating in a health-risk assessment, getting an annual physical exam, exercising, participating in quarterly wellness activities, and watching monthly health videos.


Its cost effective for Avista to spend a few dollars on the front end to keep people healthy, Prince says. People dont have much control (over costs) once they get ill.


Avista has about 1,800employees, more than 1,200 of whom work at the companys main campus here.


Kathy Worden, health education manager for Spokanes Inland Northwest Health Services, says about 95 percent of INHSs 800-plus employees who receive health benefits participate in wellness screenings.


Employees must participate in the screenings to receive the full company contribution to their health plans, which is sufficient to cover a full-time employees share of premiums for health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.


While information gleaned from individual screenings is confidential, INHS receives aggregate data about the health of its work force, which it uses to tailor health education programs. Worden says shes seen some significant improving trends since the INHS program, called health@work, began in 2003.


In 2006, 45 percent of the participants had blood pressure in the normal range, up from 30 percent in 2003, she says. Blood glucose numbers also showed improvement, with 94 percent of the participants in the normal range in 2006, up from 81 percent in 2004.


We cant pinpoint the reason for it other than to say employees are more invested in wellness, Worden says


INHS also makes a variety of courses involving exercise, nutrition, and smoking cessation available at its main offices at 601 W. First. Some of the most recent courses include weight management, yoga, and belly dancing.


Our goal is to offer as many opportunities for healthy lifestyle choices as we can, she says.


Employees pay for the courses, but have the option of paying in installments through a payroll deduction.


Worden says INHS is opening up the courses to employees of downtown businesses in the vicinity of the Wells Fargo building.


Avista makes on-site fitness programs available to its employees at its Mission campus. Its Pilates exercise class, for instance, is highly popular, Prince says.


Employees pay for classes, but they are offered here for convenience, she says.


Last year, Avista launched a walking program, which provided subsidies for employees to obtain 500 pedometers, and 330 employees tracked their mileage online, Prince says.


At PAML, CEO Thomas Tiffany started a walking program about three months ago and invited employees to join him, Boures says. A fitness trainer maps out the routes, and participants receive water and a snack after a lunch-hour walk.


PAML also has offered an on-site weight-loss program since September and on-site exercise courses since November.


Employees can elect to pay for the weight-loss program through a payroll deduction. The cost of the 12-session exercise course is $15, but employees who attend 10 or more sessions in the series are fully reimbursed, Boures says.


PAML and employees also are eligible for discounted memberships at a fitness club, and a lot of people participate in that as well, she says.


Contact Mike McLean at (509) 344-1266 or via e-mail at mikem@spokanejournal.com.