Bob Stone from Healthways, a solution provider company at the marcus evans Corporate Benefits Summit 2012, on improving well-being, thereby reducing employee costs and increasing individual and organizational performance. Interview with: Bob Stone, Co-Founder & Vice President, Healthways

1. Employee Wellness
is Not Enough
measure of the program’s success. As re-start or gain back is not a credible
science has advanced, productivity, or definition of success.
as we prefer to call it performance, can
now be effectively measured in real Fortunately, the outcomes and
economic terms. intervention science in these lifestyle
behavior change programs are
The absence of one or the other will becoming more rigorous every day.
significantly reduce the likelihood of real Employers need to make sure that they
success. The economic impact of stay current on the emerging science.
improved performance can, and should,
be measured both at the individual and
organization level.
Interview with: Bob Stone, Co- How can corporate benefits Engagement
Founder & Vice President, directors reduce costs?
Healthways
The biggest challenge faced by
is a critical
Engagement and executive leadership
corporate benefit directors comes
from their perceived need to save
success factor
are crucial for any health improvement
program to work, says Bob Stone, Co-
money. Without any meaningful way to
evaluate savings over time, they feel for any program
to work
Founder & Vice President, Healthways. forced to demonstrate their ability to
“The absence of one or the other will save money in yearly increments, rather
significantly reduce the likelihood of real than over the employment life of each
success,” he adds. employee. This focus on short-term
savings often causes benefit designs
From a solution provider company to focus either on the sick population, or What is your outlook for the future?
attending the upcoming marcus evans the whole population as an average.
Corporate Benefits Summit 2012, in Both approaches are less than optimal. Everyone will be watching the Supreme
Braselton, Georgia, June 17-19, Stone Court for its decision on the Affordable
discusses why employee wellness Benefits directors often do not have all Care Act. However, irrespective of the
programs are necessary but the data with respect to the drivers, and outcome, two things are clear. First,
insufficient to maximize cost reductions resultant costs, of individual and most states will have some form of
and improved performance. population-wide well-being to allow exchange in place in less than 18
them to articulate a better approach for months, and second, the pay-for-
What initiatives to increase their company. volume will die out, and pay-for-
employee engagement and outcomes will become the de facto
productivity would you recommend? In your opinion, what corporate model.
employee benefits programs have
Engagement is a critical success factor proven most successful? Benefit directors must be prepared to
for any program to work. It is help their organizations make the
dependent on corporate leadership This depends on the organization’s fundamental health insurance decision:
creating an environment that is definition of success and the time period to provide it, or not. Pay-for-outcomes
supportive on the one hand and having in which that success is to be achieved. opens the possibility of creating direct
a supplier who knows how to engage service agreements directly with
folks on the other. There are plenty of programs that can providers. I expect there to be
help employees quit smoking or lose significantly more of that approach
Productivity is actually an outcomes weight. But quitting or losing, only to going forward.

2. About the Corporate Benefits Summit 2012
The HR Network -
marcus evans Summits group
This unique forum will take place at the Château Élan Winery & Resort, Braselton,
delivers peer-to-peer information
Georgia, June 17-19, 2012. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition or
on strategic matters, professional
trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry thought
trends and breakthrough
leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event.
innovations.
The Summit includes presentations on motivating, attracting and retaining qualified
employees, allowing employees to exceed the expectations of upper management
and techniques in managing global benefits and methods.
www.corporatebenefitssummit.com
Please note that the Summit is a
Contact
closed business event and the
number of participants strictly Stacey Melvin, Journalist, marcus evans, Summits Division
limited.
Tel: + 357 22 849 400
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About Healthways
Healthways is the largest independent global provider of well-being improvement solutions. Dedicated to creating a healthier world
one person at a time, the Company uses the science of behavior change to produce and measure positive change in well-being for
our customers, which include employers, integrated health systems, hospitals, physicians, health plans, communities and
government entities. We provide highly specific and personalized support for each individual and their team of experts to optimize
each participant’s health and productivity and to reduce health-related costs. Results are achieved by addressing longitudinal
health risks and care needs of everyone in a given population. The Company has scaled its proprietary technology infrastructure
and delivery capabilities developed over 30 years and now serves approximately 40 million people on four continents.
Learn more at: www.healthways.com
About marcus evans Summits
marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss
strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to
individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-on-one business meetings.
For more information, please visit: www.marcusevans.com
Upcoming Events
Corporate Learning & Talent Development Summit - www.cltdsummit.com
HR Technology Summit - www.humanresourcessummit.com
To view the web version of this interview, please click here: www.corporatebenefitssummit.com/BobStone