Wellness Workdays acquires health coach Occupational Medical Consulting
Corporate wellness program advisor Wellness Workdays has acquired health coaching firm Occupational Medical Consulting.
Healthcare approaches have long been premised on after-the-fact treatment, which is both more costly and often less effective than preventative measures. If doctors and public health specialists could get everyone to exercise daily, eat leafy greens, cut down sugar intake, and relax, then national healthcare costs would be a great deal lower. Buy-in is the tough part, however.
From a corporate standpoint, wellness programs are becoming more popular for a number of reasons. For one thing, either health-centric or financial wellness programs can cut down on stress, which in turn can cut down on productivity loss. Health-based wellness programs aim to decrease sick days and illness absences, while lowering health insurance costs and premiums.
According to a Harvard meta-review of research in the field, every $1.00 spent on worksite wellness programs has an expected ROI of $3.27, and when absenteeism is factored in, the return increases to $6.00. In the end, a healthy workforce is a more effective and efficient one – but once again, how do you get buy-in?
Maine-based OMC’s health wellness program method is physician-driven, and rooted in behavioral science that gets strong results. Behavioral science is a popular field that seeks to understand and exploit the peculiar biases and irrationalities of humans in order to drive favorable policy results. A fun example of behavioral nudging is Amsterdam Schiphol Airport’s strategy of painting houseflies inside men’s urinals in order to “improve aim.”
In the case of health coaching, the process might involve playing on people’s loss aversion – setting exercise goals, for example, where you are forced to lose something valuable if you fail to follow through.
The consulting firm reports that its standardized coaching process and proprietary software drive wellness program participation rates well above national norms – reaching 80-95% participation rates on average. As a result of OMC’s advisory work, clients have decreased behavioral health risks and costs risks – reducing and preventing excess medical spending and insurance premium increases in the process.
OMC has now been acquired by Massachusetts-based wellness consulting firm Wellness Workdays. The consultancy delivers corporate wellness services and nutritional programs that aim to promote employee health and morale, increase productivity, and lower health care costs. The firm’s four-step process covers assessment, strategy, implementation, and evaluation.
Wellness Workdays has additional offices in New York, Florida, and Texas, and has worked with notable clients such as MIT, Brown University, Putnam Investments, and New Balance.
As part of the acquisition OMC will now operate as a subsidiary of Wellness Workdays, and will be rebranded as OMC Wellness.
"OMC provides an exciting opportunity for Wellness Workdays to further enhance and expand its wellness offerings," said Debra Wein, founder and CEO of Wellness Workdays and CEO of OMC. "The organization shares our common vision related to a high-touch, outcomes-driven approach to wellness, as well as a passion and commitment to promote employee health and well-being.
“The acquisition brings our proprietary approach to wellness together with OMC's highly trained health coaches to drive better health outcomes and ultimately, healthier employees," she added.
