By Dec. 31, 2001, Rhode Island is expected to be America’s first “Well State,” an honor bestowed by the Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA), an international non-profit health promotion organization bent on lowering business costs by improving employee health and fitness. The Worksite Wellness Council of Rhode Island has negotiated with WELCOA to bring the honor to Rhode Island. To garner the “Well State” designation, 20 percent of the state’s workforce must be employed by companies, health care systems, educational institutions and state and municipal organizations who have earned an award from WELCOA through the Worksite Wellness Council.
”We’re close enough, given our size, to make things happen,” said Edna Poulin, who serves as liaison to the Worksite Wellness Council from the Rhode Island Department of Health. “We can do this.”
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Helping to give the state a leg up in the national award program are business initiatives that are creating awareness of the benefits of employee health and fitness efforts.
A Worksite Health Program award begun six years ago by the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island has honored numerous Rhode Island companies for their commitment to encouraging healthy lifestyles among their employees. This year’s list of 44 award winners includes A.T. Cross, Amica, The Beacon Mutual Insurance Company, Hasbro, Bell Atlantic, City of Warwick, and Toray Plastics (America), Inc. AAA of Southeastern New England, another award winner this year, has also gained Rhode Island’s first national recognition from WELCOA for its employee health initiatives.
On a national level, more than 80 percent of America’s businesses with 50 or more employees have some form of health promotion program, whether it is stop-smoking classes, exercise, back care or stress management.
Workers’ Comp to be addressed at Orlando conference
With growing emphasis on e-commerce and Internet document transfers, a keen concern exists for many industries, in particular the medical profession – how do you assure medical record privacy and verification?
This is just one issue to be discussed during the first-ever national issues’ track, presented by The National Underwriter Company, as part of the 55th Annual Florida Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference to be held Sept. 24 through 27 in Orlando.
United States Assistant Secretary of Labor Charles Jeffress will speak about the controversial OSHA ergonomics recommendations and their effect and impact on the workers’ compensation system. He will be joined by Eric Oxfield, president of UWC – Strategic Services on Unemployment and Workers’ Compensation.
Other topics during the two-and-half-day conference include medical record confidentiality and technology. With the recent passage of the Health Insurance Privacy & Portability Act (HIPPA), which requires privacy of electronically transmitted medical records, many companies and health care organizations are left questioning how to handle standard business procedures. The Internet has established new perceived risks for privacy. What is a reasonable standard, what are consumers demanding and how will it affect business?
The realities of today’s managed care issues will be presented, as will workers’ compensation loss ratios and rates; telecommuting in relation to fraud and compensability of injuries; customer service; time management; and legislative issues.
The Florida Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference attracts physicians, adjusters, attorneys, medical case managers, rehabilitation providers, and paralegals and legal support staff. The most pressing issues in Florida workers’ compensation today are employer immunity to civil lawsuits and the ever-growing exceptions to the Exclusive Remedy provisions of the Workers’ Compensation Statute.
There will be a separate breakout on probably the fastest growing industry concerned with workers’ compensation – employee leasing.
Registrations for the conference, including the national session and other breakout programs, can be made at www.fwciweb.org or by calling (805) 425-8156. The cost to register is $195 or $225 after Sept. 8. Registration entitles each participant to a 700-page Workers’ Compensation Reference Manual.
