Launching a wellness incentives program requires the same kind of preparation. In case you haven’t prepared a list (and checked it twice), we’ve put a few together for you to help make sure you haven’t missed anything.

Based on our Incentives Best Practices Study of 52 employer clients, which tracked the rewards-related behaviors of over 2 million people, organizations with a simpler incentive program have coaching engagement rates 7% higher than those with complex programs.

Have you covered the basics?

• Does your organization have clear wellness objectives that your team understands and can get behind?
• Have you made sure that your incentives design directly supports your overall wellness objectives?
• Is your incentive program aligned with your benefits plan?
• Do you have strong management support for your wellness and incentives programs?
• Is your incentive program simple enough for your population to understand?
• Have you agreed on what requirements you’ll use, such as national or at-risk guidelines?
• Do you require a health assessment as a basis for your incentives program?
• Have you established how long people will have to earn the reward?
• Do you have a plan to handle exceptions, such as pregnancy?
• Are you confident that the overall participant experience is positive? Have you tried it?
• Do you have a plan for new employees, spouses, and family members to participate?
• Do you have an approved budget for your incentives program?
• Have you explored cost-neutral approaches (where premium reductions for participants are offset by additional premiums for non-participants)?
• Have you weighed the pros and cons of self-reported and imported data?
• Do you know what sources of imported data you’ll accept, including biometric screenings, home tests, or provider lab results?
• Have you decided how and when you’ll measure improvement towards your goals?
• Do you have baseline measurements that you can use to compare population health status, health risk levels, and healthcare costs before and after you start your incentives program.
• Have you made sure your incentives plan is compliant with ACA regulations?

Is your population ready for wellness incentives?

• Have the people in your population accepted your wellness programs so far?
• Have they shown that they’re willing to change their health behaviors?
• Have incentives been successful in other corporate initiatives?
• Have you tested your program design with people outside your wellness team to get their response? (Focus groups are a great tool!)
• Have you talked to your wellness program vendor for examples of similar designs and the experience of other clients like you?
• Have you made sure your incentives are fair, and aren’t heavily weighted towards people who are already healthy?
• Are you confident that your requirements aren’t so challenging that people might decide it’s not even worth trying?

Are you ready to communicate your plan?

• Have you developed your communications strategy, with a full-year plan laid out?
• Is your program simple to communicate?
• Do you have wellness communications programs in place that you can use to explain your incentives plan to your population?

Frequent Communication Improves Participation Rates [1. WebMD’s 2013 Incentives Best Practices Study]

• Are your calls to action clear and simple so people know what they’re supposed to do next?
• Do you have multiple communication modalities and messages so you reach everyone?
• Can you target messages to specific segments of your population, such as those who haven’t completed their health assessment yet, or those with certain health conditions or risks?
• Have you thought about how you’re going to communicate to everyone, in different locations and job functions?
• Does you plan include language as required under the new ACA regulations for reasonable alternatives?

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Wellness Incentives Workbook

Still have questions? Download our Wellness Incentives Workbook, a hands-on, checklist-based guide to wellness incentives best practices.

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