Partnership for a Healthier Lifestyle: Unum Helps Customers Improve Employee Participation in Their Health Management Programs

November 4, 2010

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Unum (NYSE:UNM), a leading employee benefits provider, is expanding its Health Resource Connects education and referral program to help its larger disability clients make the most of their health management programs.

Unum recognizes that more and more employers are investing resources in various health improvement programs as ways to control unsustainable health care costs. These strategies can include disease or care management programs, behavioral health resources and wellness programs. However, employee participation in these programs tends to be voluntary, so participation can be low.

Health Resource Connects is an effective way to increase employee participation and engagement because it capitalizes on the “teachable moment” – when an employee is no longer able to work and can be more motivated to take advantage of the specialized resources offered by their employer.

“It is not unusual for us to discover that 25-30 percent of employees filing disability claims for chronic conditions have not yet been identified as candidates for health management outreach,” explains Phil Bruen, vice president of Unum’s national client group practice. “As we work with an employee on a disability claim, we can introduce that employee to the health programs available to them. If an employee is already participating in one of these programs, filing a disability claim usually signals an escalation of the condition, where additional support can be helpful.”

Through Health Resource Connects, Unum helps educate employees about health programs available and facilitates the important connection to them. This service not only supports customers in managing health care costs, but also supports improved employee productivity – a powerful combination. The service is a valuable resource to clients who have Unum’s short term disability coverage and also have health management programs.

First developed in 2005, Health Resource Connects has been expanded to include additional referral methods, tools for risk assessment, levels of integration with health partners, as well as customer reporting.

Health Resource Connects is available to Unum’s larger group disability customers with 2,000 or more covered lives. It has proven to be very popular, with Unum providing this service to over 600,000 employees.

About Unum

Unum (www.unum.com) is one of the leading providers of employee benefits products and services in the United States and the United Kingdom. Through its subsidiaries, Unum Group paid approximately $6 billion in total benefits to customers in 2009.

 

Source: Unum

Contact:

Unum

MC Guenther, 423-294-6108

mguenther@unum.com