Core values are the heartbeat of your organization. You likely have values that address topics such as respect for all people, individual dignity, and trust among team members. But every day your organization can face threats to your values. These threats can come in the form of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, favoritism, and gossip.

You want your employees to become better health care consumers. To use preventative care measures, to choose urgent care over emergency room visits when appropriate, to consider the options when scheduling a test or procedure, to choose generic prescriptions when possible….you want them to make more informed health decisions.

But how can they do these things if they don’t understand basic health information and services? They can’t make smarter health care decisions until they understand the terms.

Employees can’t become better health care consumers without health literacy!

Employees are our greatest assets. But the recruitment, development, and retention of those employees doesn’t come without its complexities and challenges. From harassment and discrimination to FMLA, ADA, workers’ compensation, and more – there is a lot of noise in the HR world!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults get 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity each week. Research shows, and most individuals would agree, that engaging in regular physical activity, such as walking, enjoy the benefits of:

• Reduced blood pressure
• Lower blood cholesterol
• Increased cardiovascular endurance
• Improved bone strength
• Burn calories and weight maintenance

What if there was a device available that could help someone measure their activity or send hourly reminders to get up and move to increase daily physical activity levels? And what would this mean for workplace wellbeing?

You spend considerable time and resources crafting your benefits plan, striving to find a solution that’s best for your employees and for the organization. Once you’ve made the decisions and the plan is in place, how can you be sure your employees will use it? Or properly understand it?

The answer lies in your communication strategy!

On May 4, 2017, the IRS released Revenue Procedure 2017-37 revealing dollar limits for High Deductible Health Plans (HDHP) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) for 2018.

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA) in an effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Act passed in the House by a vote of 217-213. After meetings with the White House and amendments to the plan in recent days, the Republican House leadership was able to secure the votes to pass this legislation.

I’ll sleep when I’m dead.

Maybe you’ve used that phrase or heard a colleague or friend utter it. In the midst of our busy lives, sleep often falls by the wayside. But the reality is - sleep isn’t an option. A recent British survey revealed that people who sleep less than six hours a night have a 13% higher mortality rate than those sleeping at least seven hours.

Many factors contribute to sleeplessness such as family worries and financial concerns, but one factor that stands out above others: work. The work we do can affect the quality of sleep we get. It can impact how much free time we have, how anxious we feel, and how tired we are.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Dr. Eric Bricker, Chief Medical Officer of Compass Professional Health Services. We hope you enjoy Dr. Bricker’s wisdom and perspective.

The February 28, 2017 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published an article by Dr. Michael Fischer and Dr. Jerry Avorn entitled, “Step Therapy—Clinical Algorithms, Legislation and Optimal Prescribing,” that explains the benefits of step therapy, an approach intended to control the costs and risks posed by prescription drugs.

Step therapy is a relatively new program offered by insurers and pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) that requires patients to try lower cost or generic medications before they can ‘step up’ to a more expensive medication.

On Friday, March 24, 2017, Republican leaders withdrew their overhaul of the nation’s health care system, commonly referred to as repeal and replace, from the House floor. What this means for employers is the employer mandate, tax reporting, measurement periods, and employee tracking remain part of our daily activities. “Obamacare is the law of the land for the foreseeable future,” said speaker of the House Paul Ryan.