Occ group ties worker health to fed reform
ACOEM lobbies Congress amid health reform debate
The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) recently briefed Congressional leaders on Capitol Hill, outlining an advocacy agenda that ties the worker health to the current push for health care reform.
"[ACOEM] believes that the time has come for the United States to recognize the workplace as a critical location for achieving the goals of health reform and for improving the overall health of employees and their families, stated Pamela Hymel, MD, MPH, FACOEM, ACOEM president. It will be impossible to achieve true health care reform without this shift in focus."
ACOEM warns that the workforce - the engine that drives the economy and supports the financial underpinnings of our health care system - is ailing and aging, with a rapid rise in chronic disease across all age groups. ACOEM has launched its "Healthy Workforce Now" initiative to raise awareness of these vital facts.
"We are seeking changes in federal policy in order to ensure America's workforce remains strong and that workplace health becomes a fundamental element in the nation's health care reform efforts," Hymel said in a statement posted on the ACOEM website. Congressional leaders were apprised of the group's action, which includes the following priorities and strategies:
1. Establish an "Office of Worker Health and Productivity" within the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Public Health and Science to:
A. Develop and implement a promotional campaign directed to employers that explains the business value of a healthy workforce and provides best-practice employer case-study examples.
B. Collect, develop and disseminate evidence-based, easy-to-use, and accessible workplace health promotion information, tools, resources and implementation strategies.
C. Convene a Federal Advisory Committee on Worker Health and Productivity.
D. Develop, implement and support a worker health promotion certification and accreditation program for workplace health promotion initiatives.
2. Establish a President's Council on Worker Health and Productivity to advise the President and recommend to the U.S. Congress preventive-based health measures in the workplace to ensure that America's workforce remains healthy and productive.
A. The Council would be chaired by the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and include representatives from HHS, the Department of Labor, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Department of Commerce, the Small Business Administration, the United States Department of Agriculture, the Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
B. The Council will submit recommendations to Congress within 18 months of enactment and annually thereafter.
3. Require employer-provided health plans to include an integrated health and productivity enhancement program for work-site prevention, health promotion and health protection that is under the direction of a qualified occupational medicine physician.
A. By regulation, the Secretary of HHS would determine elements to be included in an integrated health and productivity enhancement program including, but not limited to:
i. Health awareness component, including health education, health screenings and occupational health surveillance.
ii. Health-risk assessment component to identify health risk prevalence rates and health risk categories to determine population-specific tailored interventions.
iii. Behavioral change component, including programs related to tobacco use, obesity and depression.
iv. Culture-of-health component, including policies and practices promoting an environment of health promotion and health protection.
B. By regulation, the Secretary of HHS would ensure to the greatest extent possible that workplace-based primary, secondary and tertiary prevention programs are integrated within new approaches to medical care delivery such as patient-centered, primary-care and physician-driven medical home models.
4. Require employer-provided health plans to reimburse for preventive services provided to employees as part of an integrated health and productivity enhancement program, including preventive services recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. 5. Pass federal legislation that would provide a tax credit to companies that offer effective and comprehensive wellness programs, and include the following key elements:
A. Qualified wellness programs would be certified by the Office of Worker Health and Productivity rather than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (see #1).
B. Qualified wellness programs must be consistent with research and best practices as indentified by the Federal Advisory Committee on Worker Health and Productivity and approved by the Secretary of HHS (see #1c).
C. Eligibility for the tax credit would depend in part on the employer meeting established standards for occupational health and safety, as determined by the Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, and having a lost workday injury rate less than the national average from general schedule safety inspections.
6. Amend existing federal law to provide funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for occupational medicine residency programs that include training modules specific to health and productivity to ensure an adequate supply of Board-certified occupational medicine physicians.
Rationale: The U.S. will not be able to meet its obligations under Medicare and Social Security if the engine that supplies the financing - the workforce - is not healthy and productive. Physicians qualified in occupational medicine - who can advance improved health in the workplace - can help address this need. The worksite is an ideal delivery site to advance health promotion. While community health and primary care have limited interactions with the individual, the worksite provides opportunities for multiple interactions.
7. The Secretary of HHS, through CMS, will fund research to determine the most effective health and productivity enhancement strategies including, but not limited to, health promotion, health protection and disease management practices in the workplace.
The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) recently briefed Congressional leaders on Capitol Hill, outlining an advocacy agenda that ties the worker health to the current push for health care reform.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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