AOL envisions seamless continuum of benefits
Enlists its carriers in plan implementation
When Chattanooga, TN-based Provident Companies Inc., approached America Online (AOL) about a year ago to renew its disability insurance services, Kenneth Mitchell, PhD, vice president of Provident’s return-to-work programs, prepared to offer his client some innovative approaches to disability and employee wellness.
Provident’s creative strategy seeks to link the return-to-work concept with prevention, wellness, and rehab services. But the Dulles, VA-based AOL had a surprise for him.
"AOL actually increased the [innovation] curve because of its vision," he says.
What AOL had in mind was a fully integrated employee wellness and benefits program under the umbrella of "Employee Wellness at AOL." That umbrella was to include such diverse components as:
• wellness programming;
• "extreme" ergonomics;
• active safety and health program;
• comprehensive employee assistance program (EAP);
• disability insurance;
• workers’ compensation;
• health insurance;
• health information library;
• legal advisory services;
• financial advisory services;
• stress management;
• 24-hour nurse help line;
• health newsletter.
"Basically, our vision is a fully integrated and coordinated companywide program to foster healthy lifestyle habits, and a healthy and productive workplace environment," explains Marcia Chaplin, benefits administrator at AOL. "We weren’t focusing specifically on return to work, although we visualized it as a piece of our plan. We knew it was one of the priorities we wanted to address."
Competitors learn to cooperate
The key to achieving AOL’s vision, Chaplin notes, is "seamless cooperation from all of our providers." Providers, it should be noted, were used to thinking of each other as competitors.
"We looked at [our existing] vendor relationships as smokestacks, each with its own way of dealing with disability and wellness," notes Chaplin. "We had a conversation with all of our vendors — who we refer to as partners’ — and asked them start thinking out of the box.’ Instead of operating as smokestacks, we wanted them to think about working together to make it easier for employees to get back to work."
For example, she notes, a disability carrier might have one set of protocols on how to return an employee to work, while a health insurance carrier might have its own protocol on medical management. "We asked them to coordinate with each other, to share information that those companies normally don’t share," she observes.
Taking the lead
Provident stepped up and took the lead, Chaplin recalls. "Through the efforts of Dr. Ken Mitchell, they kind of led the charge among the partners," she notes. "All of them were willing, but they needed someone to be the discussion leader; to open up new thinking, to serve as facilitator and project leader. He knew the questions to ask, conducted site surveys, spoke with employees who had been disabled, and ultimately presented his recommendations."
Provident’s experience in the disability area put Mitchell in good stead as he undertook this new task.
"The primary function we offer is a consulting service to help companies define the impact of work disruption," he explains. "We expect people to go back to work, and expect our clients to create the expectation that the employee will get good medical care so he can come back to work. And the employee should see returning to work as a desirable thing to do."
Provident is driven by the philosophy that the employer, provider, and employee all make an investment in the employee’s return to work; be it time, money, or a combination of both. An earlier return to work by the employee, it follows, pays a "return-to-work dividend."
"We used those same concepts as we went forward with AOL," Mitchell explains. "We evaluated their sites and prescribed various features of a process to bring these different partners together."
Mitchell also met regularly with the AOL "Wellness Team," which includes all of the insurance partners, Chaplin, an AOL fitness representative, an AOL facilities representative, and several other employees. "We have been meeting monthly, but as the program rolls out, the frequency may change," says Chaplin.
Chaplin believes this new endeavor has already chalked up two significant achievements. "We have created a single point of entry for occupational and non-occupational injuries," she says. "Employees have an 800’ number to call and a single release form to use — regardless of their provider."
The other achievement? "We’ve formed a partnership among vendors who are usually competitors; that’s the key reason this is going to be successful. At the first meeting, people were taken a bit aback, but when they saw our vision, they realized we were really pushing the envelope in delivering benefits to employees. The whole attitude was, Let’s pioneer something we think will be a win-win for everybody.’"
Sources
• Marcia Chaplin, America Online, 22000 AOL Way, Dulles, VA 20166. E-mail: [email protected].
• Kenneth Mitchell, Provident Companies, Inc., 1 Fountain Square, Chattanooga, TN 37402. Telephone: (800) 633-7479.
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