List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Feb-11
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Like every other industry, hospitals’ and health systems’ health benefits for employees are costing more every year. Further, health care workers tend to be less healthy than those in most other fields. This article looks at the costs and benefits of providing wellness plans to hospital employees, how to measure return on investment and which programs are most effective.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
The magazine’s readers (hospital trustees or directors) typically are not medical professionals. This story was designed to provide a non-medical understanding of the American Hospital Association’s 2011 report, A Call to Action: Creating a Culture of Health. It formed the basis for the story and the data in the sidebars.
Explain types of human sources used.
Sources included hospital trustees, CEOs, human resources leaders, AHA’s then-chairman of the board and the president of AHA’s research organization.
Results:
While most employee wellness programs are still in their infancy and yet to produce results, the article highlighted the need for sophisticated data collection and analysis to determine a wellness program’s effectiveness.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Stories about employee or population wellness can’t simply be “feel-good” pieces on salad bars and yoga classes because hospitals and other organizations need a demonstrable return on investment from these programs. Start from a foundation of data, then look for human sources.