Helping employees stay healthy

Aetna Health ConnectionsSM health and wellness programs and resources are personalized to help meet the needs of each person, whether he or she is healthy or dealing with a new or ongoing health issue.

Our suite of more than 70 wellness programs spans the continuum of care, from biometric screenings and tobacco cessation programs to healthy lifestyle coaching. The programs give people ways to stay healthy and prevent more serious issues. This can lead to:

• Improved productivity and employee retention
• Better employee health and morale
• Lower health-related costs
  

Simple Steps To A Healthier Life®

This online program includes a health assessment. The personalized results will help members understand where they’re at risk and what they can do. The program includes personalized online health programs, too. Topics include:

• Relieving stress
• Eating healthy and getting physical activity
• Sleeping better
• Quitting tobacco
• Living well with asthma
• Increasing physical activity

Women’s health care

Aetna’s Women’s Health programs help empower women throughout their lives by providing appropriate health services and information. We offer many programs focused on the needs of women:

• Aetna Maternity Program: This program provides tips and guidance for a healthy pregnancy, plus support for women with high-risk pregnancies.
• Infertility Precertification Unit: Members can find infertility health care providers, access infertility information and education, and enroll if needed.
• Breast Health Education Nurse: Our nurses are a rich resource for women recently diagnosed with breast cancer. They have the most recent information on general breast health and breast cancer risk identification, and can offer specialized services and support. They’re available for HMO/HNO members.
• Cancer Support Centers: Our Cancer Support Centers provide a complete range of personalized online resources for breast and reproductive cancers (ovarian, uterine, fallopian). They offer education on treatment options and coverage information to things like tips for nutrition and stress relief.
• BRCA Genetic Testing Program: Available for high-risk members, this program provides genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancers.

Personal health and wellness coaching

A support network boosts people’s chances for meeting their health goals. Our health coaches and counselors can help members to set and achieve meaningful health goals, from quitting smoking to maintaining a healthy weight.

Mindfulness programs

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention in the present moment without judgment. Mindfulness is about “being” rather than doing. 

Recent research shows that mindfulness may improve mental and physical health.  People can use mindfulness programs along with conventional medicine.

Our mindfulness programs teach ways to:

• Help people reduce stress
• Target obesity and metabolic syndrome risk factors
• Make lasting lifestyle behavior changes

They include the Mindfulness at Work and Metabolic Health in Small Bytes programs. We worked with eMindful, Duke Diet and Fitness, and Duke Integrated Medicine to develop and study the programs.  Research shows they reduce perceived stress levels, improve productivity and reduce or reverse metabolic syndrome risk factors.

To learn more about Aetna’s mindfulness programs, please contact your Aetna representative.

Workplace wellness

To inspire healthier people, we believe in going straight to the source. We can bring health-promoting services to the workplace, such as:

• On-site biometric screenings
• Educational workshops
• Health awareness campaigns

Metabolic syndrome solution

Affecting almost 35% of adults in the United States*, metabolic syndrome is one of the fastest growing health issues. Metabolic syndrome is a grouping of five risk factors:

• Large waist size (>35 inches for women, >40 inches for men)
• High blood pressure
• High triglycerides
• Low HDL (“good”) cholesterol
• High blood sugar

Anyone with three or more of these risk factors is at risk for metabolic syndrome. This combination makes people twice as likely to develop heart disease and five times as likely to develop diabetes, compared with people who do not have metabolic syndrome.

Improving these measures now can help to prevent serious — and costly — health conditions. In many cases, lifestyle changes can help, such as increased exercise and improved diet.

To help combat metabolic syndrome, Aetna has developed an approach focusing on:

• Identification – Understanding the health and potential risk factors of each employer’s working population
• Intervention – Helping employers clarify their goals in this area
• Incenting – Connecting incentives to specific results, which can help to improve health
• Implementing – Taking the information and goals and turning them into a detailed action plan

Our solution encompasses an array of our programs and can be adapted to any group, from those just starting to develop a wellness strategy to those with a mature strategy already in place.

Get Active!SM

Aetna Health Connections Get Active! is a great way for plan sponsors to help people of all health and fitness levels get and stay motivated to improve their fitness and well-being.

It features an online fitness and nutrition tracker, team-based challenges, social networking, emails, newsletters, activity tracking, full reporting capabilities, and the option to purchase a welcome kit that includes a pedometer.

Get Active! is a year-round program that offers inviting, seasonal challenges to keep people moving and motivated through the year. It starts with an eight-week team challenge and continues with other shorter challenges. All are supported by the program’s social networking component, which drives engagement and helps create lasting behavior change.

Informed Health® Line

Ever been up at 3 a.m. with a feverish infant? Had trouble sleeping because of health-related worries? We know that health issues don’t wait for the sun to rise. Our 24-hour Informed Health Line is there for members to talk to a registered nurse any time, toll-free.

While only your doctor can diagnose, prescribe or give medical advice, the Informed Health Line nurses can provide information on more than 5,000 health topics. Contact your doctor first with any questions or concerns regarding your health care needs.