when being a savvy health care consumer means getting no health care

April 9, 2012

just last week nine medical societies released a list of occasions when a patient should not get health care. the list includes recommendations to no longer conduct early imaging tests for back pain, heart imaging stress tests for patients without coronary symptoms or chemotherapy to late-stage cancer patients who didn’t respond to earlier chemo treatments. some [...]

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leaving employee wellness to return to teaching

April 1, 2012

i was planning to use my upcoming vacation to contemplate whether i wanted to leave this work and pursue teaching english and drama. i’ve been feeling discouraged about the progress we’re making in the world of employee wellness. it’s a sisyphean and thankless task to ask employers to consider their employees’ “whole self.” while i [...]

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free-ranging conversation: lessons on how to respect and work with your audience from yael lehmann of the food trust

March 29, 2012

i’m a huge fan of the food trust. i’m a customer too, visiting their farmers markets and night market, which are celebrations of food and neighborhoods. i’m not their sole customer, as they also serve schools, underserved neighborhoods, agencies and states across the U.S. i was fortunate to speak with yael lehmann, the food trust’s [...]

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healthcare experience design conference: small steps, grand intentions

March 28, 2012

2nd annual Healthcare experience design conference in Boston hosted by @MadPow and Claricode – Note this is a living document that is being added to as it is published.

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for combatting sedentary behavior, context offers the hotseat app

March 26, 2012

by now, you’ve probably seen some of the infographics and articles on the dangers of “sitting disease.” the label may be questioned, but the effects of sedentary behavior are real. studies find that even those of us who are active can face increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and other health conditions from extended sitting. that troubles [...]

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employees are employers’ top challenge to continuing to offer benefits, towers watson/NBGH 2012 survey

March 23, 2012

towers watson and the national business group on health released their annual survey this month. the report delves into cost trends, employers’ commitment to offering health care benefits, strategies to increase employees’ sense of accountability for their health and well-being, and challenges to those strategies. i culled a few interesting points from the full report. are [...]

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free-range communication named a top talent management blog by fistful of talent

March 21, 2012

free-range communication’s been named one of fistful of talent’s top 25 talent management blogs. i’m delighted to be sharing company with such a stellar group of HR professionals and commentators. check out the list for yourself. i’m sure you’ll find a few new sources of information and inspiration. f

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communications your employees crave

March 20, 2012

what it is: part of a women’s ad campaign, purportedly by nike women why it works: the copy drags a woman’s fear into the light and to a more powerful place. the language is candid, defiant. even taunting. and this woman is no photoshopped clothes hanger. she may be fitter than most of us, but she’s curvy. [...]

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is shooting for employee participation versus engagement
lowering the wellness bar?

March 14, 2012

bob merberg has been providing thoughtful commentary on shapeup’s recently released survey data in an excellent series on his blog. his most recent post in the series, engagement vs. participation: shaping up or just showing up? ponders whether it’s enough for employers to merely strive for participation: “When I first started hearing about health engagement, the  very [...]

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context partners with shapeup to co-author update on health games at work

March 12, 2012

in the first of two partnership opportunities with the social wellness solution shapeup, context co-authored a report on health games and their impact on employers’ approach to workplace wellness. you can download the report here. next, we plan to administer in the second quarter of 2012 an annual employer survey focused solely on health and [...]

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