Newswise — The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) and the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) formally announced today a partnership designed to promote the principles of integrated health and productivity management (HPM) in workplaces around the world. The collaboration provides for a variety of HPM educational offerings, including national training programs, on-line instruction ("webinars" ), and other on-line HPM resources.
Integrated HPM is a business concept that places major emphasis on the promotion of health, wellness, and absence/disability management in an effort to measurably improve workforce productivity and quality of life for employees. Providing health and wellness to employees is a human-capital investment which, through promoting health and cutting the need for medical and absence-related expenses, can contribute to bottom-line returns.
"We believe our partnership brings together the best of two worlds essential to achieving HPM results," said Thomas Parry, PhD, president of IBI. "Successfully implementing HPM for the workforce requires a strong understanding of health and medical outcomes as well as integration of fundamental human resource and benefits practices."
Dr. Tee L. Guidotti, President of ACOEM, noted that the educational offerings will benefit workers and employers alike. "Good health and productivity at work means good health and a better life at home. Through these educational programs we will give health, management, and human resources professionals the tools to make practical steps forward in the real world of work and life. Health and productivity is all about business gains being compatible with a high quality of working life and satisfaction."
In the last several years, the business community has scrambled to learn about and implement HPM strategies as companies face health care costs that threaten to spiral out of control. A focus on HPM will help employers understand what they are getting for their health care investments " a healthier and more productive workforce.
As business leaders promote a healthier workforce and manage absence across traditional benefits programs, they have realized improvements in health-related productivity. "This productivity focus establishes a built-in value proposition that resonates with company executives and employees alike," said IBI's Parry.
About ACOEM ACOEM is an international society of more than 5,000 occupational and environmental physicians and other health care professionals that provides leadership to promote optimal health and safety of workers, workplaces, and environments. Founded in 1916, the College is committed to the advancement of excellence in health care, health and productivity, and worker and workforce protection. The College has been a leader in disseminating research on health and productivity, developing practical tools for physicians to apply in the workplace to improve outcomes, and advocating for best practices in health management. The members of ACOEM are dedicated to the health of workers and the environment and adhere to a rigorous Code of Ethical Conduct.
About IBI IBI is a national, nonprofit organization supported by more than 400 corporate members, including employers, consultants, insurers, healthcare providers, disease management firms, third-party administrators and pharmaceutical companies. IBI provides objective research, an integrated health and productivity educational forum and benefits measurement and benchmarking tools to monitor benefits down and across programs and up to business impacts.
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