Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/284466
48 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | APRIL 2014 I N I N I N I N I N I N N O N O N O N O N O N O V A V A V A V A V A V A T O T O T O T O T O T O R O F O F O F O F O F O F T H E H E H E H E H E H E Y E A E A E A E A E A E A R flunk their physicals for a number of reasons. Then in 1998 and again in 2003, Melton lost longtime company drivers to heart attacks. Those events led management to set out to change the company's attitude toward personal health from the top down. Peterson knew that a comprehensive health and wellness program was critical to helping improve driver health and lower Melton's healthcare cost exposure. Citing research that shows healthcare costs for an obese employee are 56 percent higher compared to a normal- weight employee and that one in five deaths in the United States is obesity-associated, the answer was relatively simple. But getting employees to participate in a company-led health program initially was a challenge. Getting employees to care In 2007, Melton established its iCare program. Initially, it involved setting up stations at the company's six terminals where drivers and employees submitted to voluntary blood chemistry testing and body measurements. "What we said to our people was if you will simply let us prick your finger, weigh you and measure your waistline, you could get a substantial break on your insurance premiums," says Peterson. But in the program's infancy, only 11 percent of employees participated. Over the next few years, Melton added incentives to the iCare program to improve participation. In the program's next phase, drivers and corporate employees would submit to voluntary biometric screenings that tested metabolic syndrome, a combination of factors that affect a person's risk for diabetes, stroke and heart disease. The company screens for elevated triglyceride and glucose levels, HDL cholesterol, expanded waistlines and high blood pressure. "We found amazing things with people that could look fit but their HDL might be terrible, or their triglycerides or glucose levels were bad," says Peterson. "Adult onset diabetes is sweeping the nation, and it's pathetic what's happening to people because they are eating terribly and not exercising." If an employee satisfies the requirements for four of the five metabolic syndrome factors, they qualify for iCare Plus, a further break on their insurance. In 2008, Melton tied participation in the program to lower healthcare premiums. In 2009, it encouraged employees' spouses that were part of the company's healthcare insurance program to also participate in iCare. "You read a lot in the press about how a lot of companies are dropping spousal coverage," says Peterson. "We wanted spouses to be healthy to the extent that they want to be involved. If they want the best deal, they have to come in and get weighed and tested." To administer healthcare services, Melton partnered with IMWell Health, which provides an onsite wellness clinic at the carrier's Tulsa terminal and headquarters staffed by a full-time nurse. There also are two additional near-site clin- ics in Tulsa and other sites in Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas. Melton also uses Compass Professional Health Services that allows drivers on the road in need of medical treatment or procedures to call into the nationwide network and get a list of recommended healthcare providers. At its terminal in Laredo, Texas, Melton has an onsite clinic for medical care and drug testing. Recently, the company es- tablished near-site clinics close to its other terminals in Dal- las and El Paso, Texas, Birmingham, Ala., and Masury, Ohio. Today, iCare focuses on preventive screenings and ap- propriate clinical interventions when necessary. Participants submit to annual biometric screenings and receive rewards and incentives. As a result of its iCare program, Melton has reduced healthcare costs dramatically in recent years. In 2013, medi- cal claim costs decreased 20.8 percent from 2012. In 2012, 39 percent of Melton employees had elevated fasting glucose levels; in 2013, that number dropped to 26 percent. "We'll give them all the tools they need to understand their body and medical professionals to take care of them, but they have to care," says Peterson. "That's our pitch. We moved the needle through awareness, incentives and features like Compass and onsite clinics. People are now saying, 'I don't have any more excuses because there isn't even a de- ductible out of pocket.' " Bob Peterson, president of Tulsa, Okla.-based Melton, works with Bret Bringham, the flatbed company's wellness manager and per- sonal trainer (left), and Angie Buchanan (center), vice president of safety and human resources, on the company's various health and wellness initiatives.