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eMbrace the link between employee engagement and wellbeing

According to Gallup®, 70% of the population is struggling or suffering, and 70% of employees are not engaging at work. Investing in wellbeing at work is critical to the success of your employees and organization.

The impact of wellbeing extends far beyond how employees feel — it affects the number of sick days they take, their job performance, burnout levels, retention rates and the organization’s bottom line.

We will dive into these issues in this blog post, and you can learn by listening to the webinar recording: “eMbrace the link between employee engagement and wellbeing.”  Click here to access the recording.

Organizations should care about wellbeing

Contrary to what many believe, wellbeing is not just about being happy or physically fit. Wellbeing encompasses all aspects of our lives:  how our lives are going, feeling good about our thoughts life experiences and what is important to us.

Poor wellbeing affects employees and organizations:

  • 75% of medical costs accrued are due to largely preventable conditions.
  • $20 million of additional lost opportunity for every 10,000 workers due to struggling or suffering employees.
  • $322 billion of turnover and lost productivity costs globally due to employee burnout.

 In contrast, employees with high wellbeing are more resilient during widespread or personal tough times, less likely to have unplanned days out of the office and more engaged than those with low wellbeing.

Traditional EAPs are not enough

Traditional Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) fall short because they average about 5% engagement and focus mainly on distressed employees. Low utilization and a reactive model leave a large gap to fill to meet the wellbeing needs of all employees. Organizations need a proactive program that benefits all employees.

Learn more in the webinar recording.

Building a thriving culture of wellbeing

Leaders that bring engagement and wellbeing together create a high-performance environment where the two inform and build on one another. Magellan Healthcare and Gallup® collaborated to create eMbrace, a fully integrated, evidence-based solution delivering improved employee wellbeing and engagement across six key areas of their lives: Emotional, Career, Social, Financial, Physical and Community.

Through eMbrace, employees and organizations can measure their wellbeing and discover where they are suffering, struggling, and thriving. Employees receive a personalized plan that guides them to services and resources to help them improve their total wellbeing and lead thriving lives.


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Spotlight Magellan Health: Karen Riccardi

Since joining Magellan Health over a year ago, Karen Riccardi has been a part of developing various behavioral healthcare products aimed at helping people to live healthy, vibrant lives.  As senior product development manager, Riccardi’s main responsibility involves the development of behavioral health products and solutions that positively impact the lives of others and drive growth for the company.   Some of the products she has worked on include Magellan Healthcare’s Digital Emotional Wellbeing tool, Senior Assistance solution, and Collaborative Care product.  Riccardi, who is a Licensed Professional Counselor based in Virginia, discusses the products she is working on below.

What sort of cool, innovative projects are you currently working on?

Most recently, I have been working on the implementation of our Collaborative Care Management solution that increases access to behavioral health screening and care for low to moderate-risk behavioral health conditions within the primary care setting.  By using NeuroFlow’s technology and Magellan’s clinical management, we can improve medical and behavioral health integration.

I’ve also been working on the launch of our new Senior Assistance solution powered by DUOS. Senior Assistance helps address older adults’ social determinants of health (SDOH) needs and assists them in aging independently in their own homes by building long-term, high trust, one-on-one relationships with a personal assistant called a Duo.  Our pilot last year successfully addressed 93% of members’ SDOH needs.

There have been several other innovative products and projects I have had the chance to work on, including the development of the Wellbeing Navigator, which provides one-on-one support and guidance for employees and their household members with complex life concerns, the launch of eMbrace, Magellan’s evidence-based solution that supports members’ wellbeing, and development of a suicide prevention solution that includes education, awareness, tools, resources, and addresses other health issues such as substance use and teen mental health.

Why is Magellan Health the best place to develop these projects?

Magellan has a long history of behavioral health innovation and is well known in the behavioral health space.  The history and knowledge, along with leaders who encourage us to be creative and explore new, innovative solutions, make Magellan the best place to develop products that benefit the lives of our members.

What are your thoughts Magellan’s culture and how has it impacted your projects?

Everyone at Magellan is here because they want to make a difference and are dedicated to the work they do. It is energizing to work with coworkers who are passionate about what they do.  This makes working together easier and allows us to come together as a team.

What exciting trends have you noticed in the healthcare industry? In what direction do you see healthcare going? What lessons are there to learn from other industries that can be applied to healthcare?

There has been increased recognition of the importance of mental health and how it is a vital part of one’s wellbeing.  Telehealth and digital tools have proven to be effective means of treatment and are helping to address accessibility to providers.  Individuals have more choices today on how they want to receive behavioral health care, allowing them to be more in control of their healthcare.  It is vital we continue to focus on products and solutions that are high quality, demonstrate positive outcomes, and provide an exceptional patient experience. Individuals need to feel comfortable in seeking behavioral health care when they do not feel well mentally.




Spotlight Magellan Health: Nikki Walker

Nikki Walker is the director of Federal Program Management with a focus on business innovation for the Magellan Federal Military and Family Life Counseling (MFLC) program. Walker, who has been with Magellan since 2012, oversees innovation projects and pilot initiatives that are either directed by our government customer or in collaboration with Magellan Health. Currently, Walker is working on the NeuroFlow pilot and the Arammu Relationship Checkup, a web-based counseling tool that allows military couples to check the status of their relationship health. They also learn how to manage strengths and challenges in their relationship with help from MFLC counselors. Continue reading to learn more about other innovative projects and pilot initiatives Walker is working on at Magellan Federal.

What sort of innovation projects are you currently working on at Magellan Federal?

I’m currently working on two exciting pilots that are moving the MFLC program forward into a digital dimension. The NeuroFlow wellbeing application is part of Magellan Healthcare’s eMbrace employee assistance program. Magellan Federal has also collaborated with NeuroFlow on a pilot program tailored specifically for the military population that incorporates additional safety features. Our relationship with the NeuroFlow team has allowed for a successful rollout at three military installations.  This is truly innovative work within the Magellan Federal business, and we’re excited to be able to offer this type of resource to our military members.

Another pilot we’re working on is the Arammu Relationship Checkup. It’s a digital-based questionnaire that allows military couples to rate their relationship health. Couples can go online and confidentially complete the questionnaire. The results of the questionnaire are immediately presented to the couples and provides concrete techniques to help them enhance their relationship wellbeing. The Relationship Checkup has had a positive impact on how we conduct non-medical counseling. Our MFLC counselors can use the Relationship Checkup in their non-medical counseling sessions to talk with couples about their strengths and any challenges they may work on to build their relationship. The pilot has been successful, and military couples have been very receptive of the checkup.

Why is Magellan Federal the best place to do these projects?

I believe Magellan Federal emphasizes collaboration as well as delivery. We deliver what’s expected of us when innovative programs are requested. Also, when we are working on business development, we are very good at identifying its key partners and stakeholders who are critical to successfully execute and deliver the product or the service that is expected. This collaboration is at all levels and within different arenas: government, military, community, greater Magellan Health, and internal Magellan Federal teams. We’re good at collaboration and building relationships, which help us deliver value to the customer.

What are your thoughts on the culture at Magellan Federal?

The Magellan Federal culture thrives on precision and accuracy. Getting things done right is very important. That supports what I’ve said about delivery. Our culture is about getting it right, which speaks to our professionalism, attention to detail, and the quality of the work we deliver. It’s that high level of professionalism that’s really rooted in delivering consistently. This is engrained in our culture. It speaks to the high level of quality work that our partners, the government, and the military want to see and why they continue to come back to us.

What exciting trends in the healthcare industry, related to military healthcare, have you noticed? In what direction do you see healthcare going? What lessons are there to learn in other industries that can be applied to healthcare?

One of the biggest trends is self-directed wellbeing or self-directed care. Many of our military members and families want something at their fingertips that allows them to easily access and navigate their healthcare. It’s mobile first. Cell phones and the web are readily available to service members, so being able to deliver wellbeing and healthcare services by phone or web gives them the opportunity to get the care they need, when and where they need it. This is especially important with our younger service members and spouses.

Lessons from other industries we can learn from include how to diligently explore the best way to operationalize research-based work. Pilot programs are often based on clinical and research studies, which is good because you do want evidence-based work. But we must also have due diligence in properly translating evidence-based work into daily operations. That takes time and skill. We must be able to think through how to manage and mobilize the workforce to be able to deliver the product and the service. Being able to successfully transition from a clinical study to operations is a big task. Having a plan of action on how to mobilize your team and how to operationalize that clinical study is especially important.

Learn more about the various solutions provided by Magellan Federal here.




Spotlight Magellan Health: Sara Pierce

Finding solutions that allow individuals to improve their overall wellbeing has been Sara Pierce’s primary focus with the recent launch of eMbrace on April 1, 2022. As senior vice president of strategy and execution, Pierce has worked closely on the collaboration between Gallup and Magellan Health and the creation of the Magellan-Gallup Wellbeing Project. With over 10 years of experience working at Magellan, Pierce is a leader on the Growth Team where she’s responsible for the team’s Go-To Market strategy (GTM) and leads individuals on the sales operations, the sales training, and customer experience teams. Pierce, who is based in Connecticut, discusses her ongoing work with Gallup on projects including eMbrace, and how Magellan’s culture has been instrumental in its success.

What sort of innovative projects are you currently working on?

I think the most innovative and fun project I’m working on right now is related to our collaboration with Gallup. We’ve created the Magellan-Gallup Wellbeing Project, joining  forces to combine Magellan’s 50 years of behavioral health experience with Gallup’s industry-leading insights and research to understand how we can better meet the needs of individuals and improve their overall wellbeing. Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace Report tells us that roughly seven in 10 employees are struggling or suffering in their overall lives, with negative emotions at an all-time high. As an employer and a human this is deeply troubling to me.

eMbrace is a fully integrated, evidence-based solution for supporting members’ total wellbeing. We’re incorporating Gallup’s wellbeing assessment and then introducing different solutions or opportunities for employees to engage at all levels across the continuum depending on where they are in the six elements of wellbeing. In essence, we are breaking the silo that has until now separated employee assistance and clinical care, shifting an individual from coaching to employee assistance to clinical counseling based on what is happening in their life.

Do you have any other projects still in the planning phase?

We’re still in the thick of the recent eMbrace launch and it’s exciting that our own Magellan associates will be one of our first customers to utilize eMbrace. This provides us a valuable opportunity to “walk the walk” and to continuously learn from ourselves and our own team. At the same time, we are exploring how we can bring this important work to our health plan, public and Federals markets as well. This is only the beginning!

Why is Magellan Health the best place to do this project?

I think we are the perfect place to do this because of our over 50 years of deep clinical behavioral health experience. Our customers, whether they are employers, health plans, public or federal markets, all have one thing in common – they all have people who are struggling and suffering. The way I think about it, is if not us then who?

What are your thoughts on the culture here at Magellan Health? How has the culture at Magellan impacted your project?

I think one of the things that’s truly unique about Magellan’s culture is that everyone is singularly focused on our mission to help people. We take that very seriously. I think that’s a big part of who we are and why we do what we do and that it’s palpable. When you’re working on trying to solve big problems, it helps to bring it down to the individual level and understand that what we’re doing matters to a person, a family, and an employer. That culture informs everything we do.

What are some exciting trends you’ve noticed in the healthcare industry? What direction do you see healthcare going? What lessons are there to learn in other industries that can be applied to healthcare?

We are in unprecedented times in terms of the rise in unmet need. More and more, as an industry, we are coming up with unique ways to try and meet those needs. One example of that is by addressing people earlier on in the continuum so that we can intervene to prevent exacerbation of illness. Offering digital assessment tools and interventions is one way to try and address the unmet needs. But of course, we can’t make the mistake of letting the pendulum swing too far in any one direction. I believe that our customers want us to balance digital and in-person. The right tools to the right people at the right time.

I think one of the problems in healthcare is that the industry has not designed solutions with the user experience in mind. Meanwhile in all other aspects of our lives, our tolerance for bad experiences is getting smaller every day. Our cell phones are continuously upgraded to improve our user experience. Products and services are marketed directly to us based on knowledge of our preferences, and we have countless choices in entertainment, retail, and restaurants. User experience is king in everything other than healthcare. For too long consumers of healthcare have been trapped with few choices. The good news is that every day I see more evidence that this is changing but we have miles to go before we rest.

 

Learn more about the dimensions of wellness here.