May 2005

Employee wellness program earns
supplement company national recognition

Practicing what it promotes, a dietary supplement company, has won national recognition in the April 2005 issue of Inc. Magazine.

Standard Process of Palmyra, Wis., was held up as a company that has taken bold steps to get its 200 employees healthy as a way to reduce its healthcare costs. Its $190,000 program was highlighted in “Cut Your Health Care Costs Now,” written by Jennifer Gill.

The Inc. article said Standard Process removed candy bars and potato chips in its vending machines and replaced them with bags of nuts and low-sugar yogurts. About 65 percent of the company’s employees participate in the wellness program — now in its eighth year — which includes:

The wellness program is paying off. Annual costs for prescription drug claims dropped .5 percent in 2004. Overall medical spending rose 4.2 percent, compared to 7.5 increase percent nationwide in healthcare costs and 8.8 percent rise nationwide in prescription drugs for the first half of 2004. Nationwide numbers come from the Center for Studying Health System Change and the Employee Benefits Research Institute.

In 2004, 135 employees signed up for the program; 60 completed the wellness challenge by meeting 16 out of 19 requirements (such as lowering cholesterol or weight).

This is not the first time Standard Process has received accolades for his employee wellness program. In January, the Nutrition Business Journal also recognized the program in its annual award list.

Sources: Standard Process, www.standardprocess.com; Inc., www.inc.com