Care Continuum Alliance Authors Health Promotion Chapter of New Online Guide for Value-Based Purchasing

Industry association for wellness, prevention and chronic condition care contributes resources to help employers develop, operate and evaluate workplace wellness and care management programs.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A new National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH) website on value-based purchasing features case studies and other content authored by the Care Continuum Alliance to help employers establish workplace health promotion programs.

The Care Continuum Alliance, one of five industry experts that contributed to the Value-Based Purchasing Guide, applauded NBCH for today's launch of the online resource, at http://www.nbch.org/vbpguide.

"We are extremely pleased to contribute our members' expertise to the NBCH Guide," Care Continuum Alliance President and CEO Tracey Moorhead said. "Employers have led efforts to promote health and wellness and raise the quality and value of care, and our members have been important collaborators in that process."

NBCH last year awarded the Care Continuum Alliance a grant to author the Guide's Health Promotion chapter. It gives employers an overview and description of evidence-based wellness and health promotion strategies; case studies of five innovative employer initiatives; a literature review of intervention-specific and comprehensive programs; and other tools and resources for program development and operation.

"As health care costs continue to rise, employers are recognizing the importance and potential impact of value-based purchasing strategies," said Andrew Webber, NBCH president and CEO. "This Guide was developed to further support the critical role employers, purchaser-led coalitions, health plans and other health care stakeholders are playing to improve health and health care, while lowering costs."

The Health Promotion chapter provides content from the Care Continuum Alliance Outcomes Guidelines Report, including a wellness program definition, outcomes evaluation design considerations and a Model of Wellness Program Impacts, which outlines the types and expected timeframes of relevant program outcomes. The Care Continuum Alliance has published five volumes of its Outcomes Guidelines Report and has made the fifth volume, released last fall, freely available as a download from its site, http://www.carecontinuum.org.

The body of evidence in support of worksite wellness and health promotion programs continues to grow. Recent research in Health Affairs and other prominent journals offers insight into core program components and strong evidence of positive financial and clinical outcomes.

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About the Care Continuum Alliance
The Care Continuum Alliance represents more than 200 organizations and individuals and aligns all stakeholders along the continuum of care toward improving the health of populations. Through advocacy, research and education, The Care Continuum Alliance advances population-based strategies to improve care quality and value and to reduce preventable costs and improve quality of life for individuals with and at risk of chronic conditions. Learn more at http://www.carecontinuum.org.

About the National Business Coalition on Health
NBCH is a national, non-profit, membership organization of 53 purchaser-led business and health coalitions, representing over 7,000 employers and 25 million employees and their dependents across the United States. NBCH and its members are dedicated to value-based purchasing of health care services through the collective action of public and private purchasers. For additional information visit: http://www.nbch.org.