Clarian won't dock workers who fail to meet health marks

One hospital employer had second thoughts on charging back employees who failed to control certain risk factors...probably good thinking here and better to replace with a more positive program...hitting national news might have had some influence in the re-thinking here...incentives seem to always work better than penalties...BD

The Indianapolis hospital system has abruptly ended a plan which Clarian had touted on national TV just months before to dock workers up to $30 out of their paychecks every two weeks if they did not control certain risk factors such as body-mass index, high cholesterol and high blood sugar. The plan, set to take effect in 2009, featured mandatory health-risk assessments for all employees enrolling for health insurance.

Now the program, which still starts in 2009, is purely voluntary. And workers who do participate in the “wellness tract” will be paid bonuses of up to $30 per pay period if they don’t use tobacco and meet certain measurements for body-mass index, LDL “bad” cholesterol, blood glucose and blood pressure.

Clarian operates Methodist Hospital, Indiana University Hospital and Riley Hospital for Children and is one of the region’s largest employers, with nearly 12,000 employees.

Clarian won't dock workers who fail to meet health marks | IndyStar.com