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COVER STORY 8. ENCOURAGE EMPLOYEES TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE NETWORK PROVIDERS — AND USE THEM "Employees incur extra costs for themselves — and their employers — by using out-of-network providers," Kowitz said. "There are often great doctors on the plan. You just have to get the employees to get used to using them." To combat the extra costs associated with emergency room visits for such things as cold symptoms, some insurance providers have raised the costs of the co-pays. For instance, a co-pay for a doctor's office visit may run $20, while an urgent care visit would be $75 and an ER trip would be 20 percent of the costs. "We have to encourage the use of people's primary care physicians," Kowitz said. "So many times, people are feeling really bad by noon and don't do anything about it. Then they rush off to the ER at midnight. We just want people to be aware early and try to reach out to their doctors." 9. PROVIDE A WELLNESS COACH OR HEALTH COACH PROGRAMS Giving employees the chance to educate themselves or providing an avenue for them to ask questions can go along a long way. "These coaches can educate them on how to test their blood when they are diabetic, eating plans and alcohol use, just to name a few," Ronovech said. "There are also online programs where employees can watch videos about a variety of topics they have questions about." Rapisardi points out that type 2 diabetes has become a critical RAPISARDI problem, and that's in direct correlation to the rise in obesity. "Many times you want to have these coaches deal with depression first, and then the diabetes," he said. "Treat people like people not just as a risk factor. That'll change the game in wellness." 10. COVER THE COST OF AN ANNUAL FLU VACCINATION Many health care professionals call this a simple — yet very productive — solution toward having a healthier workplace. "Providing employees and their families with a flu shot each year sounds simple enough," Kowitz said. "But the more you can keep them out of the doctor's offices for these type of ailments is beneficial to all." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends flu shots for everyone 6 months of age and older. It's especially important that certain people get vaccinated either because they are at high risk of having serious flu-related complications or because they live with or care for people who have a high risk to catching the flu, according to the CDC. People considered high risk include children under the age of 5, adults older than 65 and pregnant women. "Make it an incentive plan to get out and excercise. Set up a program to measure an employee's Body Mass Index as part of the deal. It becomes more powerful that way. If they can lower their BMI through working out at the gym, reward them for it." -MICHAEL MURPHY, THE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER OF ANTHEM BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD IN NEVADA Maria Nutile, esq. Susan M. Pitz, esq. Kelly S. McIntosh, esq. Celebrating 10 Years Serving Nevada's Business Community | 2 APRIL 2012 | For the Health of Your Business BUSINESS LEGAL SERVICES • Business Formation and Structure • Sales and Acquisitions • Contract Review and Negotiation • Employment Matters • General Counsel Services 1070 W. HORIZON RIDGE, STE 210 • HENDERSON, NV 89012 • 702.307.4880 • WWW.NUTILEPITZ.COM @NutilePitzLaw 17