Vol. 38, No. 18

11-5-2008
By: Adam King

New OSU health Web site a 1-stop resource for employees

“All in one place” usually is a retail store commercial tagline to let consumers know they don’t have to go anywhere else to get all they need.
 
But it now applies to Ohio State employees’ health with the re-launch of a Web site designed to help individuals better manage their well-being. YourPlanForHealth.com has combined its multiple Web sites into a single site one that has more health tools, information and personalization than its predecessors.

“The initial Web site was launched as an informational site in 2006, but as the Your Plan for Health programs have grown, it was important to provide a more user-friendly Web site,” said Jody Gilkerson, benefits coordinator.

The new site requires only one login name and password — a response to the feedback from faculty and staff who didn’t like having to keep track of multiple login information. But simplicity is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the site’s changes.

With WebMD, a leader in the online health industry, selected to manage the site and its content, a wealth of knowledge will be available to benefits-eligible employees with just a few clicks rather than having to dig through endless search engines.

The site is designed around the Personal Health Assessment (PHA) questionnaire, which is filled out using the results (height, weight, cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure) from a biometric screening offered to employees on campus or from a recent physical with a primary care physician. The PHA can be completed online or a paper PHA can be requested by contacting Human Resources Customer Service (292-1050) or Managed Health Care Services and then mailing it directly to WebMD.

Using that information, participants’ home pages can be personalized to them. For instance, if a person’s biometric numbers show they are susceptible to diabetes, WebMD will deliver recommended information about the disease to that person’s home page.

“It is really easy for people to navigate through and find information they’re looking for,” Gilkerson said. 

Employees also may choose to store their entire family’s health information in a single, secure location. Pregnancy and Child Health Manager allows expectant mothers to follow their health through all stages of pregnancy and then track their child’s health through age 6.

The site also allows side-by-side comparison of the Ohio State medical plans and will help employees decide which plans might be best for them (open enrollment currently runs through Nov. 14). The PHA feeds into this function, and additional questions are asked about estimated medical office visits, the medications employees expect to fill annually and other history.

“This coverage adviser factors in premiums and out-of-pocket expenses to give employees an estimate of what their costs will be with each plan,” said Acoyia Grove, Your Plan for Health communications specialist. “It’s going to be great in assisting people to sign up for the best medical plan by providing an estimate of what their and their family’s medical needs might be.”

Yourplanforhealth.com also is the new place to track the program’s incentive points, tracked by employees who have completed the PHA for doing healthy activities, such as walking or regularly monitoring their blood pressure. Those points, collected through Dec. 31, can then be converted to a maximum of $125 after-tax money.

Current participants’ total points will be transferred to the new Web site, but the breakout of points by activity cannot be recorded.

Eligible employees and their spouses or same-sex domestic partners who are enrolled in a university-sponsored medical plan will receive separate eight-digit PINs in the mail, which must be used to register for the site. For more information, contact OHR Customer Service at 292-1050.

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