If it is unreasonably difficult due to a medical condition for you to achieve the standards for the reward under any wellness programs, or if it is medically inadvisable for you to attempt to achieve the standards for the reward under any wellness program, call Employee Health at 843-777-5146 and we will work with you to develop another way to qualify for the reward.
Notice Regarding Wellness Program
McLeod Healthier You is a voluntary wellness program available to all employees. The program is administered according to federal rules permitting employer-sponsored wellness programs that seek to improve employee health or prevent disease, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as applicable, among others. If you choose to participate in the McLeod Healthier You program you will be asked to complete a voluntary health risk assessment (an “HRA”) that asks a series of questions about your health-related activities and behaviors and whether you have or had certain medical conditions (e.g., cancer, diabetes, or heart disease). You also will be asked to complete a biometric screening, which will include a blood test for blood sugar and cholesterol, as well as, additional screenings/recommendations. You are not required to complete the HRA or to participate in the blood test or other medical examinations.
However, employees who choose to participate in the McLeod Healthier You program receive a health insurance premium discount of $25 per month and annual incentives if they complete the HRA, biometric screening and other requirements during the assigned times. Although you are not required to participate, only employees who do so will receive the health insurance premium discount.
The McLeod Healthier You program offers additional incentives to employees who choose to participate, including subsidies to reduce your cost for fitness programs such as gym memberships and weight management programs. Prescription assistance also may be available for employees who participate in McLeod Healthier You chronic disease care management programs for medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, heart failure, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). If you are unable to participate in any health-related activities available through the McLeod Healthier You program, you may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation or an alternative standard. You may request a reasonable accommodation or an alternative standard by contacting the McLeod Healthier You Coordinator at 888-808-7466 or healthieryou@mcleodhealth.org.
The maximum allowable incentives received by an employee for participating in the McLeod Healthier You program cannot exceed 30 percent of the total cost of employee-only coverage. This is in line with the rules set by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
The information collected will be used to help you understand your current health and potential health risks and may be used to offer you services through the McLeod Healthier You wellness program, such as chronic disease care management. You also are encouraged to share your results or concerns with your own doctor.
Protections From Disclosure Of Medical Information
We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your personally identifiable health information. Although the McLeod Healthier You program and McLeod Health may use aggregate information it collects to design a program based on identified health risks in the workplace, the McLeod Healthier You program will never disclose any of your personal information either publicly or to the employer, except as necessary to respond to a request from you for a reasonable accommodation or standard needed to participate in the program, or as expressly permitted by law. Medical information you provide in connection with the McLeod Healthier You program that personally identifies you will not be provided to your supervisors or managers and may never be used to make decisions regarding your employment.
Your health information will not be sold, exchanged, transferred, or otherwise disclosed except to the extent permitted by law to carry out specific activities related to the McLeod Healthier You program. You will not be asked or required to waive the confidentiality of your health information as a condition of participating in or receiving an incentive under the McLeod Healthier You program. Anyone who receives your information for purposes of providing you services as part of the McLeod Healthier You program will abide by the same confidentiality requirements. The only individual(s) who will receive your personally identifiable health information are the McLeod Healthier You Medical Director, Coordinator and Care Managers as necessary in order to provide you with services under the McLeod Healthier You program. If you choose to designate a primary care office at the time of your HRA and biometric screening, the McLeod Healthier You program also will share your health information with that primary care office.
In addition, all medical information obtained through the McLeod Healthier You program will be maintained separate from your personnel records, information stored electronically will be encrypted, and no information you provide as part of the program will be used in making any employment decision. Appropriate precautions will be taken to avoid any data breach, and in the event a data breach occurs involving information you provide in connection with the McLeod Healthier You program, we will notify you immediately.
You may not be discriminated against in employment because of the medical information you provide as part of participating in the McLeod Healthier You program, nor may you be subjected to retaliation if you choose not to participate.
If you have questions or concerns regarding this notice, or about protections against discrimination and retaliation, please contact McLeod Healthier You at 888-808-7466 or healthieryou@mcleodhealth.org.
