Unfortunately, the American public doesn’t think of health care as particularly innovative. However, when one considers all the challenges we face, health care is perhaps the one sector most in need of experimentation and innovation.
Three years ago, St. Joseph Health embraced a great experiment when we hypothesized that if wellness and preventive services were more convenient to local residences and businesses, we could truly make a difference in bettering our communities’ health status. To clarify, we weren’t considering the random health screening or health fair. We wanted to develop real places of wellness – which we called Wellness Corners – where people could learn more about preserving their well-being.
Being the first to launch a concept is never easy, and there were many who questioned why we would take this path. However, we worked hard to ensure the strategy was consistent with our population’s needs. And, after much experimentation, the simple concept of bringing wellness and prevention closer to the user began to blossom into a valid business model, eventually positioning us as a leader in the wellness sector.
There are several reasons for our success. We believe that the timing is right. Both consumers and employers are looking for alternative methods of health care delivery. The old model has become over-complicated, focusing on the negative (illness) rather than the positive (better health). It is absolutely time to offer our communities a different –and most welcome – perspective.
We also knew that we had to have something different from models that had been tried before. Although our centers provide convenient, basic medical services, they offer significantly more, with an emphasis on programs for a healthier lifestyle –nutrition and weight-loss coaching, meditation training and, at some sites, fitness programs.
Additionally, we were quick to find like-minded partners. Several of our residential and commercial sites are in partnership with The Irvine Company. We also established sites exclusively for large employers like Western Digital. And we have a partnership with a major Southern California city in the pipeline. This special project will offer space for comprehensive health and wellness services as well as gatherings that will focus on fitness and wellbeing for the mind, body, and spirit.
Were there setbacks? Absolutely. Some of the concepts we experimented with did not resonate with our customers. However, by consistently listening to their needs, we have been able to successfully develop our centers.
In them, we began to see strongly encouraging results from our great experiment:
- All Wellness Corners have a combined 9.9 out of 10 customer satisfaction rating.
- Sixty four percent of customers estimate they saved 1.5 hours or more by seeking medical care at a Wellness Corner; twenty seven percent estimate they saved more than two hours.
- Wellness Corner visits increased by nearly 100 percent in the past year.
- Since the Wellness Corner opened at our corporate office, employees have reported a 29 percent decrease in inactivity, a 4 percent decrease in obesity and an 18.5 percent decrease in stress.
- Western Digital exceeded its first-year participation goal in eight months and, before the year-end, the Wellness Center has already served 46% percent of Western Digital employees. Additionally, the center earned a 98 percent user satisfaction rating.
- Western Digital also estimates that the Wellness Center has delivered $670,000 in saved productivity–hours employees would have lost leaving work for medical visits off site.
We’re proud of what we have accomplished, but that doesn’t mean we will stop innovating or experimenting. We strongly believe the American health sector is ripe for change and those who embrace innovation will not just thrive, but live out the promise that called many of us to health care. We are here to provide for our better serve our communities’ needs, and sometimes that means changing ourselves be of even greater service.
Annette M. Walker, MHA, is Chief Executive, St. Joseph Health in Irvine, California and President of Strategy, Providence St. Joseph Health. She recently was honored as an Innovator of the Year by the Orange County Business Journal for spearheading creation of the Wellness Corners, which bring medical and wellness services to where people live, work and play.
Annette M. Walker, MHA