The term ‘value’ is a tricky word, but an important one when it comes to business. With dramatic changes to health care in America looming large, longtime health care providers and insurance companies are looking for new ways to make themselves a viable player. But many seem to be leaving behind an essential element to success: value.

Over the past five years, as the cost of health care has risen, the focus on health and wellness has increased as employers look to reduce their portion of costs. With this increased focus on wellness, a slew of new players have rushed into the industry to meet the needs of employers. Human resource managers, health care brokers, and many other decision-makers find themselves inundated with offers from numerous health care companies that promise great results. But do they deliver?

Focused on sales instead of results, some vendors push wellness services but don’t address the specific needs of an employee population. One HR director I spoke with told me their previous wellness vendor had conducted health risk assessments and biometric screening on his employees but didn’t follow up with the results; in fact, the company never communicated with him again. Another organization had implemented a smoking cessation program for its employees on the recommendation of its health vendor, only to later discover that only 2% of the employee population actually smoked. With inexperienced providers bringing ineffective services to its customers, where is the value for the client? And by implementing health care services that don’t truly serve the needs of the employee population, little value is created for the health and wellness product.

So what is value? To some it’s strictly a financial term that’s focused on a fair price for a product or service. For others, it goes beyond price to include personal worth and meeting the needs of each client.

At Concentra, we think value is more than just setting up shop and offering services. Value is providing guidance and delivering plan oversight to clients. It’s customizing services and creating results that are measurable and meaningful for all invested parties. It’s helping employers realize the benefits of being proactive to health concerns instead of reactive. And it’s a driving focus to improve America’s health, one patient at a time.

Changes are coming for the health industry that will, hopefully, make quality medical care accessible and affordable to all people. The impact of these changes is unknown and may force many upstarts and established providers to re-evaluate their practices and delivery models. With a down economy and health care reform a pressing issue, we can trust that the value of medical services will be a key benchmark for the future of health care. After all, lawmakers, lobbyists, and senate panels may not understand the entire scope of the health and wellness industry, but they understand value.

Contact Darla at Darla_Walls@Concentra.com or 972-364-8022.