February 17, 2012
Walking the talk when it comes to health
Cerner has been on a health
journey with our associates for the past several years. We remain committed
to bringing innovative, progressive programming
to our associates. Our goal is to make
activities engaging, easily accessible and fun.
Our strategy is based on three main pillars: health plan
design, wellness programming (of which the Healthe Living with Rewards program
and condition management programs are two key components) and onsite
services including two health clinics, two pharmacies, two
fitness centers and two cafeterias that feature healthy options each day. Our
wellness initiatives are powered by Cerner
Health, a personal health record platform, and Cerner HealthPlan Services, our
benefits portal. Cerner Health houses a set of personally-controlled health
management tools and capabilities that allow people to connect with their health
information and partners. It also sends personalized recommendations, alerts
and educational information to help our associates to better manage their
health.
Our program is working. In 2011, Cerner associates lost more
than 20,000 pounds in our Slimdown Throwdown Cabinet Challenge, they bought
locally grown fruits and veggies at our Fields
to Forks farmer markets this summer and fall, and ‘stepped it up’ in our first
Healthe Steps competition. To support this program, we’re piloting walking desk stations at our Innovation
Campus where associates can walk at a slow and safe pace while working on their
computers. We continue to work together with our associates in our
living lab to develop and test new concepts that will ultimately improve health
and reduce the amount of sick care that they will need in the future.
Last year, we were pleased to be one of four companies
honored with the inaugural Healthiest Employer award in Kansas City. This year,
we were again honored to receive the Healthiest
Employer award in the 3,500+ employee category and were extremely pleased
to learn that we earned the highest score in the country! Congratulations go
out to our friends at Deffenbaugh,
who were recognized with a Healthiest Employer award in the 1,000-3,499
employee category, in part for the work they’ve done implementing an onsite health
clinic for their employees. Children’s
Mercy Hospital and Clinics, Truman
Medical Centers and North Kansas City Hospital
were also honored for their health initiatives.
Winning the Healthiest Employer award is a testament to us
that we are effectively internalizing and realizing Cerner’s corporate mission
statement of contributing to the systemic improvement of health delivery and
the health of communities. Remember, health care is too important to stay the
same!
Dr. Nill is responsible
for innovation of clinical aspects of health and care services for Healthe at
Cerner. He participates in health benefits design and integration of other Cerner benefits into the overall approach to health which includes fitness and
nutrition. Dr. Nill functions as the global corporate medical
director for Cerner Corporation, working closely with Cerner’s benefits team
regarding health and well-being for Cerner associates. He is board-certified
in family medicine and is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American
College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.