The Prevention Plan program for Nevada PEBP employees and retirees

State of Nevada public employees are taking steps to get healthier and feel better by participating in The Prevention Plan™, a U.S. Preventive Medicine® program designed to encourage healthy behaviors, detect disease in the earliest stages and manage chronic conditions before they progress. The program is projected to save Nevada taxpayers several million dollars over the next four years.

The Prevention Plan benefit is part of the "Live Well, Be Well" initiative by the State of Nevada Public Employees' Benefits Program (PEBP), which promotes improved health to 44,000 employees and retirees. The Prevention Plan is open to PEBP PPO participants, who will receive a health assessment, one-on-one health coaching, personalized action plans and timely, relevant health information. PPO participants and their spouses or domestic partners with diabetes will receive intensive care management from The Prevention Plan. PEBP PPO Participants will begin enrolling on July 1, 2010.  

"We are charged with two critical functions here at PEBP. One to deliver a quality health care program that is responsive to the individual's specific needs and the second is to provide fiscal soundness for the long-term viability of our program," said Jon Hager, chief financial officer of the Nevada Public Employees Benefits Program. "We consider The Prevention Plan a forward thinking program that will help us accomplish both goals and succeed in an increasingly difficult realm."

The Prevention Plan will help Nevada PEBP employees and retirees:

• Identify top health risks through an online questionnaire and biometric health screening.
• Follow a personalized action program to reduce health risks, including one-one-one health coaching by registered nurse advocates and other prevention coaches.  
• Access a personalized website to store medical information, complete educational programs, receive reminders about needed screenings and track personal progress.
• Understand and take advantage of the company's health benefits and incentives.

PPO Participants who enroll in the program, complete a Health Risk Appraisal and receive a biometric screening will receive a $25 gift card. By taking healthy actions throughout the year and increasing their "Prevention Score," a Prevention Plan innovation that helps members confidentially tally their personal efforts, members also can earn up to a $360 annual reduction in their health insurance premium beginning July, 2011.

"U.S. Preventive Medicine is very excited about partnering with the State of Nevada Public Employees' Benefit Program. Nevada is ahead of the curve in providing this level of preventive health care services to reduce costs and improve people's lives," said Christopher Fey, CEO and chairman of U.S. Preventive Medicine. "This program can inspire employers throughout the state, as well as other states, to invest in the health of their employees and use the power of prevention to lower health care costs."