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Santa Cruz, CA
Portland, OR
The Health Industries Research Company (HIRC) 9th Annual Disease Management/Wellness Industry Report has named Quality Health Solutions, Inc. (QHS) as the best wellness vendor in the nation. The HIRC Report is widely recognized as the authority on all issues related to the health and wellness industry. This is the fourth consecutive year that QHS has been included in the HIRC Report as one of the top wellness vendors, and the first year for QHS to stand along as the Best Wellness Vendor.
"We're honored to be recognized by HIRC, but more importantly, that our programs are resulting in measurable changes that improve the health and productivity of our clients' employees," said Brian J. Thomas, President and CEO of Quality Health Solutions, Inc.
In 2010, the HIRC Report raised the bar for wellness outcomes in order for companies to qualify as a 'best wellness vendor.' This year, companies had to be willing to be measured purely on the basis of the change in overall risk factors in an organization, regardless of participation before and after implementation of its program. In other words, neither the regression-to-the-mean bias nor the self-selection bias, the two sources of most of the savings claims in wellness, were allowed to impact outcomes in order to be counted as a 'best wellness vendor.' The final screen was that the vendor had to be qualified by the Disease Management Purchasing Consortium, which runs the population health management industry's Critical Outcomes Report Analysis Certification program, to receive an "auditor's letter" attesting to the above. Quality Health Solutions was the only independent vendor left standing after this exercise was completed.
"Quality Health Solutions is adamant about achieving close to 100 percent participation in their programs, in addition to creating a culture of wellness," said Karen Ernst, Research Director, Health and Disease Management, from HIRC. "Therefore, in lieu of creating a list of best wellness vendors as has been provided by HIRC organization in 2007, 2008, and 2009, we offer Quality Health Solutions as the only vendor able to satisfy all of HIRC's criteria to be named a 'best vendor' for 2010."
The three main differentiating factors contained in the HIRC Report are summarized below:
First, QHS' collaborative partner, James O. Prochaska, Ph.D., was the lead developer of the Transtheoretical Model of Change, which has inspired most behavior change models in use today.
Second, QHS is the only wellness company offering assessments and interventions developed and proven effective via population level clinical trials, funded by over $70 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion.
Third, QHS' systematic approach to incentive strategy design, targeted and tailored communication campaigns, and program implementation has led to industry leading participation ratios of 92%, in a field where many programs have less than 20%.
About Quality Health Solutions, Inc.
Founded in 2001, Quality Health Solutions' mission is to encourage personal responsibility for health and well being. Quality Health Solutions helps people discover their motivation and confidence, overcome challenges, and identify resources to achieve positive, healthy changes.
About Health Industries Research Company (HIRC)
HIRC is an independent, nonpartisan organization that conducts strategic market research on trends in healthcare, pharmaceutical, and managed care businesses. HIRC's Health & Disease Management Service is an ongoing research project that focuses on health and disease management initiatives. In the disease management/wellness segment, its Annual Reports are by far the most often-cited source in the industry for market dynamics, while its coveted "best program" awards (for vendors, health plans, and employers) are the only ones in the industry based on objective outcomes and valid metrics. Learn more at www.hirc.com.