Are HRAs, Biometric Screens, and Incentives in the Pursuit
Here are the top five science-based reasons these tools are doing more harm than good. 1. HRAs*, at best, tell us what we already know and are usually intrusive, mostly irrelevant, and often incorrect in their prescriptions. And, they're expensive. 2. Biometric screens at the workplace are the practice of medicine by the employer, and sometimes violate HIPPA. They're often administered in excess of the recommendations established by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. And they're expensive. See "Wellness programs raise legal issues for employers" by Matt Dunning. 3. Incentives (carrots or sticks) reduce people to lab-rat status, and do not: a. work over the long term and never have. b. result, transition to, or cause intrinsic motivation (they destroy intrinsic motivation). c. support, cause, or jump start healthy behaviors. Note: And, drum roll please... they're expensive. See "How Financial Incentives/ Disincentives Undermine Wellness" by ...