ValueOptions delivers a variety of individual, group and provider level interventions through your existing employee assistance program and/or managed mental health and substance abuse program that can help address behavioral health issues, which left unaddressed, have the potential to limit an individual’s ability to achieve healthy heart goals.
Healthy Heart Solutions
Healthy Heart Solutions services are available as part of the standard employee assistance and managed mental health and substance abuse benefits provided by ValueOptions. Your ValueOptions account executive can work with you to promote these standard offerings to your employees or health plan membership. Services include:
Healthy Heart Advanced Solutions
Healthy Heart Advanced Solutions are available in addition to the standard employee assistance and managed mental health and substance abuse benefits provided by ValueOptions. Your ValueOptions account executive can work with you to implement these advanced solutions to support your integrated cardiovascular/behavioral health program:
Healthy Heart Solutions
24/7 assessment and referral
A participant interested in assessment and/or treatment for behavioral concerns that may be impacting heart health may dial the account-specific, toll-free telephone number. A care manager discusses with the participant his or her behavioral health treatment needs and facilitates treatment linkages. ValueOptions care managers will refer participants to professional counselors and/or public/community resources via the Internet or toll-free telephone numbers.
Employee assistance program (EAP)
Participants may choose to utilize their EAP to help them implement a personalized healthy heart program. The EAP can help individuals commit to their program, overcome obstacles, tap their support network and locate additional resources. Participants can receive face-to-face sessions through a ValueOptions staff office or an affiliate provider. Participants will be referred to an EAP affiliate provider that is conveniently located to their home or work location.
When participants choose to access services over the phone, they speak with an employee assistance professional in the ValueOptions telephonic EAP office. Some individuals prefer the greater sense of anonymity in speaking to someone over the phone and the convenience of being able to schedule an appointment that best suits their work and family schedule. Through the telephonic EAP office participants also have the option of accessing a user-friendly Web site with a comprehensive library, numerous tools and resources and other features such as a goal-setting tool and a personal online journal.
Stress-reduction counseling
Through telephonic consultation and informational resources ValueOptions’ clinical care management staff can assist individuals in developing a practical and personalized stress management program. In designing a stress management program individuals will:
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understand the nature and origins of stress
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recognize the sources of stress in their lives
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develop an understanding of their unique “stress signature”
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gain awareness into the positives and negatives of their stress responses
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become familiar with tools they can use to manage stress more effectively
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design a personal action plan to continue developing skills for a healthier and less stressful lifestyle
Depression screening
The signs and symptoms of depression often are confused with other physical health complaints, or simply thought to be a natural reaction to a recent illness and not worthy of treatment as a disease itself. When individuals contact ValueOptions for assistance, our clinical staff conduct an assessment of the symptoms of depression to determine with the individual whether depression may be contributing to his or her presenting concern and to facilitate the most effective treatment linkages. Individuals also can access the tools and quizzes available through the Achieve Solutions Web site to help determine if depression might be a concern for them.
Intensive case management
Intensive case management includes treatment planning, education, problem solving and arranging for wrap-around services to individuals to address their psychosocial needs (financial, legal, child care, adult care, transportation, housing, etc.), reduce the likelihood of depression, anxiety and stress, improve medical recovery and reinforce a stable, quality lifestyle.
Assistance for family and support systems
ValueOptions’ clinical care managers can provide outreach and support to strengthen individuals’ support systems, reduce stress at home and work, improve the ability of family members and support systems to understand and cope with chronic heart disease and partner with the family and workplace to reinforce individual compliance with treatment.
Primary care physician (PCP) behavioral health consultation
ValueOptions offers an emphasis on supportive and time-efficient assistance to primary care physicians (PCP's) including tools, techniques, materials and information to facilitate their identification and management of depression and other behavioral health concerns for their cardiovascular patients. ValueOptions educates PCP's about referral options for complex behavioral health issues, offers consultations with behavioral health specialists and offers a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week call line for crisis assistance.
Educational programs
On-site training
ValueOptions is committed to helping people improve their lives and is pleased to offer educational programs on a variety of important life issues. These educational seminars provide information and practical application tips, and teach skills for healthier, happier and more productive lives. Each session can be tailored in content and length of time to meet the needs of the group or organization. Sample seminar titles include:
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Managing Stress for Life
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Coping With Anxiety
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Depression: More Than the Blues
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Quitting Tobacco Use
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Managing Change: A Stage-by-stage Approach
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Healthy Eating and Stress Management
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Building Resilience
Web site health resource materials
Winner of the eHealthcare Leadership Award since 2001, the Achieve Solutions Web site covers more than 200 topics, including depression, stress, anxiety, alcohol, relationships, grief and loss, child/elder care and work/life balance. It contains more than 3,000 feature articles, 2,000 news items, 36 interactive quizzes, 13 calculators, 11 trainings and a monthly opinion poll. This online resource provides educational materials to help individuals who are changing their lives take control and develop an appropriate action plan. The site is available at www.achievesolutions.net. Review the “Tools” section to see a sample of materials available on Achieve Solutions.
Newsletter contributions
As part of the overall effort to improve heart healthy behavior by providing information and activities to engage individuals, you may consider leveraging communication vehicles and opportunities that reinforce a healthy heart message. Consistent and frequent communication will maximize the impact of the message. ValueOptions can provide articles to include in your newsletters or to distribute as e-mail messages. Review the “Tools” section for materials you can copy and paste into your existing communications.
Health fair participation
Striving for optimal heart health isn’t just about managing the physical risk factors, it’s also about managing stress, banishing depression and easing anxiety. As your EAP and behavioral health care partner, ValueOptions can provide on-site support during health fairs. With a behavioral health professional on site, ValueOptions can help your participants make the link between their emotional and physical health and provide information regarding solutions, services and access to ValueOptions in a nonthreatening and supportive environment.
Healthy Heart Advanced Solutions
Lifestyle coaching
The ValueOptions Life Coaching Program provides participants the opportunity to collaborate with a life coach toward the achievement of long-term healthy lifestyle changes. The coach and participant collaborate to explore the individual’s current behavior and desired goal, create an action plan that enhances the participant’s skills and knowledge and continue working toward the end goal.
Our life coaches are experts in motivating behavior change and can help participants establish goals in the following areas:
ValueOptions’ unique Life Coaching Program includes a convenient and user-friendly Web site. At LifeCoachConnect.com each individual has his or her own confidential and personalized Web site, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The site’s unique functionalities enable each participant to stay focused on the healthy lifestyle goals that are established with the coach through:
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goals and weekly or daily activities
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confidential, internal e-mail, a personalized online journaling function or an online chat for communication with the coach
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personally selected educational materials
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a self-directed health center with a wealth of up-to-date health, wellness and fitness content
Tobacco cessation
ValueOptions’ Tobacco Solutions is a multifaceted tobacco cessation program that delivers a wide variety of support options to improve member participation and outcomes with:
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telephonic coaching services
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nicotine-replacement therapy products
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a “quit kit” of educational materials
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interactive Web-based programming
Program interventions deliver materials and support based on each individual’s readiness to quit, as well as his or her schedule and communication preference (phone, mail or Internet). As a result, support is available when and where people need it.
Nurse line
For those whose current medical program does not include a nurse help line, ValueOptions’ Nurse Line offers comprehensive medical call center services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Using advanced clinical criteria, experienced registered nurses provide health information and educational materials to individuals and their families. Telephone triage and health care counselors assess health status and provide immediate health information, and, if necessary, facilitate immediate access to emergency health care. Individuals can listen by phone to tapes on more than 1,000 health-related topics and have information on these topics sent directly to their homes.
Integrated care
ValueOptions’ Integrated Care Program unites multiple systems, improves care and reduces costs through information exchange and effective communications. The core components of ValueOptions’ Integrated Care Program include:
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identification of members, across medical and behavioral health systems, who might benefit from coordinated interventions in either system
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recruitment of these members by various means of outreach including education and decision support tools
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assessment of needs, baseline status on screening and outcome measures
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interventions that focus on coordination to maximize improvement in all areas including the workplace, progress against expected norms, adherence to evidence-based treatment guidelines, patient education and behavior modification
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monitoring of compliance and improvement in outcomes, with feedback to providers
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evaluation of program success, return on investment and opportunities for quality improvement, with feedback to clients
For more information on engaging individuals in ValueOptions’ programs supporting healthy hearts or on any of the services described here, contact your ValueOptions account executive. |
