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BALTIMORE, MD (June 3, 2009) - CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) has created a comprehensive on-line wellness how-to program for employers to improve the personal health of their employees and lower health costs. Available at www.carefirst.com/workplacewellness, the program is free to employers with fully insured products through CareFirst. Among the resources available are step-by-step instructions for planning a workplace wellness program, one easy-to-access library to find all of CareFirst’s wellness-related materials, CareEssentials (CareFirst's care management program), monthly webinars and access to consultations by health promotion specialists.

"Many of our employer accounts have expressed a desire to engage their workplaces in some form of wellness program, but have little time to research and plan," said Richard Safeer, M.D., CareFirst’s Medical Director for Health Promotion and Disease Management. "We launched the Workplace Wellness on-line roadmap with our employer groups in mind, to make it easy for managers early in the planning process and when it comes time to measure and showcase results."

CareFirst's Workplace Wellness on-line tool kit has four steps. In Step One, for example, it is critical to get executive leadership to buy-in to the program. Participating employers can work with a designated Health Promotion Specialist to build a compelling business case for their company to begin a wellness program. Step Two begins the workplace assessment process to establish a baseline starting point from which to measure results. From engaging employees through communications and considering best-fit incentives, Step Three gets the program off and running. Step Four outlines the evaluation process and guides employers on how to move forward.

"We are pleased with the response so far,” added Safeer. "On average, about 62 new visitors view the site each day and spend about seven minutes reviewing the program. It’s a good start."

In its 72nd year of service, CareFirst, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit health care company which, through its affiliates and subsidiaries, offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products and administrative services to nearly 3.4 million individuals and groups in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. Through its CareFirst Commitment initiative and other public mission activities, CareFirst supports efforts to increase the accessibility, affordability, safety and quality of health care throughout its market areas.

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