Practice Wellness

Practice Wellness is the NCMS Plan’s proprietary Wellness and Well-Being program. Our mission is to impact the health and well-being of NCMS Plan members by designing programs aimed at improving benefit education, utilization, and overall well-being strategies. The Practice Wellness program is led by our dedicated Health Promotion Manager providing support to all active groups on the NCMS Plan at no additional cost. Groups of any size are eligible for support from both the Health Promotion Manager and the Practice Wellness Program.

Program Overview

The NCMS Plan Health Promotion Manager provides strategic support in the design, implementation, engagement, and evaluation of evidence-based health promotion programs and interventions to improve overall health and well-being. The NCMS Plan Health Promotion Manager will help you build your program and provide ongoing consultation and support with:

Wellness Program Strategies, Policies, Procedures, Roles
Incentives, Engagement, and Communication
Consultation and support with existing program enhancement, strategy, resources, and evaluation.
Support and facilitation of NCMS Plan program and health education offerings in areas such as nutrition, weight management, pre-diabetes management, chronic disease management, tobacco cessation and policy, and much more.

Meeting Your Needs Wherever They Are

Informational Approach

Starts with an introductory meeting with the Health Promotion Manager.
Meeting(s) focused on an overview of the Practice Wellness Program including Well-Being Concepts and Program Offerings.
Open discussion on areas of interest, challenges, prior well-being programs, etc..

Goal: To ensure all groups have a base understanding of Practice Wellness, available resources, and an introduction to the Health Promotion Manager.

Consultative Approach

Building on the Informational Approach:

Incorporates Claims and Data Analyzation, Organizational Assessment, and Optional Employee Engagement Surveys.
Guidance on how to promote, educate, and leverage programs and vendors to meet specific needs.
Support in brainstorming and building well-being strategies.

Goal: To build on the Informational Approach with data driven, strategic guidance building towards a comprehensive well-being strategy.

Well-Being Strategy

Building on the Consultative Approach:

Full scale roll-out of the Practice Wellness Program, providing a comprehensive, guided approach to well-being.
Integration of in-depth organizational well-being consultation, analysis, and evaluation.
Development of a fully customized well-being program and strategy designed to meet each group’s specific need.
Optional: Funding via the Practice Wellness Grant to support the creation or improvement of a new or existing program.

Goal: To build on both the Informational and Consultative Approaches to create, implement, manage, and evaluate a customized data driven well-being strategy using the full resources of the Practice Wellness Program

Health Promotion Manager

Chuck Chapa, BS, MCHES
Manager of Health Promotion and Well-Being, Curi Insurance

Chuck has over 8 years of experience in the field of Health Promotion and Well-Being and has worked with a variety of organizations in both the government and private sectors as well as the U.S. Army. Chuck spent 4 of those years working in the Health Engagement Division of Cigna Health Insurance and most currently enjoys his role as Manager of Health Promotion and Well-being for Curi and the North Carolina Medical Society Employee Benefit Plan.

Chuck holds a B.S. in Health Promotion with a minor in Nutrition from Appalachian State University. He is a National Master Certified Health Education Specialist MCHES, a Certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor, holds several certifications in Wellness Program Management from both the National Wellness Institute and The Chapman Institute, has held certifications in health coaching and weight management, and is a huge mental health advocate.

Chuck is passionate about helping the groups he serves improve the overall health and well-being of practices and their employees through strategies and programs targeted to provide overall positive outcomes.

8 Dimensions of Well-Being

The Practice Wellness program is built upon the 8 interconnected dimensions of well-being.

Physical: This refers to the state of one’s body and the ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle through exercise, nutrition, and proper medical care.
Emotional: This involves managing one’s emotions in a healthy way, recognizing and expressing feelings, and coping with stress and challenges.
Intellectual: This relates to the ability to think critically, learn new things, and engage in creative activities that promote intellectual growth.
Social: This encompasses the quality and depth of one’s relationships with others, as well as the ability to communicate effectively and form meaningful connections.
Spiritual: This involves having a sense of purpose and meaning in life, and developing a personal philosophy or belief system that guides one’s actions and values.
Occupational: This refers to finding fulfillment and satisfaction in one’s work or career, as well as balancing work and personal life.
Environmental: This relates to one’s surroundings and the impact of the physical environment on overall well-being, including access to clean air, water, and natural spaces.
Financial: This involves having a stable and secure financial situation, including the ability to manage money effectively and plan for the future.

Process Flow

The Practice Wellness Program is designed to support you and your practice throughout your time on the NCMS Plan, no matter when you choose to participate.

Step 1: Assess

The first key step of the assessment process is conducting an organizational assessment. This is accomplished through the combination of:

An initial intake meeting and ongoing conversations with the NCMS Health Promotion Manager to discuss challenges, focus areas, previous attempts at programming, and friction points you may be experiencing.
Conducting an Employee Wellness Engagement survey to identify employee interest and needs in the various areas of well-being.

Step 2: Evaluate

The next step in the practice wellness process is evaluation of the information collected during the organizational assessment combined with any existing claims data to identify areas of need and opportunity. Areas of evaluation include:

Survey Results
Identified friction points, challenges, and desired areas of focus
Claims Data
Ongoing evaluation of the program throughout its lifecycle

Step 3: Strategize

Immediately following the evaluation of all data and information, the strategy phase begins. The NCMS Health Promotion Manager will help you to identify and develop programs, interventions, and strategies to address areas of need or opportunity. As a component of building a strategy, the Health Promotion Manager will provide support and guidance on:

Execution of the newly designed strategy.
Ensuring programs are compliant to the rules and laws for wellness programs set by the Federal Government.
Consultation on how to prioritize efforts based on capacity to achieve the best results.

Step 4: Implement

The Implementation phase is a crucial stage where data and strategies are translated into practical actions, ensuring that the well-being initiatives are effectively implemented within the organization. Upon completion of this phase the whole process begins again.

Program Offerings

Diabetes Prevention

Eat Smart Move More Prevent Diabetes: A 12-month Diabetes Prevention Program recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The program provides education, support, and resources to help participants make sustainable changes to their diet and activity habits. Funding for participants provided by NCMS Plan.

Nutrition

TNT Nutrition: Individual nutritional counseling to help employees support employees and family members. TNT Nutrition can support you in meeting your goals no matter if it is weight loss, performance enhancement, or just to adopt a healthier lifestyle. The program includes virtual grocery store and pantry tours, wellness challenges, and much more.

Pregnancy

My Pregnancy App (BCBSNC): Whether you're expecting your first child or your fourth, you're going to need help. My Pregnancy offers tools, resources and support to make sure you stay informed every step of the way. It's a great way to help you find answers to questions, and learn fun facts about your pregnancy. The app is free, confidential and you can use it wherever or whenever you want.

Weight Management

Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less (ESMMWL): A 15 Week online real time classroom format weight management program led by a Registered Dietician. Members select the class that best suits their schedule – morning, lunchtime, and evening classes available. NCMS Plan sponsors this program and covers the $235 program fee for its members. Eat Smart, Move More Weigh Less 2: A 24-week, online program intended for those who have completed Eat Smart, Move More and builds upon lessons learned in the initial program. Funding for participants provided by NCMS Plan.

Tobacco Cessation

The NCMS Plan has partnered with QuitLineNC (1-800-QUITNOW or 1-800-784-8669) to provide members with a comprehensive tobacco cessation treatment program. This service includes telephonic and integrated web-based counseling PLUS Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) that includes eight weeks of FREE patches, gum, lozenges or combination of all three.

Employee Assistance program

VITAL WorkLife EAP: The NCSM Plan sponsors Vital WorkLife to deliver a range of services at no additional cost including counseling, coaching, and resources to help employees address a variety of issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, relationship problems, financial concerns, and work-related stress. The program is designed to provide employees with a safe and confidential space to talk about their concerns, and to provide them with the tools and resources they need to improve their mental health and well-being.

Chronic Disease Management

Nurse Case Management (BCBSNC): Dedicated chronic disease and case management support provided via licensed nurses in support of a variety of health conditions. Outreach, education, and app support are included. NCMS Plan Funds a $200 member incentive for utilizing the Nurse Support Case Management Program.

Practice Wellness Grant

Practice Wellness grants are intended to provide financial incentive and support for health promotion and well-being programming that will establish and drive measures to improve utilization, lower costs, increase engagement, and improve health outcomes for practices.

$500,000 in Funding.
Groups eligible for up to $300 per enrolled employee. Group Maximum eligibility $50,000. Available to all participating NCMS Plan Groups regardless of size.

Requirements:

Groups will be required to have substantial engagement with the Health Promotion Manager.
Program Goals will be customized to group’s individual needs in order to allow flexibility based on their unique criteria.
Health Promotion Manager will offer guidance on incentive strategies to drive engagement at the member level.

Funding:

50% of funding is provided when the group enrolls in the Grant Program. Remaining 50% eligible funding provided upon successful creation and approval of goals. Funding amount will be determined based on review of established goals.
Funding will be made via direct payment to the group. Grant funds cannot be applied as a credit to a group’s premium or to offset other costs (i.e. NCMS Membership Fees).
Groups cannot exceed the $300/member ($50,000/group) maximum within the 2-year grant cycle.