Marvin Windows and Doors Builds Healthier Workforce with Onsite Clinic, Value-Based Benefits

The new employee clinic at Marvin’s Warroad headquarters was fitted to look and function like a typical doctor’s office.

But that’s where Marvin Windows and Doors, a 103-year-old company, is taking highly innovative steps to create a healthier workforce and community.

“We approach our health plan in an extremely proactive way,” said Alissa Partee, director of Total Rewards at Marvin. “Marvin is self-insured; Blue Cross simply administers our plan. It’s exactly why Marvin is making such major investments in the health of our employees.”

In working with large employers like Marvin, Blue Cross is committed to finding ways to lower health care costs for companies by helping their employees stay healthy.

“The large employers we work with are all looking for ways to improve the health of their employees,” said Brooks Deibele, vice president of group markets at Blue Cross. “Marvin has always been willing to partner with us as we introduce new and innovative ways to positively impact the health of their population. They really help us test and build the model. It’s great synergy.”

On-Site Clinic and Telehealth

One of Marvin’s newest initiatives is an onsite health clinic at its Warroad headquarters, where employees can seek medical care in the same way an urgent care or “retail clinic” might support them and their spouses .

However, unlike a typical primary care or urgent care clinic, Marvin’s onsite clinic is intended to focus on personal wellness, disease management and preventative care. Clinicians are able to treat acute conditions like sudden sickness or injuries, but Marvin aims to work with employees before they become ill or develop conditions that are preventable. A real bonus? Employees can use paid time to visit the onsite clinic.

“Data from Blue Cross showed that among Marvin’s employee population, the number of members impacted by diabetes and other preventable or manageable health issues was alarming.”

“Onsite clinic models have better participation and outcomes when someone is able to go on paid time,” Partee said. “We wanted to make the investment (in an onsite clinic) because we truly want people to use it and benefit from it.”

Although Marvin’s onsite clinic does not cover employees’ children, kids are covered through a Blue Cross telehealth program. For minor health issues, employees and families can have a virtual check-up through Doctor on Demand, an option that is available 24 hours a day – and they can use the option right from home! These telehealth visits cost less than $50 and have prevented many expensive after-hours emergency room visits.

Employees and their spouses are encouraged to visit the onsite clinic at Marvin for preemptive check-ups, health maintenance and acute illnesses.

Value-Based Benefits and Preventative Health

Marvin’s concentration on preventative care for its employees is steeped in data provided by Blue Cross.

Marvin’s company leaders realized by looking at the highest-cost insurance claims over time, that most were related to conditions “entirely preventable and controllable.” With that, they decided to approach the concept of “Chronic Condition Management,” part of the suite of Value Based Benefits from Blue Cross, which is a new way to manage costs and improve the health of members who have chronic health conditions like diabetes.

Data from Blue Cross showed that among Marvin’s employee population, the number of members impacted by diabetes and other preventable or manageable health issues was alarming. The data also showed that the number of Marvin employees who were following the best-in-practice care had a really low compliance rate, and it encouraged Marvin to think about why employees did not manage their health conditions.

“We wondered, ‘What is keeping people from managing their condition?’ If it’s cost, then let’s take that out of the picture,” Partee said. “We’ve essentially removed the excuses. All we ask is for our employees and their families to manage their conditions well and we will certainly help them do so.”

Health Coaching for Healthier Choices

To further help employees manage their conditions, Marvin now offers numerous preventative and wellness programs, including a 16-week health coaching program developed by Omada Health and delivered by Blue Cross. The new program, called “Omada,” uses best practices to help employees make healthier choices to prevent diabetes and target people at risk for cardiac conditions. In order for Marvin to cover their costs, the employee must fulfill his or her goals for the program – which are personalized to meet each individual’s condition. While targeting and monitoring employees for health programs like these might seem invasive, the program is opt-in and Partee said the initiatives stem solely from Marvin’s desire for a healthy workforce.

Although the program just started in October 2015, employees are already reporting better health outcomes, and Partee said that many have told her that they’re grateful for the free program.

As of July 2016, more than 500 individuals have enrolled in the program. Omada is already exceeding expected performance. To date, 46 percent of participants have lost more than five percent of their initial body weight, reducing their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by more than 50 percent.

The Omada program is just one piece of the wellness pie; Marvin offers over 15 other types of wellness-related programs, including onsite fitness classes and tobacco cessation courses, as well as a Wellness Reimbursement program which helps employees and spouses offset the cost of health clubs and equipment.

Our Partnership

Partee said that Blue Cross has played a critical role in helping bring Marvin’s health initiatives to life.

“They are so much more than an administrator to us. We [have] Blue Cross [as our insurance provider] because of their innovative approaches,” she said. “I don’t want to understate how important they are as a partner.”

“Having an employer group like Marvin with people so willing to push the envelope on how they administer health benefits to their employee population is not only a huge win for their employees, it’s a win for all the other businesses that we can show proven results to based on Marvin’s experience,” Deibele said. “It’s these kind of relationships that really help to put the wheels in motion to improve health outcomes for the larger population. That’s a big deal.”

Marvin Windows and Doors is proud to be a Minnesota-based company. See their story at marvin.com/our-story.