ScanSource 6|18 Employer Case Study
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed the 6|18 Initiative to improve health and control healthcare costs by collaborating with partners such as employers to translate evidence into action. The following case study was developed from interviews with ScanSource to highlight their company’s approach to employee and population health.
What Motivated ScanSource to Improve Health?
Without any health-focused changes, ScanSource knew healthcare costs would go up for employees and that could shape their workforce. ScanSource added an on-site clinic and lifestyle programs to help control chronic conditions and reduce risk factors, which often cause higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs for employees.
ScanSource
Headquarters: Greenville, SC
Number of Employees (as of May 2020): 1,400
Average Employee Age: 40 years
Industry: Wholesale Trade – Technology Products and Solutions
ScanSource and CDC’s 6|18 Initiative
In addition to wellness improvements and incentives, the company’s efforts align with the CDC’s 6|18 Initiative’s evidence-based interventions that improve the health and cost of high-burden health conditions and behaviors. By focusing on reducing tobacco use and controlling common and costly conditions like blood pressure and asthma, ScanSource uses CDC’s Workplace Health Model to determine which interventions and benefits to select to improve population health.
What Did ScanSource Do to Improve Health?
Free On-Site Wellness Clinics for full-time employees and their spouses.
- The clinic helps ScanSource take a proactive approach to improving employees’ health.
- The clinic offers strategies to reduce chronic conditions such as biometric screenings, health education classes, tobacco cessation programs, and more.
- Because the Greenville clinic was so successful, ScanSource opened another on-site clinic at their Southaven, Mississippi distribution center.
Disease Management Programs, like lifestyle coaching or educational programs, for employees at-risk for health issues. Data collected at on-site clinics helped ScanSource identify employees for the programs.
Fitness Options including access to on-site gyms, personal trainers, walking trails, company walks and runs, and group fitness classes.
Healthy Food and Drink Options at on-site café and at local meetings and events.
Prescription Delivery to Desks to help employees stick to their medications and improve their outcomes when managing chronic diseases.
What Values Did ScanSource Embrace to Improve Health?
- Employees’ opinions – ScanSource created a participatory environment where employees are empowered and encouraged to share feedback, including feedback related to health plans and options.
- Holistic health of employees – “The healthier our employees are holistically, the happier they are both inside and outside the office.”
- Part of this approach included hiring a full-time Benefits and Wellness Program Manager in 2011.
- ScanSource created 360You, a wellness program that works to improve physical, financial, emotional, social, medical, environmental, and intellectual well-being.
- A video case study of ScanSource’s holistic health approach can be found at CDC’s Workplace Health Resource Center
- Recruitment and retention – for ScanSource, valuing employees and seeking the best employees means offering quality health benefits and incentives.
- Corporate leadership and citizenship – offering health services, benefits, and community engagement to improve health can set a positive example for other companies in their community and field.
- Partnerships –ScanSource cultivated partnerships with health professionals and experts to learn how to improve their employees’ health. ScanSource partnered with:
- Prisma Health (formerly Greenville Health Systems) to build and staff two gyms and their on-site clinic.
- LiveWell Greenville to work to create healthier and more prosperous employees.
How Did Health Changes Benefit ScanSource and its Employees?1
Healthier workforce
ScanSource’s actions in these three areas align with evidence from CDC’s 6|18 Initiative:
- Reduced Tobacco Use: In 7 years and using its partnerships with health professionals and experts, ScanSource doubled the number of employees who did not use tobacco products from 500 to 1100 members through tobacco cessation classes and resources.
- Asthma Control: Reducing asthma medications to $0 has lowered costs for employees and can help them stick to their asthma medications.
- Blood Pressure Control: On-site clinics have encouraged employees to monitor their blood pressure and new insurance options provided less expensive hypertension medications.
Healthcare access: With telehealth options for all employees and a second clinic, ScanSource made healthcare and prevention more accessible to employees outside of headquarters.
- With preventive care access, employees can control costly health condition expenses.
- ScanSource has found the on-site clinic is paying for itself through avoiding claims alone.
Positive brand image
- ScanSource has been named one of 75 companies to be awarded 2020 Best Places to Work in South Carolina. They have received this award every year since 2015.2
Employee engagement
- By asking employees what they want and using clinic feedback, ScanSource engages employees regularly and uses data to drive programs.
- Effective engagement has led to 90% of employees completing annual biometric screenings.3
- Offering healthy options, incentives, lower healthcare costs, and better benefits may attract and keep employees.
Community connections
- Valuing partnerships with healthcare professionals and systems has built ongoing connections with the community to improve employee health.
How Your Business Can Take Action4
- Use CDC’s 6|18 Initiative to learn about common and costly conditions and find resources and tools to help you improve those conditions among your employees.
- Take advantage of national tools and resources, such as the CDC Workplace Health Resource Center, to launch or expand employee health efforts.5
- Develop relationships and partnerships with state and local public health to enhance the well-being of employees and their community.
- Partner with and learn from healthcare professionals, community-based organizations, and public health groups in your area.
This case study was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number OT18-1802 funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the CDC or the Department of Health and Human Services. Please contact jessica.howard@scansource.com with any questions.
1 ScanSource interviews, 2019
2 ScanSource, Inc. Accessed January 2020 from www.scansource.com/external icon
3 ScanSource interviews, 2019
4 ScanSource interviews, 2019