LM Jan 2025

The pandemic has changed how people get healthcare – and has increased the desire for at-home offerings. This, of course, especially affects those in the workplace, including educational settings. In the interest of providing you with useful health information you can pass along to your teachers and staff, we asked Debbie Levy, product director for biometrics at Optum®, about the role that at-home screenings play in this changed world. Q: Clearly, the pandemic has had a big impact on healthcare. How have biometric screenings in particular been affected? A: Before the pandemic, many employers offered on-site biometric screenings. The on-site option was a great way to make getting screened easy for employees, as they didn’t have to take off work or travel to an appointment. Also, employers often made them part of a bigger wellness fair, where they could share information about other health resources. When the pandemic hit, a lot of employers canceled their on Your Health Matters

Making Health Screenings More Convenient from Health Alliance™

site events due to safety concerns and often because they had a lot of employees working remotely. At the same time, we know a lot of people deferred preventive care in the first year of the pandemic, which meant they didn’t get screened at annual exams. So, we started to hear a lot more interest in at-home biometric screenings. Q: How have at-home kits evolved? A: Our previous biometric screening kits screened blood glucose and cholesterol, as well as some self-reported data: height, weight and blood pressure. We now screen for (or monitor) prediabetes or diabetes with A1c instead of blood glucose, as the test performs better in at home kits. We’ve also added a screening kit for colon cancer, and that’s something we’re especially excited to offer. Q: Why is adding an at-home colon cancer screening important?

To learn how Health Alliance can save your district money, contact your ISEBC agent:

Clemens and Associates, Inc.: tcockburn@clemensins.com (Egyptian, Shawnee, Kaskaskia, Southwestern and Wabash Valley)

American Central Insurance Services: jeremy@americancentralins.com (Abe Lincoln, Central Illinois Valley,

J. Krug: lsimios@jkrug.com

James Unland & Company, Inc.: bshock@unland.com (Western (Knox County) and Central Illinois Valley (Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties)

(Blackhawk, Kishwaukee (Boone, DeKalb and Winnebago counties), Northwest and Starved Rock)

Corn Belt, Illini, Kaskaskia, Two Rivers and Western)

*Health Alliance Medical Plans received the highest score in the Illinois/Indiana Region in the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Satisfaction Study of members’ satisfaction with their commercial health plan experience. Visit jdpower.com/awards for more details.

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LM Jan 2025