MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthPartners today announced it has signed a licensing agreement with Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente to supply an online version of its popular 10,000 Steps walking program to Kaiser Permanente's 8.2 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia.
HealthPartners also announced a separate agreement to provide health education content from its 10,000 Steps and Health-e-Kit(SM) programs to Fleishman-Hillard Inc. The St. Louis-based strategic communications company is working with the Department of Health and Human Services on the "Healthier Feds Physical Activity Challenge," a program to increase physical activity among federal government employees.
"This is a wonderful recognition of the effectiveness of our 10,000 Steps program," said Mary Brainerd, HealthPartners president and chief executive officer. "We're pleased to be able to share one of our most successful wellness programs so that people across the country can improve their health, and we're glad to use the additional revenue the agreement will generate to help us reduce health care costs and develop better programs and services for our members."
"10,000 Steps is a natural fit with Kaiser Permanente's dedication to addressing the needs of its members' total health. We are offering the 10,000 Steps program to members as part of our commitment to helping our members thrive," said Trina Histon, PhD, project director for Kaiser Permanente Care Management Institute's Weight Management Initiative. "This is an effective program that will support our members leading active lives. Increasing activity levels is key to improving overall health and well-being."
10,000 Steps participants use a pedometer to count their daily steps and an interactive, web-based system to log results and track progress. The online program also generates daily motivational emails for participants, tips to maintain an active lifestyle and ideas for healthy meals. Participants also have the chance to win prizes for tracking steps for a total of eight weeks
Research shows that an average person who takes 10,000 steps daily can achieve 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, the amount recommended by the Surgeon General to maintain health.
HealthPartners launched 10,000 Steps in 1999 and more than 50,000 people across the United States have enrolled in the program. In recent years the program has seen rapid growth because of the focus on increasing physical activity as a way to combat obesity.
A 1999 study conducted by HealthPartners and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that -- after adjustment for age, race, sex, and chronic disease status -- medical care charges for study subjects with no days of physical activity were approximately 4.7 percent higher than charges for those who were physically active just one day a week. The study also found that each one-unit increase in body mass index (BMI) in study subjects was associated with a nearly two percent increase in medical costs.
The 10,000 Steps Program has a positive impact on both of these modifiable risk factors. In fact, after eight weeks in the program, nearly all participants double their daily steps and 81 percent of participants report that the program helps them increase their physical activity. For more information on the HealthPartners 10,000 Steps program visit http://healthpartners.com/ .
HealthPartners is a consumer governed non-profit health care organization committed to improving the health of its members, patients and the community. Founded in 1957, HealthPartners provides care and coverage to 630,000 members across Minnesota through a broad network of physicians and hospitals, including HealthPartners Clinics. HealthPartners commercial and Medicare+Choice plans have received the highest rating of "Excellent" from the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
Kaiser Permanente is America's leading integrated health plan. Founded in 1945, it is a not-for-profit, group practice prepayment program with headquarters in Oakland, Calif. Kaiser Permanente serves the health care needs of about 8.2 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Today it encompasses the not-for-profit Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and their subsidiaries, and the for- profit Permanente Medical Groups. Nationwide, Kaiser Permanente includes approximately 136,000 technical, administrative and clerical employees and over 11,000 physicians representing all specialties.
Fleishman-Hillard Inc., with its headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, offers strategic communications counsel to local, national, and international clients. Founded more than 55 years ago, the firm currently operates throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia, and South Africa. Fleishman-Hillard is part of Omnicon Inc., a leading global marketing and corporate communications company.
HealthPartnersCONTACT: Joe Dangor of HealthPartners, +1-952-883-5223 or Pager,+1-612-613-4527
