Measuring progress toward a bold goal

Humana.ImpactMeasurement.pngThe following is excerpted from of . To learn more about how you can demonstrate the value of your corporate citizenship programs through data and metrics, consider joining us Dec. 6-8 in Pheonix, AZ for our course, also available online Jan. 8-Mar. 2, 2018 . 

When leading health and well-being company Humana embarked on a community involvement effort to recalibrate its corporate citizenship strategy, the company knew where its primary focus would be鈥攊mproving the health of the people it serves.

鈥淚mproving people鈥檚 health isn鈥檛 just about making changes to diet or adding daily exercise,鈥 said Dr. Roy Beveridge, Humana鈥檚 chief medical officer. 鈥淭hese are complex conditions; a healthier population doesn鈥檛 happen overnight. It鈥檚 necessary to take a long view. And a wide view, including safe neighborhoods, fresh air, and access to good food.鈥

With an awareness of the healthy people pillar of its CSR platform, Humana launched an ambitious, metrics-driven goal in 2015 to impact a wider population of people who could benefit from the company鈥檚 ability to improve the well-being of some of the nation鈥檚 most at-risk populations. Humana's Bold Goal is built on a commitment to improving the health of Humana鈥檚 communities by 20 percent by 2020 through a variety of partnerships, signature programs, and other health-related efforts in communities across the country.

鈥淲hen Humana created our Bold Goal, we knew we had an opportunity, and a need really, to create a public-private partnership that truly brings together varied organizations from across the communities we serve,鈥 said Heidi Margulis, leader of corporate affairs at Humana. 鈥淭his goal to measurably improve the health of the people we serve has not only significantly impacted our CSR approach, but also has served to inspire many of our 50,000-plus associates.鈥

To facilitate access to the resources people need to achieve their best health, Humana relies on an Integrated Care Delivery Model, a multilevel, holistic approach that incorporates everything from data analytics to clinical engagement. To measure results, the company is using a CDC-created measurement tool to examine how many self-reported 鈥渦nhealthy days鈥 individuals have had in a given 30-day period. The instrument considers both physical and mental health and has allowed Humana to formally measure and track progress toward achieving a 20 percent improvement in health outcomes, a process that involves a 20 percent decline from an average of 11.5 reported unhealthy days a month to 9.2 unhealthy days.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to remember that every population is made up of individual people. That鈥檚 why it makes sense that we ask individual members of these communities a version of the basic questions we ask anyone we care about: 鈥楬ow are you feeling? How have you been鈥?鈥 said Jody Bilney, chief consumer officer at Humana.

In a 2016 progress report examining the first-year impact of Humana鈥檚 Bold Goal, the results showed progress toward meeting the ambitious goal.

  • More than 50,000 Humana employees are on track to meet their overall health goals by the end of 2017. (Humana set its internal goal three years ahead of its external goal.)
  • An initiative aimed at reducing Type 2 Diabetes in Humana鈥檚 hometown town of Louisville, Ky. has been established to offer health care resources to members who need them.
  • In San Antonio, Texas, there has been a 23 percent increase in the number of community members taking valuable health assessments. Also, a partnership with a local grocery store chain in San Antonio is helping to increase engagement with local health programs while simultaneously addressing the threat posed by food insecurity in the city by providing healthy recipes and weekly coupons to community members.
  • In Tampa Bay, Fla., Humana has partnered with Feeding Tampa Bay in its mission of 鈥渃hanging lives one meal at a time鈥濃攚orking together to remove barriers to hunger and make food more accessible.

By setting a long-term goal that incorporates both the existing skills and resources of the company with its existing corporate citizenship platform, Humana is now able to impact an even wider community in a measurable and meaningful manner. The company鈥檚 2014-2015 Corporate Social Responsibility Report details how the Bold Goal and Healthy People pillar contribute to Humana鈥檚 larger CSR platform.

鈥淗ealthy people help drive a stronger, more effective health care system. The challenge is that being healthy can be hard for all of us, which is why Humana is so committed to partnering with people and communities to help them get healthy and stay healthy. Pursuing our Bold Goal is good for people鈥檚 health, and good for our business. Healthier communities mean a healthier Humana, too.鈥 said Pattie Dale Tye, leader of the company鈥檚 Bold Goal effort.

It鈥檚 too soon to say if Humana will achieve its Bold Goal. But clearly, more organizations are working together now in many communities, in part because of this effort.

To learn more about how you can demonstrate the value of your corporate citizenship programs through data and metrics, consider joining us Dec. 6-8 in Pheonix, AZ for our  course, also available online Jan. 8-Mar. 2, 2018 .