ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE) --Oct. 19, 2010-- Continuing its standing as the leading organization where the experts reside and are positioned to drive change in the healthcare system, The Center for Health Value Innovation (CHVI), the center of value-based design that links superior health outcomes to improved business performance, today welcomes to its Board of Advisors Dee Edington, Ph.D., professor of Kinesiology at the University of Michigan, director of the Health Management Research Center, and a research scientist in the School of Public Health. A nationally recognized authority on reducing risk and improving outcomes, Dr. Edington is the author of Zero Trends: Health as a Serious Economic Strategy, in which he probes the underlying problems of escalating healthcare costs and low productivity, and the data-driven evidence for the business case for investing in wellness.
"We are fortunate to attract an academician and business thought-leader of Dr. Edington's caliber and experience," says Cyndy Nayer, CEO of the Center and the voice of value-based benefit design. "Dr. Edington will become our resident research guide and data expert, ensuring that we've mapped and categorized what we need to educate the market. In the next months, we're going to see a dramatic evolution for the Center that will place us at the forefront of measuring multi-stakeholder accountability."
Considered the "Father of Health and Productivity," Dr. Edington brings significant experience in focusing on reduced risk and improved outcomes, and will provide insight and guidance to the Center's core goals of addressing these areas.
"The Center and its members are a unifying force for change," Dr. Edington states. "They are true innovators, with an untiring passion to define value as the improvement in health and economic status at the consumer, organization, and community level. This is in keeping with my findings that if companies can control risk factors, they can mitigate the impact of those risks. The best way to promote a healthy workplace is to establish the culture of health and wellness, reward positive behaviors, and allow outcomes to drive strategies. When a company culture improves, so too will its employees."
Dr. Edington earned a: B.S. in Mathematics from Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI (1959); a M.S. in Physical Education from Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL (1963); and a Ph.D. in Physical Education from Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI (1968).
Michael Taylor, M.D., chairman of the Board at CHVI and medical director for Health Promotion at Caterpillar, Inc., adds, "Dr. Edington advances the concept that productivity depends upon an effective workplace wellness plan and a healthy workforce, themes which align with the Center's core strategies. He brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and a keen grasp of value-based design stemming from his work examining the objectives of company-sponsored health management programs, their impact on health-care costs, and their fundamental components."
Wayne Burton, M.D., strategic advisor for the Center and Chief Medical Officer at American Express, echoes this confidence, "I've worked closely with Dee and, together, we've spent years studying the relationships between individual health behaviors, future health care utilization, and costs for both individuals and organizations. His research has shaped the way American business considers the investment in health of the workforce for predictable economic trends. Simply stated, he focuses on improving the health risks of populations such as physical inactivity, overweight, smoking, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He adds the depth of data management that benefits all of us in the Center."
About the CHVI The Center for Health Value Innovation (CHVI; 501C3) is a membership organization of expert employers, plan sponsors and innovators that shares actionable health data, strategies and tools for better business performance. The results: aligned incentives for individual responsibility and corporate accountability. www.vbhealth.org
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CONTACT: CPR for The Center for Health Value Innovation
Rachael Fisher, 201-641-1911 x 49
rfishercpronline.com;
KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA MISSOURI
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PRACTICE MANAGEMENT HEALTH FITNESS & NUTRITION GENERAL HEALTH MANAGED CARE
SOURCE: The Center for Health Value Innovation Copyright Business Wire 2010 http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20101019007211/en