HEALTH COACHING FROM SYMBOL HEALTH SOLUTIONS
HEALTH COACHING FROM SYMBOL HEALTH SOLUTIONS
1 in 2 Americans has a chronic disease. 1 in 5 has multiple chronic diseases. 27% of American children have chronic condition(s).
Not smoking
Getting regular physical activity
Moderating/eliminating alcohol
Maintaining a normal body weight
Consistently sleeping sufficiently
Doctors may not have time to adequately educate patients, but Health Coaches are dedicated resources of lifestyle intervention
The use of health coaches in a medically-led, team-based care model has been shown to help improve outcomes for patients with chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
Symbol emphasizes the significance of preventative health services as a primary component of our comprehensive patient-centered care model. Regular preventative care from quality healthcare providers helps employees stay healthy and out of the emergency room. Ongoing health coaching shift individual mindsets, instilling sustainably healthier behavior for a lifetime of improved cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal and mental health.
Employers partner with Symbol to provide ongoing wellness guidance to give their employees more control over their own health and start being more proactive about staying healthy for a lifetime.
Symbol Health Coaches consult with patients in a completely private, judgment-free, one-on-one basis to design realistic strategies to capitalize on existing medical therapies by empowering healthier lifestyles.
Based on the results of individual biometric screening results, patient histories and other Symbol Clinic medical activity, a Symbol Health Coach will individualize a “track” or a personal path of progress to address many chronic conditions, including but not limited to:
Building upon a medical provider’s explanation of the disease, a coach brings greater awareness to blood sugar monitoring, controlling medications, increasing water intake, planning and preparing healthy meals, and managing sick days.
Coaches help participants understand the role of blood lipids (fats) in the body and help them design a progressive plan to eat right, exercise more, and incorporate this plan into your everyday social life.
Beyond explaining the science behind blood pressure, coaches help participants be more mindful about what they put into their bodies and how to exercise their bodies to improve blood flow, stress less, and manage medications.
Coaches help participants acknowledge events that trigger anxiety and then help form realistic habits to calm and overcome the pressure. From breathing techniques to sleep pattern monitoring, coaches help pave the way for participants to adopt a healthier, stress-less lifestyle.
Want to quit smoking, vaping or chewing tobacco? Coaches help participants move beyond the scientific facts and help bring actionable steps to kick the habit. Often in combination with a Symbol medical professional’s prescription for cessation aids, coaches help participants deal with cravings and slip-ups while holding them accountable to their ultimate goal to quit.
Managing your weight can be difficult when eating erratically. Symbol Health Coaches help participants understand the power of planning meals, controlling portion sizes, exercising regularly, and incorporating more nutritional content into their everyday life - even in social settings.
Registered dietitians, exercise physiologists, certified trainers, nutritionists, and certified health educators comprise Symbol's diverse team of Health Coaches. In the Symbol System, they collaborate with Symbol Clinic medical professionals to design lifestyle management programs that, OVER TIME, improve the overall health of program participants.
Symbol Health Coaching sessions are typically 20-minute live meetings in private settings. All coaching sessions are completely confidential and judgement-free. Your coach is here to listen and advise, not criticize.
Again, coaching is dependent upon completion of a biometric screening (typically conducted annually as part of an employer’s wellness incentive). Blood pressure and weight is recorded to monitor progress.
In the first coaching session, the coach and participant will identify and discuss all potential health risk factors, determine the participant’s personal health goals, and assign a specific number of sessions “recommended” to be most successful.
From this point, the behavioral coaching process begins and future coaching sessions are scheduled to maintain the momentum of learning, changing, and making healthier choices more often.
Health Coaches with offices located within a Symbol CareClinic have proximity to the primary care medical team for ease of referral, electronic health record access, and are physically available for one-on-one coaching sessions on or near the sponsoring employer's campus. The convenience for both patients and their medical team is unmatched. Patients often contact the easy-to-reach health coaches with concerns about managing their chronic illnesses that they are unsure merit a medical appointment at the Symbol Clinic.
In addition to face-to-face meetings, Symbol Health Coaches often take appointments by phone and for some companies, even conduct virtual video coaching so that busy patients can get the information without bending over backward. Health Coaches can schedule their own appointments, and their calendars are available to anyone with access to the practice’s electronic health record to arrange patient-health coach meetings. It's an employee morale booster that simultaneously impacts workforce population health risks.
Biometric screening data is amalgamated alongside the consistent, thorough documentation of visits made possible through use of Symbol Clinic electronic health records to track health coaches’ encounters with patients. This enables Health Coaches to pick up right where they left off with patients without missing a beat. It also makes it easier for Symbol's medical team to track the coaching’s impact and how well patients are meeting their individual healthcare goals.
Health Coaches directly impact some of the most common chronic health conditions through behavioral intervention. Studies show that reducing health risk factors also reduces excess healthcare costs. Reducing employee health benefits costs makes every CEO happy. Coaching takes time, though, to be effective. Sustained participation in the Symbol Health Management Program over 5+ years is typically required to statistically prove the efficacy of patient outcome improvement and employer claims trend impact.