(NCQA: Washington) -- The National Committee for Quality Assurance today released for public comment proposed standards and measures for a new Wellness and Health Promotion (WHP) product evaluation suite. The program will examine organizations that provide services to employers and health plans that seek to help employees and other participants better manage their own health. Nearly two-thirds of employers in the United States offer such services, including health coaching, smoking cessation and obesity management programs.

“The three biggest contributors to rising health costs and declining health in America—smoking, poor diet, and lack of exercise—are avoidable risks. Effective wellness programs lay out a clear, achievable approach to help people make healthy decisions every day,” says Patricia Barrett, NCQA vice president for product development. “This new program will help employers safeguard the health and productivity of their employees by choosing the best programs available.” 


The programs proposed today reflect the wide variety of health promotion services currently offered in the market. The WHP product suite includes a broad-based accreditation program for organizations that offer comprehensive wellness services as well as certification for organizations that only offer specific components such as health appraisals and self-management tools.

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