Wellable And Truth Initiative Team Up To Help Employees Quit Smoking

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “paying for tobacco use cessation treatment is the single most cost-effective health insurance benefit for adults that can be provided to employees.”  Although smokers have been pushed out of sight by smoke-free laws, the costs of smoking remain staggering.  In addition to higher healthcare costs associated with employees that smoke, lower workforce productivity—from smoking-related absences to distractions due to nicotine cravings and smoking breaks—is also negatively impacting profitability.

This is why Wellable formally announced that it will be partnering with the EX Program, a digital smoking cessation program from the Truth Initiative.  By offering the EX Program on the Wellable platform, the two will combine their efforts, bringing industry-leading smoking cessation solutions to employers and health plans across the United States.  This marks the first-ever smoking cessation program to be made available through the platform and will play an important role in the comprehensive services offered by Wellable.  The EX Plan has helped more than 800,000 tobacco users develop the skills and confidence that are critical for a successful quit.

Nicotine use is a complex addiction that requires specialized treatment. We’ve been successful at developing programs that meet the needs of the hundreds of thousands of smokers who are ready and interested in quitting. Offering the EX Program in the workplace allows employers to leverage the impact of smoking policies and incentives to promote quitting, while also offering smokers a powerful program that they can access anonymously and privately as they tackle a tenacious addiction.”

– Dr. Amanda Graham, Senior Vice President of Innovations, Truth Initiative.

With this partnership, employers can use Wellable to provide their employees with access to the five core elements of the EX Program below.

Personalized Quit Plan

The EX Program’s interactive, self-paced, guided quit plan provides the specialized support tobacco users need for the behavioral, social, and physical aspects of tobacco addiction.  It includes digital and video content, interactive tools to identify triggers and track tobacco use patterns, and tailored communications.

Social Community

The award-winning EX Community provides an unrivaled level of peer support.  As part of the largest tobacco cessation community, thousands of smokers and ex-smokers share candid advice and powerful motivation.  The Truth Initiative’s research has proven that participation in the EX Community is a key driver of quitting success.

Live Coaching

When tobacco users have a question or craving, their EX Coach is there (anytime, anywhere).  EX Coaches are tobacco treatment experts that understand how this addiction affects each person’s life differently and how best to overcome it.  EX Coaches help participants set a quit date, build confidence and motivation, choose the right quit medication, and avoid relapse.  EX Coaches are supervised by the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center clinical team.

Text Messaging

Unlike other text messaging programs that use static content, the EX Program’s robust text messaging platform delivers interactive and tailored messages based on how the tobacco user has—or hasn’t—engaged with the program.  Research has shown that by delivering relevant, timely, and compelling series of messages, EX Program’s text messaging program increases the number of participants who set a quit date and complete steps in the EX Plan.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Using nicotine replacement therapy can double the chances of quitting successfully. EX Coaches help participants choose the right quit medication and dosage as well as coordinate delivery.  Participants receive home delivery for four weeks of nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges.

As the first smoking cessation service offered as part of the Wellable program, we’re proud to work with Truth Initiative and its highly successful EX Program to support our users on their tobacco cessation journeys. Offering the EX Program through Wellable allows us to present tobacco cessation to our customers as part of a comprehensive wellness platform, which includes physical activity, nutrition and many other factors that may be of concern to tobacco users looking to quit.

– Nick Patel, President of Wellable

The EX program pricing through Wellable is based on registered employees, which means employers will only be billed if a smoking employee joins the program.  Employers can launch their smoking cessation benefit with zero costs and only pay for those employees who smoke, are ready to quit, and register for the EX Program.  Contact Wellable for more details!

More Stats About Employee Smoking

According to the CDC, smoking tobacco costs businesses $130 billion in medical care costs and $150 billion in lost productivity each year, placing a heavy burden of caring for smokers on healthcare providers and employers alike. The difficulty of this hardship cannot be underestimated.  In some parts of the United States, the smoking population among workers can reach as high as 40%, with the per-employee cost of smoking reaching up to $6,000 per individual.  With the costs stacking up higher than ever before, smoking cessation therapies are quickly becoming one of the most cost-effective benefits companies can provide to their employees.