June 03, 2009incentaHEALTH(R) Awarded Patent for HEALTHspot(TM) Wellness KioskincentaHEALTH LLC, a Denver-based provider of corporate wellness programs, today announced that the U.S. Patent Office has awarded a new patent relating to incentaHEALTH's innovative health screening kiosk system and methods. The patent (U.S. Patent No. 7,541,547 entitled "System and Method for Measuring and Distributing Monetary Incentives for Weight Loss") relates to some innovative features of incentaHEALTH's private wellness kiosk that allow companies to offer powerful health coaching programs to their employees and dependents. The kiosk enables users to privately weigh in, taking both a weight measurement and a photo of the user. "The HEALTHspot kiosk is an integral part of our program to reduce employers' health care costs," said Todd McGuire, Chief Technology Officer of incentaHEALTH. "Sadly, 2 out of 3 American adults are either overweight or obese. These conditions are a primary driver of health care costs. IncentaHEALTH provides a technology-based behavior change program to help employees improve their lifestyle through daily email coaching and incentives. This new technology transforms the way we can deliver evidence-based wellness programs. Based on this verified measurement of success, incentaHEALTH can pay incentives that reinforce lasting changes in an employee's habits regarding physical activity and nutrition." Every three months, participants enter a private room to automatically record their weight and photo by logging into the kiosk and stepping on the scale. The participant's current weight and photo appear on the HEALTHspot kiosk display for review. Once confirmed by the participant, the information is encrypted and transmitted to the incentaHEALTH data center for secure archival. Since the kiosk is Internet-enabled, participants can see their progress in real-time. The results are only accessible by the participating employee. The employer never sees individual participant results. This private weigh-in takes approximately 45 seconds. The HEALTHspot kiosk is available for use 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. A summary of some features of the kiosk is available online at http://www.incentahealth.com/HEALTHspotKiosk.html. By participating in the incentaHEALTH wellness program, participants receive daily email instruction on proper nutrition and exercise. These daily emails are tailored each day to the specific barriers and motivators that are unique to each participant. The emails also contain video instructions for performing each day's recommended exercises, as well as a comprehensive set of meal ideas for each day. Every 90 days, participating employees return to the HEALTHspot kiosk to track their performance. They receive a cash incentive from incentaHEALTH based on the percentage improvement in their weight (BMI). Participants can earn incentives for the entire duration of the year-long program if they maintain their success at each screening. This long-term incentive approach leads to lasting behavior change as employees are rewarded for incorporating new habits around nutrition and physical activity into their daily lives. About incentaHEALTH® incentaHEALTH is a health care technology company with headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Serving the corporate wellness marketplace, incentaHEALTH's system is designed to help organizations reduce their health care costs by offering incentives to employees for improving their health. This is achieved by helping employees manage their weight through the use of interactive email coaching, workplace weigh-ins on private kiosks, and cash rewards for sustained weight loss success. Organizations throughout the U.S., the U.K. and Singapore have implemented this health care solution for their employees and are reporting significant success. For more information, visit: http://www.incentaHEALTH.com. Corporate Inquiries |