Tishman Speyer relies on the creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation of our people to achieve excellence every day. We strive to incorporate these same values into our health care design and programs.

Tishman Speyer’s goal is to balance quality, comprehensive coverage and networks with a differentiated plan structure that encourages employees to understand the risks and costs of each plan and make educated decisions that fit their individual needs. The structure focuses on cost to coverage ratios as well as cost-differentiated in-network/out-of-network services. To help employees understand these options, we leverage a high-touch human resources group, communications that focus on plan education and design differences, and help desk and health advocate services. The results have been a below-market trend line for the past 10 years and a flat trend line the past two years, which allow us to maintain the high-quality approach commensurate with our values.

A key aspect of our education is our wellness program: Live Well, Be Well, Work Well. We started with improving the quality and nutritional value of the food options we provide in our offices by offering whole grain foods, fruit, yogurt and vegetable juice while eliminating fully-sugared sodas. We then expanded on the concept of prevention by offering free biometric screening — that tested key cost drivers like cholesterol and glucose levels, hypertension and body mass index — in conjunction with an online health risk assessment that provided additional assessment and coaching on risk factors. These programs were incentivized with employee contribution discounts based on participation and lowered tobacco use.

The program achieved a participation rate of more than 50 percent its first and second years, compared to an industry average of 35 percent. We increased the preventive use for wellness exams from 37 to 50 percent of the population. Breast cancer screenings went up by 7 percent (to 50 percent) and cervical cancer screenings went up by 8 percent, (to over 44 percent).

In 2014, we are expanding to include education events focused on nutrition, fitness, financial health and health care news and trends. Our nutrition counseling will encourage employees to focus on their food choices at work and at home and draws attention to the nutrition benefits already incorporated into our health care coverage.

Tishman Speyer’s goal is to provide the highest quality health care to attract the most talented people, and we will continue promoting health care innovation through education to a workforce that is evolving as efficient consumers.