Health Coaching Flyer

Undergraduate Degrees Bachelor of Science Health Coaching An Empowering Alliance We have more healthcare information, high-tech medical advances and wellness strategies than ever before, yet we’re eating worse, exercising less and chronic disease is on the rise. Treatments have become more complex and physicians have less time to educate patients about them. Within this challenging environment the growing field of professional health coaching is moving forward to help people do the following:  Navigate an increasingly complex health care system  Cope effectively with chronic conditions and minimize complications  Make sound health care decisions in the face of multiple options  Create lasting lifestyle changes to improve and enhance total well being Hospitals, insurers and employers are turning to health coaches to create better health outcomes and control costs. Recently advertised positions include a wellness consultant for Humana Inc., a health coach for Johns Hopkins Healthcare LLC, and lifestyle health coaches for WellCorp. Unlike health educators who typically provide information for patients to use on their own, health coaching uses a more interactive consultation model with the coach and patient working together. What Does a Health Coach Do? Health coaches help people set and meet health goals, overcome health-related obstacles and create support systems. Although they do not diagnose or treat conditions, they proactively monitor progress and hold the patient accountable to agreed-upon goals. Coaches can also help people interact most effectively with a multi-disciplinary team of clinical specialists, identify providers with appropriate expertise, communicate with clinicians, and advocate on the patient’s behalf. A health coach walks the road with patients, helping them actually apply information to their unique situation. They help patients gain a deeper understanding of their conditions and master the skills needed to persist and succeed with a prescribed health care regimen. Health coaches are also particularly helpful in guiding people through information overload. The internet is a great resource for researching health-related questions but it can also present patients with more data and highly conflicted data that is difficult to turn into useful insights. Health coaches can guide people toward trusted resources and help them evaluate a broad range of care options. Better Results Showing people how to do something and leading them through it seems to be much more effective than just telling them to do something. There is growing research showing better outcomes with the use of health coaches rather than traditional patient education. The American Cancer Society, for example, has found telephone coaching doubles a smoker’s chances of successfully quitting. “In a society where poor nutrition, inadequate weight and stress management, and lack of physical activity take an enormous toll, coaching skills have never been needed more.” The American College of Sport Medicine (ACSM) The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services completed a study in 2008 with high-risk chronic disease patients assigned to health coaches. Readmission rates of patients who worked with health coaches were lower than among those who didn’t.