An increasing number of employers are offering health coaching services as a way to improve employee health and keep health care costs down, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Most programs offer employees telephone coaching over the course of one year, but some programs provide face-to-face contact with a nurse.

Health coaching programs at one time mostly were directed at "employees with chronic health conditions," but the "use of personalized, telephone coaching has since proved to be a cost-effective way to help many employees make lifestyle-behavior changes," the Sentinel reports. For example, sales-finance lender BB&T, which has had a health coaching program in place for more than 20 years, estimates that more than 90% of its employees participate in the program and that annually, the company spends $1,100 less on health costs per employee than other banking companies.

Employees who participate in health coaching programs can receive a variety of incentives, including discounts on monthly health insurance premiums or financial rewards (Wessel, Orlando Sentinel, 9/10).