HUMC : JIM ANNESS ; HUMC : SETH LITROFF ; HNH : MARKO GEORGIEV |
Hackensack University Medical Center . “ There ’ s a difference between what we offer and what a typical commercial gym offers . It ’ s medically-based wellness .”
When amember joins one of these hospital-affiliated gyms , they are typically given a fitness assessment to examine their cardiovascular ability , flexibility , blood pressure , and medical records to design an individualized fitness program . “ They know what problems you have and how to handle them ,” Grunert says .
A device introduced at Holy Name ’ s fitness center HNH Fitness goes a step further : It produces afull body scan that measures a person ’ s body shape and composition and indicates their risk of developing heart disease , diabetes and other health issues , based on the person ’ s waist circumference and other data and population information .
An initial fitness assessment is particularly important given the demographics of the clients the center serves , says Robert Angner , the executive director of Valley Health Lifestyles . About half of the club ’ s 2,000 members have some sort of chronic disease , such as heart disease or diabetes .
“ Some people here were referred by their doctors and others have come on their own , but many have never set foot in a gym before ,” Angner says . “ We have exercise specialists walking the floor , talking with people , helping them , with the understanding that if you ’ ve got chronic diseases , there are certain things you shouldn ’ t be doing and certain things you should be doing .”
The exercise specialists all hold bachelor ' s or master ’ s degrees in exercise physiology and a medical director oversees the gym , giving input on everything from what fitness classes are offered to the layout of the machines on the floor , Angner says .
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Membership costs for these fitness centers range from $ 50 to $ 79 a month . The monthly price for a membership is $ 35 at New York Sports Clubs , $ 30 at Gold ’ s Gym and $ 25 at L . A . Fitness .
Proactive approach
Steven Davis , head of marketing for Town Sports , which owns New York Sports Clubs , says he believes hospitals are opening these centers to take a more proactive approach to people ’ s health .
“ They ’ re looking at it as preventative medicine . If you work out and eat right , chances are you ’ ll have better health down the road , and we ’ ve known that for a long time ," Davis says . “ Obviously , any gym that opens up is competition . We ’ ve been in the gym business for 40 years , so I think we ’ re better equipped in terms of fitness goals , but at the end of the day we ’ re all in this business for the same reason — to get people healthy .”
Despite the medical connection , insurance companies have so far treated these facilities like any other gym . Some plans offer partial reimbursements for members as an incentive to keep physically active , but many do not .
UnitedHealthcare offers up to $ 400 a year for members who log 50 hours in six months at agym or doing yoga , kickboxing or other activities . The company also allows members to earn more than $ 1,000 a year if they meet fitness goals tracked by an activity tracker or smart watch . “ We want members to get healthy doing activities and at facilities that are broadly attractive to our members and meet the criteria of the program ,” Jennifer Statham , a spokeswoman for the company , says . “ So , we don ’ t have specific incentives for specific centers .”
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Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey gives a $ 20 reward for every month amember makes at least 12 visits to one of 4,000 participating fitness centers across the country . The company also offers a gym discount program , but does not specifically provide incentives to join hospital-affiliated centers .
“ To me , it makes alot of sense for insurance companies to encourage their members to participate in an exercise program ,” says Dr . J . Christopher Mendler , the medical director at HNH Fitness .“ If we can get people to be more physically active , we can save health care dollars later . Hopefully they ’ ll have fewer strokes , less heart disease and less diabetes down the line .”
Many members are former patients who opt to continue with afitness program at an affiliated gym after their prescribed rehabilitation program is completed . John Driscoll , an 81-year-old retired pediatrician , goes to HNH Fitness three times a week to work with a personal trainer , for about $ 40 per session on top of the membership cost . The Oradell resident underwent surgery several years ago to replace an aortic valve in his heart and was referred to Holy Name ’ s cardiac rehab program after the surgery . When Driscoll finished the program , he began working with the personal trainer at HNH Fitness to continue a similar recovery program at the fitness center that was inhis hometown .
“ When I finished my rehab program I went to the gym to maintain my fitness ,” Driscoll says . “ I realized that the program Iwas getting at the gym was very similar to the program I had been getting at the cardiac rehab center , but much closer to home .” ❖
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