As employers continue to use wellness programs to improve employee behavior and their health, many are taking advantage of benefits automation tools; however, they also have not reached the potential  for cost savings and operational efficiency, according to the 2012 Wellness & Benefits Administration Benchmarking Study conducted by bswift along with Employee Benefit News.

"Employers are actively modifying and upgrading their wellness programs as they learn from experience, putting a greater emphasis on employee incentives and the use of biometric data," says bswift CEO Rich Gallun. "The study shows that organizations are not waiting for absolute clarity on the future of national health reform to get a grip on health expenditures and to improve the health of their employees and dependents through wellness programs."

In fact, 60 percent of respondents include biometric testing into their wellness programs, and to encourage employees to complete these tests, 40 percent of respondents offer incentives, such as credits toward health benefit contributions.