Health Impact Program | HIP

What is the Health Impact Program (HIP)?
HIP is a program designed to promote healthy lifestyle choices and preventive health activities for State of Arizona employees. Participants must accumulate a minimum of 500 points to earn an incentive, up to $200.  HIP is a great way to improve your overall health and well-being.

Why is the State offering this program?
The State is offering the program to engage employees and communicate leadership commitment to employee well-being through quality care.

Who is eligible to participate?
All benefits-eligible employees are eligible to participate in the program. Employees must actively enroll in the program by registering on our website, totalwellbeing.az.gov. Eligible members are not automatically enrolled. If you joined in 2017 or 2018, you do not need to re-enroll. Continue to log in to your account on the site. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to individuals with disabilities.

Can a retiree, spouse, or other dependents also participate?
Spouses, dependents, and retirees are not eligible for HIP at this time.  Retirees, spouses, and other dependents are eligible to participate in various activities as outlined at benefitoptions.az.gov/wellness.

Are new hires eligible to participate?
Yes, new hires who are benefits eligible can participate in HIP at any time, regardless of their start date. Participants must be an active employee at the end of the program period, and also at the time of the payout, to be eligible to receive the incentive.

Do participants need to be active employees for the entire duration of the program?
Employees may enroll and participate in the program after the program period begins, but must be active in a pay status at the time incentive payments are made (First quarter of 2019).

What if an employee retires or leaves employment during the program period?
If an employee retires or leaves employment with the State before the incentive payment, he/she is no longer eligible to receive the payment.

Is HIP a mandatory program?
No, HIP is a voluntary program.

How do employees enroll?
Eligible employees can enroll by creating an account through our HIP website, totalwellbeing.az.gov. The account is used to track your progress throughout the program period. If you enrolled in 2017, you do not need to re-enroll. Continue to log in to your account on the site.

How many points does a participant need to accumulate to be eligible for the incentive payment?
A participant must accumulate a minimum of 500 points by engaging in a variety of activities including preventive screenings, online health assessment, classes, and support programs. 

What activities are available in the program?
Participants can accrue points through a variety of preventive health screenings, the online health assessment, classes, and support programs, either in conjunction with the Benefit Options health insurance plan or through State of AZ worksite Wellness activities.  Participants can log points by entering information on the exercise, nutrition, well-being and financial categories and/or by participating in challenges. View the activities with points here.

I am a new employee and can’t create an account.
Depending on your hire date, there is some lag time before you are eligible to register for the program.  Please contact [email protected].

I am receiving an error message, “An account could not be created, please verify your information below when trying to create an account.”
When creating an account, the employee’s EIN must be 9-digits.  Employees must enter leading zeros to make the EIN 9-digits.

I am as ASU Employee, what EIN do I use?
Enter 9-digit Alternate ID number that begins with 99. Instructions on how to find it online in UAccess are here.

I am a UofA Employee; what EIN do I use?
University of Arizona Employees: Enter 9-digit Alternate Employee ID number found on UAccess under Benefits tile and Insurance Summary link; Use the Alternate Employee ID on the right (Do not use the Empl ID at the top).

I am an NAU Employee; what EIN do I use?
Enter 77 followed by the 7-digit NAU ID number with no leading zeros; NAU ID number found on Jacks card or LOUIE/Peoplesoft account.

Why do I receive a second login page when I try to complete the health assessment?
In some versions of Internet Explorer, if third-party cookies are not enabled a login box will appear. 

Which browsers are recommended for using the HIP website?
Recommended browsers are Chrome or FireFox as site functions are better in these browsers.  If using Internet Explorer, please enable third-party cookies.

Error Message: The agency you work for has limited browser accessibility.
If your agency has limited browser accessibility, please access the HIP website through your smartphone or home computer.

How can an employee participate in a challenge?
On the home screen of the HIP website, all available challenges are listed under the “Unaccepted” tab.  An employee can select all challenges they want to participant in.  Once a challenge is accepted, it will appear under the employee’s “My Challenges” tab.  Once the challenge is marked complete, participants need to log out and log back into their account.  The completed challenge will now be listed under the “Completed” tab. 

Self-reported activities
All wellness activities are self-report, except for the health assessment.  Points for the health assessment will populate 1-2 weeks after completion. Points for all other activities will be earned and reflected once the participant marks the activity completed.  Please note activities are routinely audited and points will be removed if necessary.

When will I receive points for taking my health assessment?
Points for completing the health assessment populate 1-2 weeks after it is finished.  The participant will receive an email notification.

How do points populate on the website?
Points populate on the HIP website home screen when participants enter information in the exercise, nutrition, well-being and financial categories.  Points for completed challenges and activities will show under the participant’s name on the home screen.

Can employees mark future preventive exams or wellness activities complete?
No.  For auditing purposes, participants should mark activities complete ONLY after they have actually completed the activity.

How can an employee sync a fitness device to track activity?
Participants can sync over 30 different fitness devices to log exercise, including FitBit and Apple Watch.  On the account home screen, select the “Settings” option.  From the settings drop-down menu, select “Apps.”  Under “Connect Your Devices” option, select “View Available Devices.”  Select the “Connect” tab under the fitness device that will be used to log exercise.  When syncing a device, the participant must have the device with them.

Do I need to fast for my mini-health screening?
Fasting for 8 hours will produce more accurate results and is recommended (water is ok).  Fasting is not mandatory.

I have a health screening appointment scheduled, but can’t make the appointment. 
Please call Healthwaves directly to cancel or change an appointment.  480-968-1886.

I can’t attend the screening scheduled at my location,
State employees can attend any state screening unless the event is marked closed to outside employees.  Please see the complete schedule under “events” on our website.

Who can participate in health coaching?
Participants must take the online health assessment to determine if they qualify for health coaching.  Participants in high and very high-risk categories qualify for health coaching and will receive an email inviting them to participate in coaching.  These participants may also participate in online self-study modules.   

Self-study modules
Participants who are moderate, high or very high-risk categories (determined by taking the health assessment and viewing personal report) may participate in the online self-study modules.  Participants can access these modules under health assessment on the HIP website. Points for completed modules will update automatically 1-2 weeks after completion.

How long will an employee have to accumulate the points?
The HIP program is based on a calendar year, and points are awarded on a calendar year basis. Thus they do not carry over.  

Do activities from the last quarter of one year count toward the next year's program?
No, employees have the entire calendar year to complete all wellness activities.

What is the budget for the HIP incentive? And how is it funded? 
The incentive pay is budgeted at $1.5M. The funding will come from the Health Insurance Trust Fund (non-appropriated).

What is the incentive payment amount and when will it be paid to employees?
The incentive payment per employee will be up to $200; the amount may be lower depending on total participation. For employees who complete the program, the payout is included in their regular paycheck in March of the following year. 

Will the incentive payment be taxed?
Incentives are subject to Federal and State Income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes. If you have any questions, please consult your tax advisor.

Will participant information be confidential?
Yes, all information reported on the HIP website will remain confidential and comply with all HIPAA privacy rules.

Will any information be verified and reported? 
Yes, activities are routinely audited and points will be removed if necessary. Aggregate, population-based participation reporting will be available as a part of the Benefit Options Annual Review beginning in the 2018 review period.

Who should I contact if I have additional questions related to HIP?
For more information related to HIP, please email [email protected], or call 602-771-9355.

*ADOA will determine whether additional activities will qualify as a part of HIP.

University faculty and staff can participate in the Health Impact Program (HIP), an incentive-based wellness program, to receive up to $200 through the engagement of various wellness activities. 

Arizona State University 

• To create a HIP account
  •  Enter 9-digit ASU Campus ID/Alternate ID number that begins with 99 and found on a paycheck, directly under your name and employee ID
• Visit the Counseling and Wellness site for information about classes and offerings that qualify for HIP points. Questions? Contact [email protected].

Northern Arizona University 

• To create a HIP account
  • Enter 77 followed by the 7-digit NAU ID number with no leading zeros
    • NAU ID number found on Jacks card or on LOUIE/Peoplesoft account
• Visit the Employee Assistance and Wellness site for information about classes and offerings that qualify for HIP points. Questions? Contact [email protected].

University of Arizona 

• To create a HIP account
  •  Enter 9-digit Alternate Employee ID number. Instructions on finding the number are here.
• Visit the Life & Work Connections site for information about classes and offerings that qualify for HIP points. Questions? Contact [email protected].
• For instructions on how to access your Health Insurance ID, click here.

The State of Arizona is committed to helping you achieve your best health. Rewards for participating in a wellness program are available to all benefit eligible employees. If you think you might be unable to meet a standard for a reward under this wellness program, you might qualify for an opportunity to earn the same reward by different means. Contact us at [email protected] or 602-771-9355, and we will work with you to find a reasonable alternative to support your participation in the HIP program.

Program Dates

• The HIP program is based on the calendar year: January 1-December 31.
• All points must be earned during the calendar year. Points do not carry over to the following year.
• An employee can register and log points at any time during the year. 
• Validation occurs in February of the following year and is conducted through Telligen (a company that creates and manages the HIP portal).
  • Add [email protected] to your contact list in order to not miss their validation request email. 

Logging Points 

• HIP members may begin logging points when the new site opens for the calendar year.
• The 2021 site will be open on April 1, 2021, due to a new portal being launched.
• Points earned in the new year before the site launches may be logged after the site launches.
  • Example: Your teeth cleaning is January 3 and the HIP website opens January 7. Simply log your points after the new site launches.

• Earn a minimum of 500 points during the program calendar year to be eligible for up to a $200 incentive payout.
• If selected for validation in February of the following year, an employee must submit validation documents in order to receive the incentive. 
• Incentives are subject to Federal and State Income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes. If you have any questions, please consult your tax advisor.
• You must be an active, benefits-eligible employee throughout the program period and the payout period to receive the incentive payment.
• When you successfully complete the requirements, the payout will be included in your paycheck in March the year after the program year ends. 

All HIP information is administered by a third party, is not shared with your employer, remains private and is governed by federal HIPPA rules.