WHAT’S THE OSTEOARTHRITIS HEALTHY WEIGHT FOR LIFE PROGRAM?
The Osteoarthritis Healthy Weight For Life program helps you improve your quality of life by reducing the pain in your joints and improving your mobility. The program combines weight management, muscle strengthening, and gentle physical activity and it’s achieved by:
- structured eating and weight management plans
- increasing the strength of muscles around your knee and hip joints
- gently increase physical activity (where possible).
IS THIS PROGRAM SUPPORTED BY MEDICAL EVIDENCE?
The Osteoarthritis Healthy Weight for Life program is supported by medical evidence and results have been published in international medical journals. The program’s designed to kickstart your weight loss, reduce joint pain and improve your mobility which can improve your quality of life. It can also improve your preparation for hip or knee replacement surgery. It's not about vigorous exercise, going hungry or attending meetings.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I’M ELIGIBLE?
You may be eligible for cover for the Osteoarthritis Healthy Weight for Life program if you:
- have held HCF hospital cover for at least 12 months
- have had hospital cover for joint replacement surgery for a minimum of 2 months
- have a BMI of 28 and over
- have GP approval
- are aged 18 and over
- are willing to provide your progress data throughout the program (including weight, waist circumference and pain score levels, among other clinical indicators) to Prima Health Solutions
- have no allergies or intolerances to KicStart meal replacements
- aren't pregnant or breastfeeding, or intending to become pregnant during the 18-week program
- haven't taken part in any Healthy Weight for Life program with us before
- haven’t been enrolled in the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet 16 Week program in the last 6 months.
DOES THIS AFFECT MY HEALTH COVER COSTS?
Taking part is your choice and it won’t affect your premium or health cover in any way.
HOW SHOULD MY DOCTOR SUPPORT ME WITH THE PROGRAM?
The program supports the care and advice provided by your own healthcare team, so you’ll need their medical clearance to take part. The specific GP Approval Form for this purpose will be emailed to you upon enrolment. If you take regular medications, you may need to attend regular check-ups so your healthcare team can stay up to date with your progress and adjust dosages if needed.
HOW DO I REGISTER?
The program is run by Prima Health Solutions Pty Ltd (Prima). You’ll need to register through the Prima website to enrol in the program, which will collect some personal information (including health and other sensitive information) about you.
HOW IS MY PRIVACY AND HEALTH DATA PROTECTED?
The personal information that you provide to Prima is used and disclosed only for the purpose of confirming your eligibility and delivering and evaluating the program. If you don't provide this information, Prima may not be able to provide you with the services which form the program.
As part of the enrolment process, HCF will disclose your personal information to Prima to the extent necessary to confirm the validity of your membership with us. Prima won't disclose your personal information to HCF other than your name and date of participation with Healthy Weight for Life to allow us to evaluate the service. Prima may also share de-identified, aggregate information with HCF regarding the program results, but this information won’t include any personal identifiers or constitute your personal information. With your permission, Prima may disclose your personal information to your regular doctor or other healthcare provider.
For more information, go to HCF Privacy Policy or PRIMA Privacy Policy.
