The perceptions of wellness at South African medical schemes

Abstract: In their management of risk, medical schemes are keenly interested in wellness programmes. Evidence of their interest in wellness is based on the number of medical schemes that offer, encourage and incentivise membership to wellness programmes The Homeopathic Association of South Africa (HSA) recently rebranded the Homeopathic profession as “The Wellness Profession”, providing an opportunity for Homeopathic practitioners to promote and encourage wellness as well as provide wellness services on behalf of medical schemes. The problem that arises is that Homeopathic practitioners do not fully understand how medical schemes perceive wellness. The primary research question posed in this study was: How do medical schemes perceive wellness? The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of wellness at South African medical schemes in order to develop a set of recommendations for Homeopathic practitioners who may wish to align themselves with medical scheme philosophies and expectations regarding wellness. This research is qualitative, exploratory and descriptive in nature and used a grounded theory methodology. Purposive sampling was used to identify and recruit informants from medical schemes registered with the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) that were involved in wellness promotion. Informants were invited to participate in a semistructured, in-depth 60 minute, face to face interview on the topic of wellness. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. Data was analysed using open, axial and selective coding to reveal four categories, namely: defining wellness, determining wellness, promoting wellness and partnering with healthcare practitioners. Further analysis revealed the core category to be integration. This study found that insofar as theoretical descriptions are concerned, wellness was not comprehensively or universally understood. Although there was no consensus the nature, definition or model of wellness, schemes did agree that wellness was an ongoing process, prevention focussed, multidimensional, holistic and included an element of balance. This study also found that medical schemes actively promote wellness amongst their members mainly as a strategy for economic sustainability. They have very well developed wellness promotional and communication strategies that are...M.Tech. (Homoeopathy