OBJECTIVES: A rising number of companies are sponsoring wellness programs to improve employee health and reduce health care costs. This review sought to determine the characteristics and outcomes of employer-sponsored wellness programs and determine possible reasons for their success. METHODS: PubMed, ABI Inform, and Business Source Premier databases and Corporate Wellness Magazine were searched.  English-language articles published from 2005-2011 reporting characteristics of employer-sponsored wellness programs and their impact on health-related and economic outcomes among US employees were accepted.  Animal studies, non-US-based studies, letters, editorials, and economic models were not accepted.  Data were abstracted, synthesized, and interpreted. RESULTS: Twenty references were accepted.  Wellness interventions were classified into health assessments, lifestyle management, and behavioral health. While improved economic outcomes were reported for companies with wellness programs (ie, total health care costs, return on investment, absenteeism, productivity, workers’ compensation, utilization) as well as decreased health risks, cause-and-effect relationships could not be determined. Fourteen accepted articles were published in magazines and four in newspapers.  Only three were published in peer-reviewed journals and those articles were the only ones to report a study design: 2 were described as quasi-experimental and the third a survey.  Most articles described one company’s wellness programs and outcomes, with some reporting changes over time. Some of the reported wellness programs were not described in full detail. Multiple types of outcomes were described across accepted articles, which precluded comparisons of an individual outcome across studies. Some articles described multiple interventions, making it difficult to assess benefits from individual interventions. CONCLUSIONS: While employer-sponsored wellness programs are being reported along with improved outcomes, there are limited definitive data on a cause-and-effect relationship.  Further research, of a high methodological caliber, is needed to support informed decisions.  Specifically, randomized trials and economic analyses would empower employers with the information needed to implement successful wellness programs.