In Health Care, An Ounce of Prevention

Can Drive Down Your Healthcare Costs

 

Experts believe healthcare costs could double within five years if they continue at their current rate of 15% each year.  Why such a sharp increase?

 

• As our population ages, health problems begin to surface.
• The boon and bane of advances in medicine offset each other: New and costly tests improve the ability to diagnose illnesses.
• Left unfettered, controllable health conditions wreak havoc on the lives of Americans.

 

Modern medicine hasn’t discovered a way to stop the aging process, and we don’t really want to limit technological advances that lead to better treatment and potential cures for disease.  It seems the best solution to high healthcare costs is managing preventable health conditions. 

 

Chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease account for nearly 80 percent of the nation’s total medical costs.  People with chronic disease account for three quarters of hospital admissions and nearly 90% of all prescriptions filled.  One quarter of these people have some type of activity limitation or work restriction. 

 

These diseases, along with cancer, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease, are among the top 10 causes of death in America, according to the Centers for Disease Control.  Astonishingly, they are all preventable. 

 

People who make healthy lifestyle choices are less likely to suffer adverse outcomes or die from these types of diseases than people who choose poor alternatives.  Companies that offer resources to help employees make good choices can reduce costs related to employee absenteeism and healthcare.

 

Wellness or preventive health programs have been available to many businesses, but their execution has proven ineffective at addressing rising medical costs.  Today there exists a more comprehensive and systematic approach to health improvement and disease prevention – personal health management.  This approach has reduced demand for medical care by improving the overall health of targeted employee populations. 

 

Comprehensive personal health management programs often pay for themselves within the first year.  Case studies reveal the systematic approach can attain a return on investment of 3:1 to 6:1 when offered to employees.  Unfortunately, only 20-30% of eligible employees usually take advantage of a voluntary program, and they are likely to have no major health issues.  Oftentimes, voluntary programs have limited ability to reach those who need help the most. 

 

Employees need both motivation and guidance to take responsibility for their own health.  Motivating factors can include high deductible insurance plans, health reimbursement accounts, discounted insurance premiums and even cash incentives.  Guidance works through a team of healthcare providers, patients, families and employers.  Their teamwork incorporates health risk assessments, biometric screenings, triage, interventions, education and awareness, self-care resources, clinical disease management and incentives for healthy lifestyles.

 

Health risk assessments or HRAs surveys the individual’s medical history and lifestyle.  Biometric screenings include basic blood panels and heart rate and blood pressure examinations.  They also measure height, weight and body fat. 

 

Triage identifies participants with health risks and offers immediate help to reduce those risks.  Interventions are year-round programs that use education and coaching to replace unhealthy habits with healthy ones.  

 

Education and awareness programs include communication tools such as newsletters that raise awareness and promote healthy living.  Self-care resources help employees evaluate medical problems to determine their options. 

 

Disease management uses evidence-based medical treatments to help those who already have serious chronic diseases.  Wellness incentives come in many forms, including monetary rewards and health insurance discounts. 

 

The goal of personal health management is early intervention to reduce the risk of severe and costly medical procedures brought on by chronic disease.  Employees benefit from living healthier and productive lives.  Employers reap substantial savings in healthcare costs by not having to pay for costly medical procedures such as transplants.

 

More and more businesses are adopting comprehensive personal health management programs to reduce the sharp increase in their healthcare costs and increase the health and productivity of their employees. 

 

After all, didn’t your mother always say, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”?