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Disease Management Programs Save Companies More Money


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A snapshot of health in most western countries is not reassuring. People are living longer, but much sicker lives. Rates of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease continue to surge, largely due to unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity. This health decline ultimately has consequences in the form of higher healthcare costs, increased absenteeism, and reduced productivity in the workplace. The good news is that lifestyle intervention is a proven tool for improving health outcomes and job performance.

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Workplace wellness programs provide a multitude of benefits for both employee and employer. The decision to invest in employee wellness at your organization can help improve employee health, company morale, productivity, healthcare costs, and your bottom line. Many research studies highlight this return on investment for employee health and wellness initiatives. However, more detailed research shows that there is more to the story.

There are two main types of health and wellness programs: lifestyle management and disease management. Lifestyle management programs focus on promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors in those who are currently healthy or may be at increased risk of certain diseases. Disease management programs, on the other hand, help individuals who already have chronic diseases to manage them. Interestingly, specific disease management programs are only taken by about 13% of employees. However, these programs constitute 87% of healthcare cost savings (1). Employees involved in disease management programs generate savings of $136 per member per month, which is largely driven by about a 30% reduction in hospital admissions (1).

Although lifestyle management programs still provide benefit, employers should consider the particular importance of disease management in their health and wellness programs. Additionally, the cost of these programs should be taken into account in order to generate a healthy return on investment. For example, screening employees for health risks and offering one on one counseling for all those who are at risk is expensive. However, other interventions, such as e-learning courses, educational campaigns, and promoting a healthy work environment, are much more affordable solutions.

See the Adopting Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors: Diabetes e-Learning Series. This series includes three unique courses designed to address the individual needs of those with diabetes, prediabetes, or a desire to learn how to reduce their risk.
Click here to see the Managing Diabetes course outline.

Resources
1. Mattke S, Liu H, Caloyeras JP, Huang CY, Van Busum KR, Khodyakov D, Shier V, Exum E, Broderick M. Do Workplace Wellness Programs Save Employers Money? Santa Monica (CA): RAND Corporation; 2014. (Pub. No. RB-9744-DOL)

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Tackling the Growing Diabetes Epidemic in the Workplace

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https://e-work.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Diabetes-tool-image-for-blog.jpg” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Image” _builder_version=”4.16″ animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”left” animation_duration=”500ms” animation_intensity_slide=”10%” global_colors_info=”{}” align_phone=”center”][/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.24.2″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]More than 380 million people worldwide have diabetes. In 2011-2012, the estimated prevalence of diabetes in the United States was 12-14 percent, and the prevalence of prediabetes was 37-38 percent, which means that about half of the U.S. adult population now has diabetes or prediabetes (1).

Diabetes is a leading cause of heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, amputations, and many other complications including death. As a result, diabetes not only takes an invaluable emotional and physical toll, but an extensive financial toll as well. In 2012, diabetes was estimated to induce costs of $245 billion, including $176 billion in direct medical costs and $69 billion in reduced productivity (2).

Medical costs are 3.5 times higher for individuals with diabetes (3), and more than 1 in 5 health care dollars in the United States is spent on care for people with diagnosed diabetes (2). According to the American Diabetes Association’s workplace cost calculator, here is the scary truth of how diabetes affects a company with 1,000 employees:

 

 

Without lifestyle intervention, up to 70% of those with prediabetes will go on to develop type 2 diabetes (4). Even more concerning is that if current trends continue, both the prevalence and cost of diabetes is expected to keep increasing dramatically (5).

The good news is that lifestyle intervention significantly reduces the incidence of diabetes and improves the health outcomes of people who are already diabetic. The Diabetes Prevention Program found a 58% decreased incidence of diabetes with lifestyle intervention efforts (6). Additionally, lifestyle intervention provides health benefits for patients already diagnosed with diabetes, including improved BMI, HbA1c, and blood pressure (7).

The benefits of a healthier workforce are undeniable. Healthier employees ultimately translate to improved community, productivity, company morale, and reduced healthcare costs. Taking extra steps to tackle the devastating effects of diabetes can not only truly set your company apart, but also ultimately improve your bottom line. Take action today. See the Adopting Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors: Diabetes e-Learning Series. This series includes three unique courses designed to address the individual needs of those with diabetes, prediabetes, or a desire to learn how to reduce their risk.

Click here to see the Managing Diabetes course outline.

Resources
1. Menke A, Casagrande S, Geiss L, Cowie CC. Prevalence of and Trends in Diabetes Among Adults in the United States, 1988-2012. JAMA. 2015;314:1021-9.
2. American Diabetes Association. Economic costs of diabetes in the U.S. in 2012. Diabetes Care. 2013;36:1033-46.
3. Health Care Cost Institute. Per Capita Health Care Spending on Diabetes: 2009-2013.
4. Tabak AG, Herder C, Rathmann W, Brunner EJ, Kivimaki M. Prediabetes: a high-risk state for diabetes development. Lancet. 2012;379:2279-90.
5. Boyle JP, Thompson TJ, Gregg EW, Barker LE, Williamson DF. Projection of the year 2050 burden of diabetes in the US adult population: dynamic modeling of incidence, mortality, and prediabetes prevalence. Popul Health Metr. 2010;8:29.
6. Knowler WC, Barrett-Connor E, Fowler SE, Hamman RF, Lachin JM, Walker EA, et al. Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin. N Engl J Med. 2002;346:393-403.
7. Chen L, Pei JH, Kuang J, Chen HM, Chen Z, Li ZW, et al. Effect of lifestyle intervention in patients with type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis. Metabolism. 2015;64:338-47.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]