Medical care savings from workplace wellness programs: what is a realistic savings potential?
نویسندگان
چکیده
BACKGROUND : Workplace wellness programs have become increasingly popular despite large inconsistencies in the analyses of their ability to produce long-term medical care savings. OBJECTIVE : To clarify the aforesaid situation by estimating potential long-term medical care savings linked to chronic disease. METHODS : We combined data from the Global Burden of Disease Study and Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys to estimate the annual savings that would result from lowering risk factors typically managed by workplace wellness programs to their theoretical minimums. RESULTS : Lowering risk factors to their theoretical minimums, if this were possible, would reduce average annual costs per working-age adult by 18.4%. CONCLUSION : These findings have important implications for workplace wellness programs because they provide a robust estimate of potential savings.
منابع مشابه
Workplace wellness programs can generate savings.
Amid soaring health spending, there is growing interest in workplace disease prevention and wellness programs to improve health and lower costs. In a critical meta-analysis of the literature on costs and savings associated with such programs, we found that medical costs fall by about $3.27 for every dollar spent on wellness programs and that absenteeism costs fall by about $2.73 for every dolla...
متن کاملWellness Programs Can Generate Savings
Amid soaring health spending, there is growing interest in workplace disease prevention and wellness programs to improve health and lower costs. In a critical meta-analysis of the literature on costs and savings associated with such programs, we found that medical costs fall by about $3.27 for every dollar spent on wellness programs and that absenteeism costs fall by about $2.73 for every dolla...
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متن کاملPlacing Workplace Wellness in Proper Context: Value Beyond Money
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INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study is to determine if the Washoe County School District Wellness Program impacted employee health care costs and rates of absenteeism over a 2-year period. METHODS Outcome variables included health care costs and absenteeism during 2001-2002. Data were collected on 6246 employees over a 6-year period from 1997-2002. Baseline health claims costs and absentee...
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عنوان ژورنال:
- Journal of occupational and environmental medicine
دوره 55 1 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2013