Prevention! Prevention! Prevention!!
In a new report issued by Healthways Center for Health Research, researchers estimate that over the course of 10 years, an average of 4.95 billion dollars can be saved through chronic disease prevention such as those provided by worksite wellness programs.
The researchers used a method of forecasting called standard actuarial modeling, wherein they evaluated the progression of health care costs based on projected increases in demand. They concluded that preventing chronic disease progression after age 25 in only 10% of people born in 2008 would provide a savings of $180 for each individual for each year through age 64. And, they further estimated that if this strategy could be expanded to reach 25% of this population, savings would reach $470 per individual annually, representing a savings of approximately $945 billion over ten years.
It’s all over the news that healthcare spending is out of control and that prevention is a key factor in changing the landscape! The authors of this recent study report that decreasing the cost of care will ultimately come down to a substantial decrease in the demand for care, through reduction of chronic disease. Health care for people with chronic diseases currently accounts for 75% of the nation’s total health care costs, and this number is expected to increase. Logically, one of the best bets we have for decreasing our health care costs lies in preventative care, and management of chronic disease; exactly what we practice at Wellness Workdays!
There is a lot of evidence that worksite wellness strategies are paying off.
Employers who have implemented wellness programs for employees have experienced short-term medical cost savings three times more than how much they invested in the programs. (Baicker K, Cutler D, Song Z. Workplace wellness programs can generate savings. Health Aff (Millwood). 2010;29(2):304-311.) While it always seems to come down to money, it can’t be denied that healthier individuals lead more fulfilling lives, not only do they live longer, but the years are spent out of the hospital, enjoying the things that make life worth living. Do your company and your employees a favor; invest in worksite wellness programs and watch your spending go down and your employees’ happiness go up!
To read the complete story and review the findings click here
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
The State of Health of Our Healthcare Advisors!
We look to our healthcare professionals to give us advice, but do they follow their own health messages? And perhaps an even better question is, would you listen to your doctor’s advice, or any other health care professional, if clearly s/he was not following it personally?
I recently read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal focusing on what patients could learn from the way physicians take care of themselves. The article summarized that physicians, as a group, are leaner, fitter and live longer than the average American! What can we learn?
Another thing to keep in mind is that many studies show that doctors who exercise and watch their weight are more likely to counsel patients to do so.
The Physicians' Health Study (PHS), which has followed the health practices of about 25,000 male doctors since 1982, found that male physicians had better cholesterol levels than average: 76% were below 200 mg/d, and only 5% were over 240, compared with 20% of U.S. men aged 60. Only 14% of those male doctors had hypertension, compared with 65% of U.S. adults aged 60.
Perhaps this is because physicians tend to eat more healthfully. Forty three percent of male doctors in the PHS ate fish two to four times a week, and 11% ate it five times a week, which was associated with a 37% lower risk of dying of colorectal cancer. In a more recent survey, doctors in Canada ate 4.8 fruits and vegetables (far more than average Canadians) and drank caffeinated beverages just one to two times a day. And results from the Women Physician's Health Study (WPHS) which surveyed the health practices of 4,500 women doctors in the 1990s indicated that 8% of female doctors were vegetarian compared to 2% to 3% of the U.S. population.
These doctors are not just eating well, they are exercising. More than half of 2,115 Harvard Medical School physicians polled said they exercise for 30-60 minutes at least three times a week. And results of the PHS showed that those who exercised daily were only half as likely to develop Type 2 diabetes as those who didn't exercise.
Eating well and exercise are important to overall health, and so too are health screenings and preventative care, which physicians are more likely to do. When it came to breast health 86% of female ob/gyns aged 48 and over have had a mammogram in the past two years, compared with 70% of women in the U.S. population. Nearly 50% of female physicians in the WPHS said they always or nearly always used sunscreen outdoors (although 22% said they rarely or never did).
Where some doctors could use a hand is with their mental health, because as a profession, they are one of the busiest. When surveyed by the American College of Surgeons in 2008, only 36% of surgeons felt their work schedule left enough time for personal and family life, and only 51% would recommend that their children pursue a similar career. We often think of how our practitioners can enhance our own health, but little reflection is given to the mental health of our doctors. In a survey of 763 practicing physicians in California, 53% reported moderate to severe stress; only 38% described their daily stress as light. Thirteen percent said they used sedatives or tranquilizers, one-third reported little or no exercise and poor sleep and one-fifth worked more than 60 hours per week (compared with 34.5 hours for the average American.)
This article is very interesting and provides a lot of information about what we can learn from our doctors. Here is a link to the full article: Wall Street Journal Article
I recently read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal focusing on what patients could learn from the way physicians take care of themselves. The article summarized that physicians, as a group, are leaner, fitter and live longer than the average American! What can we learn?
Another thing to keep in mind is that many studies show that doctors who exercise and watch their weight are more likely to counsel patients to do so.
The Physicians' Health Study (PHS), which has followed the health practices of about 25,000 male doctors since 1982, found that male physicians had better cholesterol levels than average: 76% were below 200 mg/d, and only 5% were over 240, compared with 20% of U.S. men aged 60. Only 14% of those male doctors had hypertension, compared with 65% of U.S. adults aged 60.
Perhaps this is because physicians tend to eat more healthfully. Forty three percent of male doctors in the PHS ate fish two to four times a week, and 11% ate it five times a week, which was associated with a 37% lower risk of dying of colorectal cancer. In a more recent survey, doctors in Canada ate 4.8 fruits and vegetables (far more than average Canadians) and drank caffeinated beverages just one to two times a day. And results from the Women Physician's Health Study (WPHS) which surveyed the health practices of 4,500 women doctors in the 1990s indicated that 8% of female doctors were vegetarian compared to 2% to 3% of the U.S. population.
These doctors are not just eating well, they are exercising. More than half of 2,115 Harvard Medical School physicians polled said they exercise for 30-60 minutes at least three times a week. And results of the PHS showed that those who exercised daily were only half as likely to develop Type 2 diabetes as those who didn't exercise.
Eating well and exercise are important to overall health, and so too are health screenings and preventative care, which physicians are more likely to do. When it came to breast health 86% of female ob/gyns aged 48 and over have had a mammogram in the past two years, compared with 70% of women in the U.S. population. Nearly 50% of female physicians in the WPHS said they always or nearly always used sunscreen outdoors (although 22% said they rarely or never did).
Where some doctors could use a hand is with their mental health, because as a profession, they are one of the busiest. When surveyed by the American College of Surgeons in 2008, only 36% of surgeons felt their work schedule left enough time for personal and family life, and only 51% would recommend that their children pursue a similar career. We often think of how our practitioners can enhance our own health, but little reflection is given to the mental health of our doctors. In a survey of 763 practicing physicians in California, 53% reported moderate to severe stress; only 38% described their daily stress as light. Thirteen percent said they used sedatives or tranquilizers, one-third reported little or no exercise and poor sleep and one-fifth worked more than 60 hours per week (compared with 34.5 hours for the average American.)
This article is very interesting and provides a lot of information about what we can learn from our doctors. Here is a link to the full article: Wall Street Journal Article
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Take Meds as Directed: The health and financial consequences are drastic
http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/05/10/millions_of_patients_skip_drug_doses_or_never_get_prescriptions/
I read a very interesting article several weeks ago about prescription drug misuse A large population of patients are misusing drugs by skipping doses; anywhere from a day here and there, to not filling prescriptions at all. While this problem seems to receive little attention, it is very widespread and the health and financial consequences are drastic.
According to this article there are several reasons individuals are not taking his or her prescriptions:
1. There are just too many medications to keep track of for some patients
2. Unwanted side effects
3. The effects of the drug are not immediate so the patient does not see the need for taking it
Price may also be an issue for many patients. Even if most of a patient’s prescriptions are generic, the cost of so many pills can add up very quickly. When reading this article, this paragraph gave me pause as this is something we speak to our corporate clients about.
“Last month, in the New England Journal of Medicine, a Harvard health economist and the New England Healthcare Institute’s president sketched in stark detail the consequences of patients failing to take their drugs. The behavior spawns hospital stays costing $100 billion a year — stays that could have been averted. And 89,000 deaths from high blood pressure could be prevented annually if hypertension drug regimens were followed.”
This staggeringly high amount of money almost pales in comparison to the amount of money that could be saved by employers and workers if individuals took his or her medication exactly as directed and refilled on time.
According to The Express Scripts 2009 Drug Trend Report, which quantifies and reports changes in drug spending on a year-to-year basis and details the costly effects of irrational behaviors on pharmacy-related costs projects that making simple changes like getting people to take their medicines, exactly as directed, or to refill their prescriptions on time could save employers and their workers as much as $163 billion a year in healthcare costs, i.e. $1 out of every $5 spent on prescription drugs is wasted.
Consider these numbers:
• $106 billion from medical costs is related to non-adherence to therapy (patients failing to take prescribed drugs thus potentially worsening their condition)
• $51 billion in missed opportunities related to lower-cost medication alternatives, both brand and generic.
• $6 billion in missed opportunities related to lower-cost options for delivery of medications.
There are things that you can do as an individual for you and your family:
1. Become educated about your medications and the medications your family members are taking. If you are an employer, be sure that your employees know the importance of filling prescriptions and taking medications exactly as directed.
3. Focus on prevention; change your lifestyle and increase your healthful eating habits so you are less reliant on medications in general.
There are things that you can do as an employer: A major component of our wellness plan focuses on "consumerism" or self-care...
1. Educate your employees to reduce the number of calls to the Emergency Room, reduce the incidence of preventable diseases, reduce the number of employee sick days, and increase the number of routine exams and preventive screenings.
2. Develop or include a behavior modification component in your existing wellness program to assist your employees to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyle changes.
3. Focus on lifestyle change, education, prevention and working towards getting people well so they no longer need their medicine. And for those that do need medicine, create awareness programs to help them manage their chronic issue, whether it is heart disease, diabetes or allergies!
I read a very interesting article several weeks ago about prescription drug misuse A large population of patients are misusing drugs by skipping doses; anywhere from a day here and there, to not filling prescriptions at all. While this problem seems to receive little attention, it is very widespread and the health and financial consequences are drastic.
According to this article there are several reasons individuals are not taking his or her prescriptions:
1. There are just too many medications to keep track of for some patients
2. Unwanted side effects
3. The effects of the drug are not immediate so the patient does not see the need for taking it
Price may also be an issue for many patients. Even if most of a patient’s prescriptions are generic, the cost of so many pills can add up very quickly. When reading this article, this paragraph gave me pause as this is something we speak to our corporate clients about.
“Last month, in the New England Journal of Medicine, a Harvard health economist and the New England Healthcare Institute’s president sketched in stark detail the consequences of patients failing to take their drugs. The behavior spawns hospital stays costing $100 billion a year — stays that could have been averted. And 89,000 deaths from high blood pressure could be prevented annually if hypertension drug regimens were followed.”
This staggeringly high amount of money almost pales in comparison to the amount of money that could be saved by employers and workers if individuals took his or her medication exactly as directed and refilled on time.
According to The Express Scripts 2009 Drug Trend Report, which quantifies and reports changes in drug spending on a year-to-year basis and details the costly effects of irrational behaviors on pharmacy-related costs projects that making simple changes like getting people to take their medicines, exactly as directed, or to refill their prescriptions on time could save employers and their workers as much as $163 billion a year in healthcare costs, i.e. $1 out of every $5 spent on prescription drugs is wasted.
Consider these numbers:
• $106 billion from medical costs is related to non-adherence to therapy (patients failing to take prescribed drugs thus potentially worsening their condition)
• $51 billion in missed opportunities related to lower-cost medication alternatives, both brand and generic.
• $6 billion in missed opportunities related to lower-cost options for delivery of medications.
There are things that you can do as an individual for you and your family:
1. Become educated about your medications and the medications your family members are taking. If you are an employer, be sure that your employees know the importance of filling prescriptions and taking medications exactly as directed.
3. Focus on prevention; change your lifestyle and increase your healthful eating habits so you are less reliant on medications in general.
There are things that you can do as an employer: A major component of our wellness plan focuses on "consumerism" or self-care...
1. Educate your employees to reduce the number of calls to the Emergency Room, reduce the incidence of preventable diseases, reduce the number of employee sick days, and increase the number of routine exams and preventive screenings.
2. Develop or include a behavior modification component in your existing wellness program to assist your employees to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyle changes.
3. Focus on lifestyle change, education, prevention and working towards getting people well so they no longer need their medicine. And for those that do need medicine, create awareness programs to help them manage their chronic issue, whether it is heart disease, diabetes or allergies!
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