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Risky lifestyle can hurt bottom line, experts say
By Cheryl Powell
Beacon Journal medical writer
Published on Thursday, Dec 04, 2008
When workers make poor, unhealthy lifestyle choices, they cost their employers money.
That's the message shared Wednesday morning during a forum on medical costs held at the University of Akron's Martin Center.
The costs aren't just tied to rising medical bills, said keynote speaker David Chenoweth, a national consultant from Chenoweth and Associates Inc. in North Carolina and a professor at East Carolina University.
Employees with health risks miss more work and are less productive when they are on the job, a situation known as ''presenteeism,'' Chenoweth said.
He shared a case study from Southern California Edison, which found employees who had at least three of five key risk factors — obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and diabetes — missed an average of 2.4 more days a year than healthier peers.
Companies need to develop more programs that provide incentives for workers to embrace ''a culture of wellness,'' he said.
''As risk increases, work impairment increases,'' he said.
The forum was the fourth in a series organized by the Northeast Ohio Health Care Summit, a group of medical leaders trying to promote ways to improve health-care delivery in the region.
Wednesday's event was a collaborative effort among the Summit County Health District, the University of Akron, Evans Agency, the Health Policy Institute, the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy, Rehabilitation & Health Center, Akron General Medical Center, the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce and
Summit County MRDD.
Chenoweth acknowledged that the economic downturn makes it difficult for some companies to offer wellness incentives and programs.
But in some cases, he said, wellness initiatives can be as simple as encouraging workers to take five or 10 minutes per shift to stretch to cut down on musculoskeletal problems.
During a panel discussion, Bernadette M. Rohr, manager of human resources for the Smithers Group Inc. of Akron, talked about how her company is promoting wellness initiatives among its 400 employees.
About 180 employees participate in a program that uses a Web-based reporting system to track their wellness initiatives, such as walking or running, Rohr said. Participants can earn $25 gift cards each quarter and be in a drawing for a cash prize at the end of the year.
The company also offers workers a discount off their share of health insurance premiums to those who don't smoke and who get an annual preventive exam, she said.
With these and other efforts, she said, the company has been able to avoid increases in its health-insurance premiums for four of the past six years.
''I truly believe this effort is needed now more than ever,'' she said.
During his hourlong presentation, Chenoweth encouraged employers to ask their brokers and insurance companies to provide data to show where the greatest costs are within their medical bills so programs can be developed to address those risks.
And when companies are developing wellness programs, he said, they shouldn't focus just on workers.
''A lot of the dollars we spend are on dependents,'' he said. ''We're missing an opportunity there. . . . This is a family affair. We should have something for everyone — for the youngsters, the spouse and, of course, the employee.''
Cheryl Powell can be reached at 330-996-3902 or chpowell@thebeaconjournal.com.
When workers make poor, unhealthy lifestyle choices, they cost their employers money.
That's the message shared Wednesday morning during a forum on medical costs held at the University of Akron's Martin Center.
The costs aren't just tied to rising medical bills, said keynote speaker David Chenoweth, a national consultant from Chenoweth and Associates Inc. in North Carolina and a professor at East Carolina University.
Employees with health risks miss more work and are less productive when they are on the job, a situation known as ''presenteeism,'' Chenoweth said.
He shared a case study from Southern California Edison, which found employees who had at least three of five key risk factors — obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and diabetes — missed an average of 2.4 more days a year than healthier peers.
Companies need to develop more programs that provide incentives for workers to embrace ''a culture of wellness,'' he said.
''As risk increases, work impairment increases,'' he said.
The forum was the fourth in a series organized by the Northeast Ohio Health Care Summit, a group of medical leaders trying to promote ways to improve health-care delivery in the region.
Wednesday's event was a collaborative effort among the Summit County Health District, the University of Akron, Evans Agency, the Health Policy Institute, the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy, Rehabilitation & Health Center, Akron General Medical Center, the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce and
Summit County MRDD.
Chenoweth acknowledged that the economic downturn makes it difficult for some companies to offer wellness incentives and programs.
But in some cases, he said, wellness initiatives can be as simple as encouraging workers to take five or 10 minutes per shift to stretch to cut down on musculoskeletal problems.
During a panel discussion, Bernadette M. Rohr, manager of human resources for the Smithers Group Inc. of Akron, talked about how her company is promoting wellness initiatives among its 400 employees.
About 180 employees participate in a program that uses a Web-based reporting system to track their wellness initiatives, such as walking or running, Rohr said. Participants can earn $25 gift cards each quarter and be in a drawing for a cash prize at the end of the year.
The company also offers workers a discount off their share of health insurance premiums to those who don't smoke and who get an annual preventive exam, she said.
With these and other efforts, she said, the company has been able to avoid increases in its health-insurance premiums for four of the past six years.
''I truly believe this effort is needed now more than ever,'' she said.
During his hourlong presentation, Chenoweth encouraged employers to ask their brokers and insurance companies to provide data to show where the greatest costs are within their medical bills so programs can be developed to address those risks.
And when companies are developing wellness programs, he said, they shouldn't focus just on workers.
''A lot of the dollars we spend are on dependents,'' he said. ''We're missing an opportunity there. . . . This is a family affair. We should have something for everyone — for the youngsters, the spouse and, of course, the employee.''
Cheryl Powell can be reached at 330-996-3902 or chpowell@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
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Posted 06:09 AM, 12/04/2008
What the HELL is next?