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HEALTH
SCREENINGS PROGRAMS
The findings
released last year of the governor’s Year 2000 Blue Ribbon
Commission on Health Care has confirmed our long held belief that
approximately one half of current health care claim costs are preventable
through lifestyle changes and/or early detection. Some experts have
suggested that figure to be more in the range of 70 percent.
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While logic and common sense also support this conclusion, employers have
generally failed to exploit this particular opportunity to save health care
dollars. Recent efforts at managing health care costs have centered primarily
on creating incentives for patients to use discounted provider networks
and, to a lesser extent, on denial of treatment as medically unnecessary.
While this has perhaps been an easier, more quantifiable approach it has
also been costly in terms of patient satisfaction. When the elements of
reduced absenteeism, improved productivity and employee relations are factored
in, potential gains from a more proactive prevention/wellness approach dwarf
those produced by provider networks and denial of treatment through “utilization
review”.
The experience of
Patient Advocates in this area has strengthened our conviction that a
program of prevention/wellness built upon a foundation of onsite medical
screening and patient advocacy will produce both short and long-term financial
and other gains for the employer. The goals of such a program include:
- Reduction in health
care costs that would otherwise have been incurred by plan participants
- Reduction in employee
absenteeism
- Increase in employee
productivity
- Increase in employee
morale
- Support the position
of the employer as a company that is genuinely concerned with the wellbeing
of its employees
We recommend that
our clients initiate an employee health screen as a necessary first step
in establishing a solid foundation for a program of prevention, wellness
and health risk management. The purposes of this program would be to optimize
the health and well being of the health plan participants, minimize the
company’s health care costs, and enhance employee relations.
Specific objectives
of the health screen are
- To identify individuals
who are at high risk for developing potentially life threatening or
debilitating diseases
- To assist high
risk individuals to effectively navigate the health care system by promoting
early intervention, offering appropriate referrals, providing health
education and facilitating access to resources
- To advocate for
those individuals who wish to pursue appropriate health care options
- To develop trusting
relationships with employees
- To promote health,
wellness and prevention through the established employee relationships
The screen itself will be focused on the top four disease categories:
circulatory (cardiac/stroke), respiratory (lung), cancer and diabetes.
In addition, it is likely that up to a dozen other health risk categories
will receive the attention of the nurses. Other areas of discussion and
teaching will likely be dietary changes, exercise programs, safety precautions,
smoking cessation, stress management and other health/wellness suggestions.
In addition to the
above actions, several follow-up services will be provided to the participants.
Typical examples are:
- Development of
a list of area primary care physicians to be sent to those in need of
a referral
- Specialist referrals
and coordination to those in need of those services
- Additional educational
material to be researched and sent to individuals upon request
- Follow-up notes
to individuals wherever appropriate
- Follow-up contact
with high risk individuals through telephone calls and notes
The actual screening
will involve the following:
- Signing of medical
release by the employee
- Taking of a brief
medical history, recording height and weight
- Taking a blood
pressure reading
Recommended testing
to include:
- Testing for total
cholesterol (with HDL) and blood glucose
Feedback of the results
will be available to the employee along with appropriate counseling.
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