Recorded presentation

Troy Adams, PhD, Exercise and Wellness, Arizona State University, 6113 S Kent St, Mesa, AZ 85212, 480 727 1958, troy.adams@asu.edu

Since the inception of Worksite Health Promotion, professionals have been asked to justify or prove the effectiveness of what we do. For years, a medical cost reduction rationale was attempted. Although good evidence suggests that well-designed Health Promotion programs do reduce medical costs, there are problems with this approach. First, demonstrating cost-effectiveness is a multiple step process that takes substantial time. Second, improving health status does not necessarily reduce utilization of the medical system. Third, combining good health risk data with medical cost and utilization data is becoming more and more difficult. Finally, improving health status to the point were demonstrable impact on health care costs can occur also takes time.

While still not simple, justifying health promotion from a productivity perspective makes more sense for several reasons. Fundamentally, improving productivity assumes that the employee is a production asset and that to be optimally productive the employee must have optimal mental and physical health. Additionally, using a productivity rationale more readily aligns health promotion with the typical business mission of profitability.

Recent studies have effectively characterized the prevalence and economic impact of worker health and productivity and cost outcomes. The purpose of this presentation is to explain medical cost and productivity rationale and to illustrate why a productivity approach makes sense using recent studies.

Learning Objectives: After the session, attendees will be able to

• Illustrate the rationale for using medical cost and productivity as a justification for Health Promotion.
• Cite one key finding from a recent study that examines health risk factors and productivity differences.
• Cite one key finding from a study that examines the relationship between individual health risk factors and individual productivity measures.

Keywords: Health Care Utilization, Cost-Effectiveness

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation