Corporate Health Care
Corporate Health Care and calculating its return on investment can sometimes be the obstacle to corporate change.
There are few, if any, guarantees in employee health that companies can rely upon for successful outcomes.
Nonetheless, companies that adopt consumer-driven health plans, health savings accounts, wellness programs,
managed care programs, and other related support programs should first establish their internal measurements for
success. Having the tools to measure the success of corporate health care programs should be a key consideration with
planning for success.
Managers, especially, have the added motivation to have productive employees. Many employers and managers are
blind to one of the major hidden drains of productivity which is the aches and pains (physical and emotion) that people
bring with them to work. Even more surprising, the cost of productivity as it relates to corporate health care may eclipse
the already enormous sums of money that companies spend on employee health care.
Although many employers welcome flu shots as a practice to help employees return to work as quickly as possible,
illnesses such as hay fever and depression oftentimes go unnoticed. Human Resources are now referring to this hidden
corporate health care cost presenteeism, which some estimate to be 5 to 10 times more expensive than other realized
corporate health care expenditures.
Chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, low back pain, and diabetes can contribute to decreases in employee productivity
and morale. Depression on an aggregate employee level can cost companies millions of dollars in lost productivity. The
Harvard Business Review (www.harvardbusiness.org) has published countless studies on presenteeism and its
negative effects upon corporate health care.
"[Our staff] have had incredible results measured by decreases in total
cholesterol and LDL levels, decreases in...high blood pressure, reversal of
Type 2 Diabetes and significant weight loss. People are reporting
reduction of prescription drug usage in statins, high blood pressure
meds and anti-depressants. Participants have also expressed improved
energy levels, higher quality of sleep, improved gastrointestinal activity,
expanded activity levels, better moods...and improved relationships with
their significant others..."
-Sheila L. Bowen, RN, BSN, MA, Certified Wellness Program Manager, Employee Wellness
Coordinator, Missouri State University