Wellness Today
Workplace wellness plan saves money over the long-term, new study shows
A University of Michigan study of workplace wellness programs is one of the only longitudinal studies of its kind, said co-author Louis Yen, associate research scientist in the School of Kinesiology’s Health Management Research Center.
Over the nine years, the utility company spent $7.3 million for the program and showed $12.1 million in savings associated with participation. Medical and pharmacy costs, time off and worker’s compensation factored into the savings, said Alyssa Schultz, research area specialist intermediate.
The findings are good news for companies looking to implement wellness programs, said Dee Edington, director of the U-M Health Management Research Center and principal investigator.
“One of the advantages of the study is it shows that a sustainable program will give you savings,” said Edington, also a professor in the School of Kinesiology and a research scientist in the U-M School of Public Health. “Previous studies looked at programs that are short and intense and cover the same people.”
The U-M study differed in three important ways. First, it shows that wellness programs work long-term, even though the employees who participated aged during the study. Second, the study took into account all bottom line costs for implementing the wellness plan. For instance, indirect costs such as recruitment and costs for changing menus. Most studies include just the direct costs to the company for paying for employees who participate. But even using the very conservative U-M figures showed a cost savings, Yen said.
A third difference is that it looked at lost work time as well as pharmacy and medical costs, Schultz said. The employees who participated in all years saw those costs had increased by$96; those who participated in some of the years rose $230; and costs for those who never participated jumped by $355. The program cost $100 per year per employee whether the employee participated or not. Therefore, a participation-related savings of $257 and $125 was calculated for the employees who participated in all years and those who participated in just some years.
Slowly, companies are realizing that while insurance plans must care for sick employees, those plans must also include wellness plans to keep healthy workers healthy, Edington said.
“It’s still a large company activity, but the growth (in wellness plans) is in the medium-sized companies,” Edington said.
So what should a company do when looking for a benefit plan for employees?
“You want a benefit plan that will take care of your sick people but also keep your healthy people healthy and working,” Edington said.
Provided by University of Michigan
Wellness Wednesdays offer medical forum for community
FOREST n The second Wednesday of each month, Lackey Memorial Hospital hosts “Wellness Wednesday,” a lunch-n-learn setting where medical specialists discuss ailments affecting the citizens of the community.
During last week’s luncheon, Dr. William Lawrence of Rankin Orthopedic Specialists in Brandon, who also sees patients in Forest as part of the hospital’s out patient program, spoke about arthritic pain relief, modern surgical options and treatment for arthritic knees and hips, during this months meeting.
Dr. Lawrence said arthritis is the number one cause of disability and affects approximately 40 million Americans or one in seven people, normally occurring in people after the age of 45 and affecting more women than men.
There are various treatment options available to assist patients who suffer from
arthritis, Dr. Lawrence said.
“It is up to the patient when to decide that they have had enough and want to pursue some sort of replacement surgery for their ailing joint,” Dr. Lawrence said. However, there are many drug therapies Dr. Lawrence said he recommends prior to operating.
“The overall goal is to approve the quality of life,” Dr. Lawrence said.
Since the program’s inception in October of 2007, the luncheon’s attendance has continued to grow and reached a all-time high during this month’s meeting held last week, with approximately 85 people in attendance.
“We began hosting these events on the second Wednesday of each month in the meeting room of Holiday Inn Express, but soon the room was full with no room to expand,” Charlotte Englund, an of the event coordinator’s for the hospital, said. “One of our attendees suggested we talk with Barbara Gatewood about moving our Wellness Wednesday event to her Gallery, and attendance has grown ever since.”
Englund said purpose of the event was first that Lackey Memorial is a corporate citizen of Scott County, and the hospital wanted to “give back” to the community in a meaningful way.
“It was decided there could be no better way to reinvest in the community than to contribute to the health and wellness of area citizens,” Englund said. “Thus, the idea was born to host physician and nurse practitioner speakers in a Lunch ‘n Learn setting to address topics that relate to the major diseases affecting families in Mississippi. We discuss early symptoms, measures of prevention, treatment, and if indicated, surgical options.”
Englund said the platform of the luncheons is also beneficial in that citizens are made aware of services and physician specialists available in Forest as they are recruited. In the Wellness Wednesday setting, the participants listen to the doctor’s presentation and then are able to ask personal questions about the topic.
“It is an extremely beneficial, informal exchange,” Englund said. “So many times attendees express surprise and delight that they no longer have to travel to Jackson or Meridian to see specialists in such areas as Cardiology, Urology, Orthopedics, ENT, Pain Management and other specialty doctors. Thanks to a very active physician recruitment program led by hospital administrator, Donna Riser, this community is blessed to have high quality primary and specialty care physicians far beyond the capabilities of many rural communities.”
Through Wellness Wednesday, community citizens also enjoy the advantage of meeting the doctor or nurse practitioner in advance of making an appointment, Englund said. As well, they are able to meet the hospital personnel they will be working with through the Out Patient Department or other areas… again, well before they might visit the doctor or Lackey Memorial as a patient. Thus, they can feel more comfortable knowing who to call and what services are available whenever the need arises.
“Separately, we can make health and wellness programs available to Business, Industry and Church groups through Coffee Chats or by providing a speaker at a covered dish supper event,” Englund said. “Again, it is our goal to give back to the community through one of the most important gifts, better health and wellness for a positive and productive future in Scott County.”
Wellness Wednesdays are held at 12 noon at The B. Gatewood Studio in downtown Forest. Adult citizens are invited to attend the free
Lunch ‘n Learn program.
“Wellness Wednesday is hosted on the second Wednesday of each month and is publicized with an advertisement in the The Scott County Times,” Englund said. “We ask that respondents RSVP as early as possible as seating and food arrangements must be made early in that we continue to grow. It’s all good news…we just want to be prepared so the persons who can most benefit from the topic are comfortable and gain from this experience. If a citizen sees a topic that is pertinent to himself, a neighbor or family member, we urge them to be one of the first to call as seating is confirmed on a first responder/first reserved basis.”