The Effect of Chronic Disease on Productivity

HealthScreen Disease Management Offers Advice to Employers on the High Cost of Absenteeism, Reduced Productivity, Turnover and Morale Issues

Jacksonville, FL (PRWEB) June 7, 2009 -- With tough times in the economy these days, employers are asking their current workforce to do more with less. But one of the biggest drains on business is the struggle with employee absences due to chronic, uncontrolled disease states.

As healthcare costs continue to rise employers bear the brunt of these high costs and look for ways to improve the health of their employees. Most employers understand the value of endorsing health and prevention initiatives, but stand-alone wellness and education programs are just short-term fixes. More and more employers are realizing that in order to get a handle on these costs, they must address high-risk chronic cases first. It is true that approximately 20% of an employee population is accountable for 80% of overall healthcare costs.

According to the Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, absenteeism and presenteeism (employee is there, but not working at full capacity due to poor health, lack of sleep, inability to concentrate, etc.) can greatly increase the cost to a business. Studies find a direct link between health risk and productivity loss, and each additional risk factor is associated with a 2.4% decrease in productivity. High risk persons (those with as many as 5 risk factors) may have as much as 12.2% increased loss of productivity.

HealthScreen Disease Management (www.ehealthscreen.com) is an independent population health risk management company specializing in clinical/claims based cost risk analysis along with personalized nurse care. HealthScreen works with employers to identify significant risks to assist with appropriate programs and measures for the chronically ill and those in the "at-risk" category, while remaining HIPAA compliant and ensuring confidentiality of employees and their families.

"Disease management is the most important proactive and critical element of managing health risks of a working population," says J. Melvin Deese, Jr., M.D., Chairman of HealthScreen. "We identify, stratify and engage members eligible for enrollment using medical and pharmacy claims data, health risk appraisals and biometric screenings. Then we provide proactive nurse care management with incentive models to impact behavioral change that promotes healthier and better managed lifestyles, reducing absenteeism and lost productivity. Implementation of such programs can also decrease turnover and increase morale of the entire workforce as productivity improves."

In addition to disease management, HealthScreen provides wellness/prevention, education and health culture assistance for employer groups, as part of their employee benefit program offerings.

For more information on disease management, workplace wellness and a free wellness newsletter, log on to www.ehealthscreen.com .

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