Study examines impact of health on bottom line
Costs of absenteeism and presenteeism researched
The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) and the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) have launched a research study to assess the full costs of absenteeism and presenteeism on a company's productivity.
ACOEM and IBI, working with CorSolutions, Harvard Medical School, and the Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH), will focus their "Health and Productivity as a Business Strategy" study on identifying leading chronic conditions that drive employer health care costs.
The goal of the research is to develop a greater understanding of the total impact of health on the financial bottom line for employers and contribute to industry advancement and the betterment of human health.
The study is designed to survey more than 100,000 employees using a Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) to confidentially gather data. The HPQ is an on-line, validated productivity measurement survey tool developed by Ron Kessler, PhD, of Harvard Medical School, in conjunction with researchers from the World Health Organization.
Additionally, data analysis on health and pharmacy claims will be provided by CorSolutions and evaluated in conjunction with the HPQ to calculate health care expenditures and provide additional financial factors for calculating operations expenses.
ACOEM and IBI will work jointly on the study and production of a final publication.
The study seeks to involve partners in both the benefits and occupational health functions of five to 10 major corporations. The study will collect aggregate benefit program information from each corporation and will bring presenteeism into the "full-cost" framework so the impact of absence and ill health at work on productivity loss are understood compared to the employer's out-of-pocket expense.
The organizations participating in the study bring expertise in group health, workers' compensation, short-term disability, long-term disability, incidental absence, and family medical leave to help determine targeted cost/benefit analysis and plan modeling that may include disease management, employee assistance programs or wellness programs.
The study is scheduled to be complete by June.
Study outcomes featuring a validated third-party health and productivity snapshot report will be shared with participating employers to help quantify the effects of health problems on lost company productivity.
In addition, ACOEM and IBI plan to publish final results as well as share findings as part of public presentations.
The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) and the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) have launched a research study to assess the full costs of absenteeism and presenteeism on a company's productivity.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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