One of the buzzwords in the employee benefits world today is “wellness,” which is a very broad concept that attempts to achieve the goal of creating a healthier workforce (and dependence), thereby potentially reducing health insurance and workers’ compensation costs, while simultaneously adding a “benefit” that employees value and appreciate.

There are many possible ways of approaching that goal, and we can work you through the alternatives. Many employers below 250 or even 500 employees will see little impact on their health insurance premiums even if the employee populations overall health is improved, based on the way many fully-insured plans are priced and renewal rates are determined, but the financial rewards of a healthier workforce can still be dramatic, just based on reduced sick-time, less lost time due to smoking breaks, and fewer workers’ compensation claims. (For example, one well-known, national study showed that the workers’ compensation losses among employees consider obese are dramatically higher than for other employees.)

Matria Disease Management™

Did you know?

• 15 percent of employees drive 85 percent of healthcare costs.
• Chronic conditions account for 78 percent of spending on healthcare services.
• More than 45 percent of Americans have been diagnosed with a chronic disease.
• Healthcare spending is currently at more than $2 trillion, and is expected to rise to $2.8 trillion by 2011.

Key Cost Drivers
Most healthcare costs are driven by unnecessary hospitalizations, emergency room visits and prescriptions due to poor medication compliance, deviation from treatment plans, and lack of patient self-management skills. With 65 percent of the US population either overweight or obese, more Americans are developing chronic conditions than ever before. Obesity is the leading cause of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease
Control (CDC).

Other causes of chronic conditions are poor but preventable lifestyle behaviors, such as poor diet, lack of exercise, and smoking, as well as lack of adequate medical care due to high costs and preventive programs for at-risk individuals.

How Can Matria Help?
Rather than managing the costs for healthcare, disease management programs manage the care of the patient to ensure better outcomes. Emphasis is placed on prevention, early detection, patient education, and self-care to reduce the need for physician office visits and expensive hospital care. Program results clearly show enrollees in disease management programs have fewer overall healthcare costs.
Matria’s Disease Management Program is known for the breadth and depth of its clinical expertise and for its unmatched experience in case management, utilization management, nurse line, and cancer disease management.
In addition to managing the most prevalent chronic conditions affecting the US population, Matria offers the industry’s leading disease management program for cancer – currently managing over 40 types of cancer.

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