Each year, chronic conditions cost the medical industry billions of dollars to treat. Besides the cost of treating chronic conditions, the indirect costs resulting from chronic disease are great, including lower productivity by workers, early retirement as a result of a progressing condition and the emotional toll of a disease that isn’t going away.
As an employer, you want to be aware of those employees who have chronic conditions in order to provide them with programs to improve their health outcomes and ultimately your costs.
“According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly half of all Americans are battling at least one chronic condition and seven out of 10 deaths in America are attributed to a chronic illness,” says Marty Hauser, president of SummaCare, Inc. “That means chances are high that a significant percentage of your work force is living with a chronic condition such as diabetes or arthritis.”
As a result, more employers are turning to disease management programs to help employees improve their quality of life, decrease the costs of health care, reduce the number of complications and improve productivity.
Smart Business spoke with Hauser about how employers can provide the tools to their employees to help them engage in more healthy lifestyles and remain productive members of the work force.
How can disease management programs improve the quality of life for employees?
Disease management programs are designed to help those living with chronic conditions, including arthritis, diabetes and heart disease, to better manage their illnesses. Historically, there has been little coordination among health care providers when dealing with a single patient, with each provider focusing on a specialized area of that person’s care. Disease management, however, takes a multidisciplinary approach, working with the patient to engage in self-care, education and management to create the best possible outcome. This approach can also help reduce costs, as it eliminates duplication of tests and procedures across providers who aren’t communicating with one another.
Because most of a patient’s life is lived outside the health care system, those participating in a disease management program are given the information and tools to better understand recommended treatments and the importance of lifestyle modifications, such as better diet and increased exercise. They become responsible for managing their condition on a daily basis and are best suited to monitor changes in their condition. Having access to the proper tools can empower them to improve their quality of life.
Disease management programs can also help patients gain access to better care, which can potentially reduce costs and the number of avoidable complications such as visits to the emergency room and hospitalizations.
