Companies taking cardiac costs to heart

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Companies taking cardiac costs to heart. (employee health management)
The Business Journal-Milwaukee, March 2, 2001 v18 i24 p2.         added 07/08/01
Marci Pelzer

       Full Text COPYRIGHT 2001 Business Journal of Milwaukee, Inc.

Successful corporate wellness programs designed around health screenings,
employee feedback

With cardiovascular disease long established as the top killer nationwide and
in every Wisconsin county, and the cost of direct and indirect cardiac
treatments projected by the American Heart Association to top $299 billion in
2001, a growing number of employers are targeting employee heart health as an
important key to insurance savings.

Local experts say the most profitable company wellness programs are tied to
data from health screenings, insurance reports and employee feedback.

"We encourage employers to use data to drive programming," says Mandy Matsche,
membership services manager of the Wellness Council of Wisconsin.

Although heart costs are consistently among a company's top three health
expenses, a combination of variables including average employee age, physical
difficulty of work performed and local environmental factors determine a
company's top insurance expense.

Although the Wellness Council doesn't specifically query members about
insurance costs, its most recent membership survey found members' three most
common assessment and educational programs promote heart health. In 1999,
local companies' most frequent health screenings gauged blood pressure,
cholesterol and general health risks, while the most frequent educational
topics included fitness, nutrition, and stress management.

Keeping employee's hearts healthy and insurance claims at a minimum requires a
combination of research and programming. Local cardiologists, wellness experts
and insurers recommend the following:

* ASSESS

[Graphic omitted] Before making any decisions about employee wellness programs
at Ellsworth Corp., human resources manager Tim Jarecki runs the company's
insurance claim records against employee health screening data. Although
results of employee screenings are confidential, Ellsworth receives a group
report and builds programs accordingly.

"Community Memorial runs our screenings and suggests programs based on group
screening results," he says.

* ATTACK HEART RISKS IN A SERIES OF PROGRAMS

At Wisconsin Electric Power Co., a variety of programs are tied to heart
health, according to Cindy Schaefer, health initiative co-leader.

"We address weight management, stress management, cardiovascular fitness,
nutrition, blood pressure, and cholesterol, and we give periodic health
screenings and health risk assessments," Schaefer says. "There isn't just one
program that will have a cardiac component."

* KEEP ABREAST OF HEART HEALTH ADVANCES, ESPECIALLY EVOLVING DRUG THERAPIES

"With the new medications, there is a tremendous opportunity to slow, prevent
and reduce disease," says Richard Silberman, a cardiologist at Milwaukee
Diagnostic Services and consultant in private practice.

Silberman said heart costs are high because producers of generics can't keep
up with the industry's newest and most effective drug technologies. But even
the most expensive medications usually cost far less than an operation, and no
employer wants to lose months of productivity as a worker recovers from surgery.

* INCENTIVIZE HEALTHY BEHAVIOR

Think in terms of bonuses, days off and other rewards for heart smart
behavior, says Barbara Bartlein, president of Great Lakes Consulting Group.

"People do what they are incentivized to do," she says. Her suggestions
include year-end bonuses for smoking cessation, discounts on healthy food in
the company cafeteria or fitness club memberships, and rewards for pounds lost
in a weight-loss program.

* STRIVE FOR A HAPPY WORKPLACE

A company where employees feel honored and respected is good for the heart.
Silberman advocates building confidential mental health components into
employee wellness programs, when possible, and encouraging workers to take a
series of blood pressure checks to compare between leisure and at-work blood pressure.

"People who are happy and content tend to have fewer heart problems,"
Silberman says. "It's just common sense that happy workers are healthy workers."

* CHOOSE A POLICY THAT COVERS PREVENTION EFFORTS

Silberman said insurance policies that cover prevention efforts will
ultimately save employers the most. He recommends choosing insurance policies
that cover cholesterol screenings for patients who are healthy, but at risk,
or the children of affected patients.

* THINK IN TERMS OF "TREATMENT TEAMS"

The treatment team approach favored by the Mayo Clinic and other top hospitals
is spilling over into the insurance industry, AHC now offers "global" packages
for 100 procedures -- from podiatric care to transplants -- and the company
says employers and patients win with this approach.

"The patient will receive better care, because the physician chooses team
members," says Richard Blomquist, president of AHC. "The employer will
definitely realize significant savings."

* PLAN AHEAD

Expect cardiac issues to become more important as the population ages.

"Baby boomers are Just now turning 60," said Bartlein. "We're just seeing the
tip of the iceberg."

SOME RISK FACTORS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE THAT CAN BE CHANGED, TREATED

Cigarette and tobacco smoke

Smokers' risk of heart attack is more than twice that of nonsmokers. Cigarette
smoking is the biggest risk factor for sudden cardiac death: smokers have two
to four times the risk of nonsmokers. Smokers who have a heart attack are more
likely to die and die suddenly (within an hour) than are nonsmokers. Available
evidence also indicates that chronic exposure to environmental tobacco smoke
(second-hand smoke, passive smoking) may increase the risk of heart disease

High cholesterol

The risk of coronary heart disease rises as blood cholesterol levels increase.
When other risk factors (such as high blood pressure and cigarette smoke) are
present, this risk increases even more. A person's cholesterol level is also
affected by age, sex, heredity and diet.

High blood pressure

High blood pressure increases the heart's workload, causing the heart to
enlarge and weaken over time. It also increases the risk of stroke, heart
attack, kidney failure and congestive heart failure. When high blood pressure
exists with obesity, smoking, high blood cholesterol levels or diabetes, the
risk of heart attack or stroke increases several times.

Physical inactivity

Lack of physical activity is a risk factor for coronary heart disease.
Regular, moderate-to-vigorous exercise plays a significant role in preventing
heart and blood vessel disease. Even modest levels of low-intensity physical
activity are beneficial if done regularly and long term. Exercise can help
control blood cholesterol, diabetes and obesity as well as help to lower blood
pressure in some people.

Obesity and overweight

People who have excess body fat are more likely to develop heart disease and
stroke even if they have no other risk factors. Obesity is unhealthy because
excess weight increases the strain on the heart. It's directly linked with
coronary heart disease because it influences blood pressure, blood cholesterol
and triglyceride levels, and makes diabetes more likely to develop.

If you can lose as little as 10 to 20 pounds, you can help lower your heart disease risk.

Source: American Heart Association
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