Download this: Expert advice on medical self-care and ROI

If you’re looking for information on building a self-care program, or just wondering if a self-care program is worth your time and budget,  here’s a free resource from WELCOA: a two-part expert interview with Dr. Don Powell, AIPM’s president and CEO.

Discussed:

  • How can a medical self-care program protect employee health?
  • Are there any legal risks?
  • What strategies can maximize participation in a self-care program?
  • What common mistakes should program designers avoid?
  • Does self-care generate ROI?
  • How should we select our self-care guides and communication materials?

Sound good? Download Medical Self-Care 101: How to Build Successful Self-Care Programs (part 1) and Medical Self-Care: Dollars and Sense (part 2).

Excerpt:

Q: Given the dramatic increase in health care costs and the emphasis in organizations on escalating costs, more and more people are beginning to pay attention to medical self-care initiatives. How important from your perspective is a medical self-care initiative for the business community?

DP: I think medical self-care should be a core component of any wellness program. There is a variety of data that supports this from a business perspective. For the coming year alone, health care costs are set to increase by eight to nine percent (to about $11,000 per employee). We also know that there’s a great deal of excessive use of the health care system. The latest statistics suggest that at least 30 percent of all doctor visits are unnecessary. According to the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, there were 956 million doctor visits in 2008. So, you’re talking about 287 million unnecessary doctor visits at an average cost of $206 per visit. You also need to take ER visits into account. According to the 2010 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, there were 124 million ER visits, and it’s estimated that about 55 percent of those are for non-emergent care, at an average cost of $788 per visit. So, when you consider these numbers, that’s a lot of money that could be saved for both employers and employees.

… Medical self-care is really a win-win-win scenario. When employees avoid unnecessary health care utilization they win because they save time and money on co-pays. The company wins because they’re saving money on health care and absenteeism costs. And lastly, health promotion practitioners and benefits professionals win because they receive a great deal of credit and thanks for implementing the medical self-care program.

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