What's the ROI?

This article in the Association for Worksite Health Promotion's (AWHP) Worksite Health magazine notes the increasing popularity of health and productivity management (HPM) programs. These programs, designed to save companies money by improving the health and productivity of employees, can take several forms: fitness programs, smoking cessation, disease screening, educational seminars, or a combination of approaches.

Companies that have, or are considering, HPM programs naturally want to know if the savings on health costs outweigh the cost of the program. Research on the subject has been scattered. The authors of this article fill the gap by analyzing existing literature reviews on return on investment (ROI) studies associated with corporate HPM initiatives. They examined key studies in three areas: health management, demand management, and disease management. The objectives were to identify well-conducted studies that exemplify best practices in analysis, document the range of estimates found in the studies, and comment on factors that may influence outcomes and ROI estimates.

The researchers analyzed 21 studies; 9 involved health management programs, 6 involved demand management programs, 3 involved disease management programs, and 3 involved multicategory programs. Health management programs promote prevention and wellness. Demand management programs encourage appropriate use of medical care. Disease management programs target specific conditions with established practice guidelines. Results are as follows: