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Helping people with diagnosed chronic disease to lead healthier
lives. Meet “Jane.” By
day, she is a no-nonsense purchasing agent for large manufacturing company. By night,
she is a devoted wife and grandmother. Her schedule is stressful and demanding. Her
company recently downsized her department, leaving her with more to do and fewer people
to get it done. Her husband is on long-term disability recovering from an auto accident,
and she needs to be home by 4:30 every day to care for him. Too often, her evenings
are spent hunched over her laptop at the dining room table catching up on unfinished
work.
At 57, her health is not what it used to be. Almost two years ago, she was diagnosed
with Type II diabetes and high blood pressure. She’s often tried but has not
been able to get her diabetes under control. Jane’s fear of needles prevents
her from monitoring her blood sugar levels. Although she is an educated person
with a college degree, she doesn't understand the importance of her numbers
or the proper nutrition required to manage her condition. Jane also has another
high-risk behavior: she smokes. Having started in high school, she’s cut
down to just under a pack a day but has not been able to quit because her work
and family life are so stressful. |
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Jane's employer offers an array of health incentives including
an on-site health club and monthly “lunch and learn” health seminars, but
Jane has not participated in any programs. She doesn’t like doctors and her health
is something she just doesn’t think about unless something is wrong. Her sister
had the same attitude until she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Jane is at the stage of the healthcare
continuum that we at Cardium Health refer to
as Managing Health. Individuals at this stage have been clinically diagnosed with a chronic
illness or catastrophic condition. Some of the most common conditions at this stage of
the continuum among working-age people include back pain, cancer,
depression, diabetes, heart
disease
and respiratory
disease.
At this stage of the continuum, 70% of an employer’s healthcare dollars go to
just 10% of the plan population. Beyond the condition itself, behavioral and clinical
risk factors complicate an individual’s ability to manage his or her health. Lifestyle
behaviors such as substance abuse (alcohol, tobacco, etc.), poor nutritional habits,
physical inactivity, high levels of stress, and non-compliance with their physicians’ plans
of treatment are common. In addition, complicating clinical risk factors include weight
problems and a high incidence of multiple comorbid conditions (above 40%).
Program options for employers to encourage plan members to start Managing Health include
telephonic lifestyle behavior coaching, case management, health action programs, health
decision support activities, 24-hour nurse advice, preventive care reminders and on-site
health activities. Employers who offer such programs realize demonstrated dollar-for-dollar
savings by reducing the number of chronic disease related complications and hospitalizations.
Beyond this, the incalculable benefits of reduced absenteeism and improved productivity
translate into higher margins and happier, healthier workplace environments.
Cardium Health Disease Management Programs for Managing Health include:
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