Highmark study: Employee wellness programs cut healthcare costs

Employers who consistently offer a wellness program to employees can slow the rate of healthcare cost growth by 15 percent, according to a new study by Highmark.

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he four-year study, published in the March/April edition of the American Journal of Health Promotion, found that in a select Highmark employer group, wellness programs showed a savings of $332 per participant.

[See how one Virginia health system saved $3.4 million on a wellness program.]

"This study is significant because it shows that implementing a worksite wellness program at a company can help control overall healthcare costs," said Donald Fischer, MD, Highmark's chief medical officer. "Having hard data from this study proves what we've been telling our group customers all along – keeping employees healthy is not just good for the business, it's also good for the bottom line."

The study evaluated the impact of worksite wellness programs on healthcare costs and use over time by matching approximately 10,000 wellness program participants at 47 Highmark employer groups with a risk-matched comparison group.

At a minimum, the employer groups offered Web-based wellness programs from Highmark to their employees consistently for three or more years – which also indicates that even small interventions, like online programs, can help have an impact on healthcare costs for those who participate, the study found.

The study also found that wellness program participants developed a greater tendency to pursue preventive services such as physicals, mammograms and cancer screenings than their comparison group counterparts, possibly as a result of self-care knowledge obtained from worksite wellness programs.

"The cost of healthcare is arguably the most talked about subject in America right now. While the recent healthcare reform legislation took a step to create access for Americans, it does not address cost," said Fischer. "It's incumbent on everyone in the healthcare system – the insurers, employers and members – to address costs. This study is a shining example of what can be done if we all work together."

Highmark, based in Pittsburgh, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans. Highmark serves 4.7 million members in Pennsylvania and West Virginia through the company's healthcare benefits business and is one of the largest Blue plans in the nation.

[Read about HHS' $31 million in grants for wellness programs.]