Gonna Be a Heartache Tonight
Employer email blasts copy
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death in the US and the world. Among these are coronary heart disease, stroke, arrhythmia, cardiomyopathy, and heart valve problems.
Direct medical costs associated with CVD in the United States are projected to increase from $273 billion in 2010 to $818 billion in 2030. Indirect costs associated with CVD secondary to lost productivity will increase from $172 billion to $276 billion over this same timeframe.
Fortunately, there has been an encouraging shift to identifying risk factors that can lead to earlier management of cardiovascular disease.
Since adults spend a considerable amount of time at work, the workplace may be the ideal environment to initiate preventive measures and provide opportunities to educate employees about improving their health.
As part of a workplace wellness program, health screenings to uncover these risk factors consist of biometric screening combined with a health risk assessment (HRA).
As defined by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, Biometric screening is “the measurement of physical characteristics such as height, weight, body mass index, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood glucose, and aerobic fitness tests that can be taken at the worksite and used as part of a workplace health assessment to benchmark and evaluate changes in employee health status over time.”
A healthier workforce is more productive, leading to greater retention and less absenteeism. Many companies are now offering financial incentives to employees to participate in wellness programs, typically either starting with lower premiums and charge more for employees not participating in health programs or begin with higher premiums and give discounts to those who take part in workplace health promotion activities.
If you’ve been considering a workplace wellness program give us a call – We’re happy to discuss any of your workplace health needs, call at xxx-xxx-xxxx or email at workdocs@occmed.com
PS – enjoy this “heartache” song – “HeartAche tonight” – the Eagles
Make sure your providers are conversant in treating worker’s comp injuries – see the Occmed for Providers course to get everyone up to speed
