Dispatches from the Field – November 21, 2007

Interest in Wellness Programs Grows: Survey

More employers are providing financial incentives designed to drive employee participation in wellness efforts, a survey shows.

http://www.businessinsurance.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=11554

Employers Shift Focus to Prevent Obesity

The seven most common chronic diseases — six of which can be caused or worsened by obesity — are costing employers $1.1 trillion in lost productivity, a recent study says.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2003997221_webobesity06.html

Program Quantifies Costs of Chronic Conditions

It’s no secret that chronic medical problems, such as high blood pressure and low back pain, can mean time off the job. What’s hard to quantify, is how much that absenteeism can cost a company. Until now.

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2007/11/05/story2.html?b=1194238800^1544416

Consultant: Prepare for PHRs

Patients will demand personal health records, so health care organizations should be preparing technology and privacy models now, a consultant specializing in emerging technologies says.

http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/personal_health_records_PHRs_privacy_security25179-1.html

Drugstore Clinics Spread, and Scrutiny Grows

“We’ve got big problems in health care, and this is not the answer,” said Dr. Rick Kellerman, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. “They are a response, they are a niche market and an economic opportunity, but we still have an underlying primary care crisis in this country.”

Patients, however, have flocked to the clinics, according to a new industry group, the Convenient Care Association.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/23/nyregion/23clinic.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5070&en=0b7cd9bcc251d519&ex=1188792000

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