WEST COAST HOSPITAL AND LARGE AREA EMPLOYER ACHIEVE GRAND SLAM
MARKET OVERVIEW
A large acute care, full-service facility on the west coast houses the region’s designated trauma center in one of the most populated counties in the country. Located just south of Los Angeles, this 300 bed hospital offers top-quality healthcare services including trauma, heart, breast and maternity centers. It also offers the highest level of care in orthopedics, rehabilitation, cancer, stroke, spine, vascular and wellness services. Since 1997, this not-for-profit hospital has engaged Aegis to deliver an employer-focused business development initiative designed to provide access to insured consumers and to promote service lines and the practices of the hospital’s referring physicians.
EXECUTION
Allergan is a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Irvine, California with 1,800 employees. Allergan recognized the need to increase participation in their Workforce Health Initiative as a means to address rising healthcare costs and turned to this large, full-service hospital for help. The Workforce Health Profile showed that many of Allergan’s health risks were associated with weight and nutrition. To address these risks, Aegis’ Employer Relations Specialist, Susan Fox, developed the “My Health Challenge”— a six month initiative which motivates employees to address their health risks through modifications in their exercise and nutrition habits. The program includes baseline screenings, a series of health education programs addressing fitness and nutrition, and a “weigh-out” to monitor the participants’ progress and provide a springboard for long term healthy lifestyle changes. A total of 229 employees participated in the initial base-line screenings, 187 employees participated in the educational programs, and 93 employees participated in the “impact” or final screenings.
RESULTS
HRInsight, Aegis’ proprietary Internet application, was used to measure the results of the challenge. This tool analyzes collected health information and financially quantifies annual health-related claims expenses for employers by medical category, as a result of the health risks present in their workforce. As a result of the challenge, 42 employees lost a total of 207 pounds with an estimated annual health care cost savings of $24,193; 21 employees improved their cholesterol by more than 20 points with an estimated annual health care cost savings of $1,871; and 29 employees improved their blood pressure by one classification or more with an estimated annual health care cost savings of $3,544. In addition, there was a savings in lost workdays of $52,225. All of these categories combined resulted in a total savings in healthcare expenditures of $81,833. Throughout the “My Health Challenge” at Allergan, the hospital received 9 referrals to affiliated primary care physicians, 1 referral to an affiliated cardiologist, and 1 referral to a behavioral specialist. A true win-win-win collaboration between the employer and the hospital by addressing rising healthcare costs, improving employee health and increasing the hospital’s physician referrals while expanding the patient base.
Case Studies are published by Aegis Health Group, Brentwood, Tennessee and are intended to highlight the contribution made by the Company in the execution of its proprietary employer development strategy. The information provided in this Case Study is considered confidential and may not be duplicated, in any form, without prior consent of Aegis.