How to invest in employee health for cost savings

With research that indicates healthcare workers may be unhealthier than other professionals, hospitals are investing in the health of their own employees. Healthcare spending for hospital employees was 9 percent higher than in other job sectors, according to an October 2012 study by Truven Health Analytics, formerly an affiliate of Thomson Reuters. Hospital employees also had higher emergency room utilization rates and were 5 percent more likely than other workers to wind up hospitalized.  

Cape Coral Hospital, part of the Lee Memorial Health System in Florida, is launching a pilot program with a collaborative shared-risk model. The plan, as described in a Hospital Impact blog post this week, will include a population of 30 eligible participants who would receive up to 10 percent of financial gains. The rest of the financial gains will be split between the health system and a partnered nutritional educator that will provide an 18-week program of food, labs, marketing and other education facilitation, Chief Administrative Officer Scott Kashman wrote. Kashman anticipates that the 50/50 split would amount to up to $43,050 each. --Read the full blog post on Hospital Impact