Truven Health Analytics Study Finds That Workforce Wellness Programs Produce Positive Return on Investment

Workforce wellness programs result in a lower rate of absenteeism and a higher rate of productivity in workers, which, in turn, create significant savings for U.S. employers, according to a Truven Health Analytics™ study.

The study, Do Workplace Health Promotion (Wellness) Programs Work?, was published in the September issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and found that companies that successfully implement a culture of health and wellbeing realize across-the-board increases in corporate revenue, profit, stock price, company valuation, and reputation.

“Few topics in healthcare have inspired as much confusion and contradiction as assessing the relative impact of corporate wellness programs. However, with annual premiums for family healthcare coverage averaging over $16,000 it is difficult to ignore interventions that have the power to improve outcomes and reduce costs,” said Ron Goetzel, PhD, vice president, applied research, Truven Health Analytics and lead author of the study. “Our research finds that established, well-run wellness programs do indeed produce positive results, returning, as much as triple their initial investment in healthcare savings.”

The study evaluated peer-reviewed literature on companies that had developed these types of wellness programs. The results included companies such as Johnson & Johnson, which saw estimated savings of between $1.88 and $3.92 for every $1.00 invested. PepsiCo, which focused their program on disease and lifestyle management, estimated at $1.46 saved for every dollar invested. BJC Healthcare uncovered a $22 dip in hospitalization spending per member, per month in just the second year after their program’s implementation.

To download the full paper in JOEM, click here.

About Truven Health Analytics

At Truven Health Analytics we are dedicated to delivering the answers our clients need to improve healthcare quality and reduce costs. We are a healthcare analytics company with robust, widely-respected data assets and advanced analytic expertise that have served the global healthcare industry for more than 30 years. These combine with our unique perspective from across the entire healthcare industry to give hospitals, clinicians, employers, health plans, government agencies, life sciences researchers, and policymakers the confidence they need to make the right decisions, right now, every time. With our healthcare-specific expertise and tools for managing complex and disparate data, we understand how to implement and integrate tailored analytics that drive improvement.

Truven Health Analytics owns some of the most trusted brands in healthcare, such as Micromedex, ActionOI, 100 Top Hospitals, MarketScan, and Advantage Suite. Truven has its principal offices in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Chicago; and Denver. For more information, please visit http://truvenhealth.com.