Human resource departments can help their companies improve employee health and hold down costs by doing more extensive reviews of healthcare data, according to business experts.
According to health experts, companies can get a lot of benefits by looking at the data in the company’s health plan. Such data can be used to spot trends that could help the company improve the design of the health plan, improve the health of workers and hold down costs.
For example, tracking workers’ most common health problems can help determine health plan strategy. Tracking the cost and number of these problems, as well as the drugs and medical procedures required to treat these problems, can help the business focus its resources in these areas, and promote prevention ideas, as well as healthy lifestyles, according to Marcia Wright, director of medical affairs for Pfizer.
Also, companies should use the collection of data to see what kind of care employees are receiving for their conditions, and how effective the care is, according to attorney Peter Rosene. This will help the company design healthcare plans that are more effective and cost efficient, and do a better job of promoting healthy living.
A business can get overall data from its health insurer, and because no individual information is exposed, there are no legal problems.
Waste has been built into the healthcare system, according to consultant David Blumenstein. Providers get no reward for good outcomes, and there is no penalty if the results are bad, he said.
Companies can be more proactive in helping to improve the health of their employees. By doing this, they prevent health claims from ever arising, saving money in the process. But to be effective in doing this, they need information about their employees’ health, information that is stored in the data.
Moreover, the data collected should be used to help the company design its healthcare plan. By looking at the data, the company can determine what services are being used and what services are not. The company can better determine what services should be covered but are not.
To better understand the health coverage situation, companies need to know who is enrolled in their plan and who is using it, along with the age, gender, and contributions of members.
If you’d like help in finding great employees for your Anchorage, Portland, Seattle, Tacoma, Lake Oswego, or Chicago company, contact a recruiter at the Opti Staffing Group. We look forward to hearing from you!