Stacey R. Long

Health, absence, disability, and presenteeism cost estimates of certain physical and mental health conditions affecting U.S. employers.

Evidence about the total cost of health, absence, short-term disability, and productivity losses was synthesized for 10 health conditions. Cost estimates from a large medical/absence database were combined with findings from several published productivity surveys. Ranges of condition prevalence and associated absenteeism and presenteeism (on-the-job-productivity) losses were used to estimate condition-related costs. Based on average impairment and prevalence estimates, the overall economic burden of illness was highest for hypertension (

The application of two health and productivity instruments at a large employer.

392 per eligible employee per year), heart disease (

Development and Reliability Analysis of the Work Productivity Short Inventory (WPSI) Instrument Measuring Employee Health and Productivity

368), depression and other mental illnesses (

Assessment of the clinical management of fragility fractures and implications for the new HEDIS osteoporosis measure.

348), and arthritis (

A validity analysis of the Work Productivity Short Inventory (WPSI) instrument measuring employee health and productivity

327). Presenteeism costs were higher than medical costs in most cases, and represented 18% to 60% of all costs for the 10 conditions. Caution is advised when interpreting any particular source of data, and the need for standardization in future research is noted.

Medical costs associated with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the United States during the first two years of treatment

Learning ObjectivesCompare and contrast the two instruments used in this study of productivity loss at a large employer, the Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ) and the Work Productivity Short Inventory (WPSI).Estimate losses of productivity as measured by the WLQ and WPSI, and describe whether and how these losses relate to demographics, perceived health status, or particular medical disorders.Describe ways in which these instruments may be used by employers to help find ways of minimizing productivity losses. Abstract We applied two productivity instruments (the Work Productivity Short Inventory and the Work Limitations Questionnaire) to the same employees working at a large telecommunications firm. In this work we note differences in productivity metrics obtained from these instruments and offer reasons for those differences that may be related to their design. Within this sample, average at-work productivity (presenteeism) losses were 4.9% as measured by the WLQ and 6.9% as measured by the WPSI. These translated into losses of approximately

Characteristics of patients initiating raloxifene compared to those initiating bisphosphonates

2000 to

The Impact of Nebulized Levalbuterol on Health Care Payments for Elderly Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients in Medicaid Plans

2800 per employee per year, respectively. Total productivity losses were usually not associated with demographics or job type but were associated with perceived health status and the existence of particular medical conditions. Both instruments may be useful for employers who want to estimate productivity losses and learn where to focus their energy to help stem those losses.

The economic burden of lung cancer and the associated costs of treatment failure in the United States

The Work Productivity Short Inventory (WPSI), also known as the Wellness Inventory, was developed to quickly assess the prevalence of medical problems that may influence work productivity and the financial implications of those problems. The WPSI asks respondents to note the amount of time missed from work resulting from 15 medical conditions and the amount of unproductive time spent at work when affected by the condition. Three versions of the WPSI were compared that differed according to the length of the recall period (12 months, 3 months, or 2 weeks). The reliability of the financial metrics generated from the WPSI was assessed for each version and found to be adequate, ranging from 0.66–0.74 in this application. The WPSI was found to be a highly reliable tool for estimating the prevalence of medical conditions that influence work productivity. The dollar impact of the associated productivity losses were found to be reliable enough to meet the instrument’s intended purpose, which is to help employers understand relationships between disease and productivity, thereby contributing to the design of interventions to relieve these problems. The needs of the researcher should dictate which version of the WPSI to use.

Higher costs and therapeutic factors associated with adherence to NCQA HEDIS antidepressant medication management measures: analysis of administrative claims.

Background: Rates of screening for and treatment of osteoporosis have been low, even among those with fractures who are at greatest risk for new fractures. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine trends in the clinical management of patients with fragility fractures to provide baseline data for future assessments of the impact of the new Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measure. Research Design: The MarketScan Medicare Supplemental and Coordination of Benefits (COB) database was used to examine adherence to the 2004 HEDIS guidelines by measuring the percent of women age 67 and older who were screened and/or treated after a fracture from 2000 through 2005. Clinical, demographic, and provider characteristics were assessed to determine the correlates of being screened and treated. Results: The overall unadjusted percent of women screened and treated remains low, with just 10.2% screened and 12.9% treated in 2005. Multivariate analyses, which controlled for fracture location, patient characteristics, physician specialty, and region indicated small, albeit statistically significant, increases in treatment and screening over time. Women fracturing in 2005 were 27% more likely to be screened and 15% more likely to receive treatment relative to those fracturing in the year 2000. Conclusions: Although our study found some improvements in the screening for and treatment of osteoporosis among Medicare beneficiaries with a fragility fracture from 2000 through 2005, the overall percent of women screened and/or treated remained low. These data provide a baseline for assessing the impact of the new HEDIS measure in the coming years.