Corporate health program cuts cardiovascular disease-related medical, hospital costs

Washington, May 20 (ANI): Corporate health programs reduce employees' cardiovascular disease-related medical and hospital costs, suggests new research.

CSX Transportation, an American company with 30,000 employees, developed the program in 2004 to address employees' high rates of cardiovascular disease when compared to national benchmarks and the associated higher healthcare costs.

Over time, the program included a variety of interventions, such as biometric screenings, nutrition and exercise health coaching, and on-site fitness centres at multiple employee locations.

Researchers analysed the impact of the program on cardiovascular disease-related medical and hospital claims, using 2006-08 data on 5,768 non-contract employees.

They found that the percentage of employees with a cardiovascular disease-related medical claim declined from 56.6 per cent to 48.3 percent, and cardiovascular disease-related medical claims declined from 14.1 percent to 13.1 percent.

Furthermore, the percentage of employees with a cardiovascular disease-related hospital claim declined from 6 percent to 4.3 percent and cardiovascular disease-related hospital claims declined from 2.5 percent to 1.7 percent. (ANI)