Hewitt Helps Employers Manage Diabetes in the Workplace

March 24, 2009 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Hewitt Associates is launching a customized assessment that pinpoints specific and measurable ways companies and their vendors can improve current diabetes management practices.

Hewitt says that by optimizing diabetes management, employers can improve the health outcomes for their diabetic populations and see better financial results.

According to a press release, Hewitt’s DIAGNOSIS: DIABETES assessment contains three primary sections:

  • Benchmark of Current Risk: An estimation of a company’s diabetic, pre-diabetic, and undiagnosed population and associated costs.
  • Gap Analysis: An analysis of current employer and vendor programs, participation, and clinical outcomes compared to best practice protocols. Hewitt’s assessment uses clinical scorecards that compare employer programs against best practices derived from the American Diabetes Association, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS), and Hewitt’s own Clinical Review Board.
  • Recommendations and Potential Savings: Using that information, the assessment then provides specific recommendations companies and their vendors can use to improve current practices to achieve better health results for employees and their families. It also includes associated ranges of potential savings for implementing these best practices.

Hewitt said most companies are not aware of their current spend on avoidable direct medical costs attributed to the disease. A typical employer with 9,500 employees and 500 pre-65 retirees spends $18 million to $22 million on direct medical care for diabetics covered in their plans. For the typical employer, Hewitt estimates that optimal diabetes care can save $2.3 million to $2.8 million in annual direct medical costs alone.

More information is at www.hewitt.com .

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