.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} With health-care costs continuing to rise at double-digit rates and increasing numbers of Americans in need of medical care, the nation is facing what might be called “the perfect storm.”

Historically, employers have responded to the impact of higher health-care coverage expenses in dollar-driven ways. They have cut benefits, outsourced jobs or passed the increased cost of benefits on to their employees. Such approaches have produced a temporary blip on the bottom line, but have done nothing to change the long-term trend.

A paradigm shift is needed – moving the health-care focus away from treatment toward prevention. In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 75 percent of the nation’s $2 trillion cost of health care stemmed from chronic diseases.

This is is the point of opportunity for change: Most chronic diseases are the result of lifestyle choices, daily behavior and bad habits.

At Holmes Murphy & Associates, we have discovered a way to prevent 50 percent of health-care claims before they happen.

A proprietary pilot program was initiated by Holmes Murphy in 2004 to identify at-risk employees using a HIPAA-compliant third-party screening and assessment process. This employee program had 97 percent participation, and we were able to identify trends and set a benchmark for measuring the impact of the program and participation benefits.

Step one in the paradigm shift is getting employers to understand that health care is an expense that can be managed through proactive programs. To make the case, Holmes Murphy used itself as the subject for experimentation.

The company was aware that fewer than 30 percent of Americans age 18 and older know where they stand on the basic health indicators: blood pressure, cholesterol and HDL/LDT. Fewer than 10 percent know their blood glucose level, an indicator for diabetes.

Holmes Murphy structured a program to educate and provide incentives for its employees to improve their health by changing lifestyles and knowing their vital health indicators.

As a result of Holmes Murphy’s “well-care” program, claims cost per member has decreased by 5 percent over the last three years. Over this same three-year period, costs have increased 25 to 30 percent nationally. The additional benefit for the employer was greater productivity and reduced absenteeism.

Not only are the results proven, they are also replicable for other employers.

For 10 years prior to this initiative, Holmes Murphy offered voluntary wellness options – including health club memberships, self-administered online assessments and national brand-name weight-control programs – but saw no return on investment. The reason was that only health-conscious employees participated; at-risk individuals did not. It is the classic conundrum: 15 percent of the population drives up the cost of health care for the other 85 percent because of lifestyle-related health problems.

Steve Flood is senior vice president and shareholder of West Des Moines-based Holmes Murphy & Associates.