Less Tobacco Use = Improved Productivity

JOHN JURICH

Account Executive

Healthways Minnesota

john.jurich@healthways.com

healthways.com/mn

Topic: Healthcare

Cigarette smoking is not only the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing over 440,000 people every year, it also produces substantial health-related economic costs to society.

Every day, millions of employees interrupt their workday to go outside and smoke. Not only do these individuals compromise their own health and the health of those around them, they cost their companies hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost time and productivity, according to the CDC.

For each of the approximately 46.5 million adult smokers, these costs represent $1,760 in lost productivity and $1,623 in excess medical expenditures (source: Center for Disease Control, 1999).

In 2003, Michigan-based Weyco fired the "shot heard round the world" on this issue, banning smoking altogether and instituting a policy to hire only nonsmokers. It struck a nerve for many employers, but without resources to help employees, it could become an expensive lesson in turnover costs.

Fortunately, employers can play a substantial role in helping employees quit tobacco use and improve their health by implementing tobacco cessation programs as part of an overall health and wellness program. Such programs need not be of great out-of-pocket expense to companies.

Healthways recommends the QuitNet online program with 100% fully funded nicotine replacement therapy. The clinical practice guidelines issued by the U.S. Public Health Service and the Surgeon General recommend that every smoker use pharmacotherapy to have the greatest likelihood of a successful quit attempt. This belief is supported by research indicating that the combination of effective behavioral support and medication would more than double the quit rate for a tobacco cessation solution. Incentives also have a significant impact on tobacco cessation.

Healthways has seen a positive impact through use of incentives based on premium reduction. To be eligible, the participating employee must attempt to quit for the first year, and for subsequent years, the employer can determine if quitting is required. Since tobacco use is clearly defined, non-smoking employees don't feel that premium reduction is an unfair award, unlike a cash incentive for participation quitting.

Just as with other corporate wellness programs, proactive, ongoing and engaged communications is a key to successfully engaging employees for participation. In particular, a program that incorporates multiple methods to help aid the members quit their habit, such as pharmacotherapy, e-mail support, print support, web support, and telephonic support is likely to have a higher rate of success the employees using one of these elements alone.

Employers who take an active role in supporting tobacco cessation among employees are not only helping to improve the health of their workforce, but also the company's overall productivity and bottom line.

Employers who take an active role in supporting tobacco cessation among employees are not only helping to improve the health of their workforce, but also the company's overall productivity and bottom line.