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Study: Do Your Boss A Favor, Call In Sick

'Presenteeism' Blamed For 60 Percent Of Worker Illness Costs

ITHACA, N.Y. -- People feeling sick should stay home, according to a new study by researchers at Cornell University and health-information firm Medstat.

Researchers found that ill people coming to work just make things worse. They reduce productivity and drive up already-high health care costs, according to the study.

Headaches, allergies, arthritis, asthma and mental health-related problems such as depression incur the greatest on-the-job productivity losses, the study found.

Researchers call the productivity-loss problem "presenteeism" and blame it for up to 60 percent of the total cost of worker illness for an employer.

The report is published in the April issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. It was conducted for the university's Washington-based Institute for Health and Productivity Studies.

"In this day and age where employers are hesitant to hire because of skyrocketing medical care costs, it's important to broaden the view of health costs beyond the cost of patient care," said Ron Goetzel, director of the IHPS. "Employers need to weigh the costs of good medical care against the potential for on-the-job productivity losses, which we see are substantial in many cases."

Goetzel said the expense of on-the-job productivity losses is in most cases higher than medical costs.

In the study, researchers analyzed information from a large medical/absence database of about 375,000 employees, detailing insurance claims for medical care and short-term disability over a three-year period. They combined the data with findings from five productivity surveys for 10 health conditions that commonly affect workers.

The study was supported by the National Pharmaceutical Council.

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Study Abstract:

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine: Volume 46(4) April 2004 pp 398-412
Health, Absence, Disability, and Presenteeism Cost Estimates of Certain Physical and Mental Health Conditions Affecting U.S. Employers

Goetzel, Ron Z. PhD; Long, Stacey R. MS; Ozminkowski, Ronald J. PhD; Hawkins, Kevin PhD; Wang, Shaohung PhD; Lynch, Wendy PhD

From the Institute for Health and Productivity Studies, Cornell University (Dr Goetzel); The MEDSTAT Group (Dr Goetzel, Ms Long, Dr Ozminkowski, Dr Hawkins, Dr Wang); and Lynch Consulting (Dr Lynch).

Address correspondence to: Ronald J. Ozminkowski, PhD, The MEDSTAT Group, Inc., 777 East Eisenhower Parkway, 804B, Ann Arbor, MI 48108; E-mail address: ron.ozminkowski@thomson.com.
Abstract

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 ($392 per eligible employee per year), heart disease ($368), depression and other mental illnesses ($348), and arthritis ($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.

Posted by thinkum at April 22, 2004 02:46 PM