Five Key Factors that Affect Employee Health Risk

By Miles Varn, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of PinnacleCare

Health-related risks can have a tremendous impact on the company’s bottom line. There is growing recognition that the financial wellbeing of employees is at stake when faced with stresses related to the cost of their healthcare. Here are five health risk factors that should be considered in an effective health risk management strategy.

The Five Key Factors that Affect Health Risk

Factor 1: Family History

The first factor that can have a significant impact on an employee’s health risk is family history. Family history is the foundation for building a personalized, proactive risk mitigation plan for a wide range of diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some cancers, Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, depression, birth defects, and a range of genetic disorders. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, found that only 33% of Americans have actively gathered their family health history. Even when family history is known and reported, the information often contains errors. One study found that 75% of family histories provided by patients who were asked about the incidence of cancer among relatives contained errors.

Factor 2: Lifestyle

Medical research has shown conclusively that lifestyle factors also have a substantial effect on health risk. For example, people who are overweight have a two- to three-fold higher risk of coronary artery disease and high blood pressure, a ten-fold increase in risk for type 2 diabetes, and increased mortality risk from colon, breast, kidney, and other cancers. Lifestyle factors, including diet, exercise, weight, alcohol and tobacco use, stress, and sleep quality can all affect the risk of developing a range of health problems, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, certain cancers, back and joint pain, and lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

A new study found a lack of sleep among workers accounts for a loss of $411 billion in productivity and 1.2 million working days per year. In another study, some 25% of employees report experiencing lower back pain, costing employers $34,600 per 100 workers each year — more than 66% of which is due to reduced work time and presenteeism. An employee who follows a healthy diet, gets regular exercise, maintains a healthy weight, practices stress management, gets adequate sleep, and avoids the use of tobacco and the misuse of alcohol can lower their risk of developing these conditions. A study by researchers at the Mayo Clinic found, however, that less than 3% of Americans meet even the most basic qualifications for a healthy lifestyle, which include 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, a diet that scores in the top 40% on the USDA Healthy Eating Index, being a non-smoker, and having less than 20% body fat for men or 30% for women.

Factor 3: Misdiagnosis and Medical Errors

According to the Institute of Medicine, most Americans will experience at least one inaccurate or delayed diagnosis in their lifetime. Approximately 12 million people in the U.S. who seek outpatient medical care will experience some form of diagnostic error each year. The effects of these misdiagnoses and medical errors can be devastating. A recent analysis by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine suggests that these problems may be the third leading cause of death in the U.S. after heart disease and cancer.

Factor 4: Inappropriate or Unnecessary Treatment

Employees who receive inappropriate or unnecessary treatment may face additional health risks. These risks can appear in several ways: First, there may be inadequate treatment despite clinical evidence or guidelines that support specific treatment benefit to the patient. Next, employees may receive inappropriate treatments that have no clinical evidence or proven benefit and which can pose potential harm to the patient. And finally, they may receive unnecessary treatments for stable conditions that do not pose a serious threat to the patient’s health.

One study, for example, found that 30% of common medical procedures, including cardiac bypass and hysterectomy, are performed for reasons not supported by clinical evidence and may be harmful to the patient. For several common diseases including ovarian cancer, back pain, and heart disease, a significant percentage of patients do not receive the gold standard of care supported by clinical evidence, which increases the complication rate and in some cases lowers the survival rate.

Factor 5: Medically-Related Travel Emergencies

Another factor that affects health risk is medically related travel emergencies which can arise when employees are traveling on the company’s behalf or away on vacation. Problems can include sudden illness, accidents, injuries, a recurrence of a serious or chronic health problem, and lost or forgotten medications. The key to achieving better outcomes in an emergency is access to quality care and resources. However, both in the U.S. and even more markedly abroad, it is difficult to know which physicians and healthcare facilities provide the highest quality care for a specific medical issue. In the case of an emergency, care is usually provided at the nearest hospital or physician’s office. Treatment in facilities with limited experience or expertise increases the risk of receiving inappropriate care, which in turn increases the risk of suboptimal outcomes. In addition, lack of quick access to the patient’s complete medical history and records during an emergency can also put the patient at risk.

Enacting and following through with a screening and preventive care plan can effectively lower the risk of developing a number of preventable diseases. It can also increase the likelihood that diseases that are not preventable are detected at the earliest stage when they may be more treatable.

This content has been excerpted from a more comprehensive white paper on the topic, which also includes five strategies that can help employers reduce health-related risks and costs.