Are there points where health management and absence management intersect that can improve overall program effectiveness?
Our research shows that integrating health and productivity best practices can result in desired health management outcomes and lower health care and wage replacement costs associated with absence. This is where the health coach is again effective by becoming a single point of access to support absence- and productivity-related programs. Working in tandem with appropriate incentives can enable and support the desired behavior from employees. For example, we know that depression frequently occurs with a variety of physical illnesses and impairments, such as chronic lower back pain, and that people who suffer from chronic or catastrophic health issues are 60 percent more likely to be depressed and have 40 percent higher health care costs. A well-trained health coach can identify confusion and non-compliant behavior; identify whether a root cause is depression; educate the employee on the effects of depression and various treatment options available under the employer’s benefit program; a
