New Report from Northeast Business Group on Health: Employers Frustrated by Ineffectiveness of Traditional Diabetes Management Programs

Most employers have diabetes prevention or management programs in place but point to lack of employee engagement as a key factor in the ineffectiveness of such programs, says a new report from Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH). Traditional disease management techniques – primarily telephone outreach and information distribution – are not working to stem the diabetes epidemic, according to the report, based on a NEBGH Solutions Center research project that included an employer survey and roundtable discussion with 26 executives from employers, health plans, providers, consulting organizations and pharmaceutical firms.

“Employers are aware of the toll diabetes takes on their employees, as well as the impact to their organizations in terms of direct healthcare costs and indirect costs associated with diabetes-related absenteeism, presenteeism, disability and early retirement,” said Laurel Pickering, MPH, President and CEO of NEBGH. “But we need to look beyond what is currently in place in most organizations and actively pursue innovative new models of care delivery, new ways of engaging employees and new business models that reward high value care, if we are serious about making a dent in this American epidemic.”

Read more about the report's release here and access the full report here.