Ask The Expert

HWA members are at all different stages of health and wellness development.  Many of our members have asked what and when they should be measuring to ensure that their health strategies are on the right track.  The answer to when is now!  Measurement should be designed along with your health strategy.  The following member expert article offers guidance on what to measure.  If you'd like to comment on what you find to be an effective metric for your health management strategy, feel free to comment on our LinkedIn site.

Health Metrics Measurement Strategy 

By: Jason Mahler, FSA-Senior Consultant & Tracy Huber, MBA- Market Sales Leader of Aon Hewitt

A company must choose a manageable number of measures that are understandable, easy to communicate, based on reliable data using current sources, and have solid clinical evidence supporting them. The intent should be to create a living and dynamic measurement plan that will evolve over time. Expect to include additional metrics as new evidence emerges, data reliability is improved, or the scope of your program broadens. Many companies start with medical, pharmacy, and wellness metrics and expand to absence and disability metrics over time.

It can be helpful to organize metrics into five categories, which address key questions a company desires to answer as it relates to improving population health and managing cost.

1. Health Engagement Metrics: Are a company’s covered members actively engaged in the program(s), and does the company have a supportive culture of health?
2. Lifestyle Behavior Metrics: Are a company’s programs having a positive impact on modifiable lifestyle risk areas that will contribute over time to the reduction of health and productivity costs?
3. Clinical Metrics: Are a company’s programs having a positive impact on clinical risk, health outcomes, and productivity?
4. Financial Metrics: What are the key health drivers affecting cost?
5. Vendor Management Metrics: How well are a company’s vendors partners performing?

Measurement and evaluation strategies ensure that a company has the critical numbers they need to recognize year over year trends for effective management of medical benefit designs, occupational health and safety programs along with health and medical management programs. Identifying and tracking key metrics longitudinally enables the corporation to promote effective alignment of programming with medical and productivity cost drivers and to document effective use of those programming dollars (what works and what does not).

Such strategies ensure an efficient use of corporate resources is best serving the needs of the individual and the corporation. Ultimately, any health improvement strategy must be held accountable for documented engagement processes and health improvements, for effective program design and for desired vendor performance.