Health Care Cost | Cholesterol Evaluation Measures

Health care costs measures for cholesterol screening and control^1-4

In contrast with the worker productivity costs described above, health care costs are measures of the direct medical expenses of providing employee health care and preventive health programs. As already noted, it takes years for elevated blood cholesterol levels to lead to coronary heart disease or heart attack, but assessment of costs for screening and treatment may be useful.

Baseline

• Determine costs and use for health care such as screening, counseling, treatment (e.g., medications), and hospitalizations for employees with high blood cholesterol who have complications of heart disease
• Determine costs for current health benefits related to cholesterol screening and treatment
• Determine the health care use and costs of employee participants before and after a cholesterol screening and control intervention such as counseling or referral for treatment and follow-up to control cholesterol

Process

• Periodic repeats of baseline measures

Outcome

• Assess changes in health care use and costs from baseline
• Determine changes in costs for current health benefits related to cholesterol screening and treatment
• Compare health care use and costs of employee participants before and after a cholesterol screening and control intervention such as counseling or referral for treatment and follow-up to control cholesterol