Health Care Cost | Nutrition Evaluation Measures

Health care cost measures for nutrition^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.

Baseline

• Determine current health care use and costs, including pharmaceuticals, counseling, and inpatient and outpatient care, for the diseases and conditions affected by dietary behavior. Examples include: type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and high cholesterol
• Determine the current health care use and costs for clinical nutrition services (if covered), including counseling, prescribed supplements and other medication, outpatient and inpatient care for employees
• Determine the health care use and costs of program participants before education and other programs are initiated and after operation of these programs

Process

• Periodic repeats of baseline health measures

Outcome

• Assess changes in health care use and costs from baseline
• Assess changes in the type, use, and costs of employee health benefits related to clinical nutrition services (if covered)
• Compare health care use and costs of program participants before education and other programs are initiated and after operation of these programs