Your Work-force is in Pain!

• Over 35% of employees indicate they suffer from back, shoulder or neck pain
• Over 40% of recordable injuries are due to "strain and sprain" injuries
• A rapid increase in soft tissue injuries (leading to actual recordable injuries) has occurred following periods of inactivity (plant shutdown, line balance change, vacations, etc.)

Past programs have been ineffective in "engaging individuals" to learn how to prevent or reduce musculoskeletal pain.

Too Costly to Ignore

• $1 of every $2 of Worker’s Compensation costs are spent on occupational musculoskeletal disorders (MSD’s).
• Employers pay $15-20 billion per year in Worker’s Compensation costs for lost workdays.
• Mean costs per case of upper extremity MSD are $8,070 versus a mean cost of $4,075 per case for all types of work related injury.
• Worker’s Compensation claims per injury equal $29,000-$32,000 per year.
• Medical bills for the average shoulder injury (excluding surgery) are $20,000 per year.

Medical expenses and Worker’s Compensation costs from work-related MSD’s are increasing 2.5 times faster than benefit costs!

The Corporate Impact

More than 1/2 of the nations workers have jobs with potential for repetitive stress injuries. The average employed person loses nearly 2 days of work a year due to musculoskeletal injuries. Workers age 18 – 64 are disabled more from repetitive stress disorders than any other disorder including mishaps. Symptoms are usually ignored or avoided until the pain is chronic or permanent.

As a result, the total cost associated with musculoskeletal conditions in the United States increased from $81 billion in 1986 to $215 billion in 1995, then up another 18% in 5 years - $254 billion in 2000.

The Need for an Answer

Back problems are the most costly of all musculoskeletal disorders, representing in excess of $700 million in annual health care expenditure. (1998)

• Back injuries contribute to in excess of 100 million lost days of work annually.
• The incidence of back surgery in the United States is reported to peak at age 40 years.
• Musculoskeletal injuries are responsible for employees’ 147 million work-loss days.
• More than 28.6 million people sustain a musculoskeletal injury, which is more than half of all reported injuries.
• Musculoskeletal impairment is the number one reason why people go to the doctor.
• The US Bureau of Labor Statistics survey from 1994 estimated that of more than 2.25 million injuries and illnesses in US private industry resulting in lost workdays, about 332,000 were attributed to repetitive motion.
• According to a recent study of approximately 186,000 federal workers during the period from 1993 to 1994, for example, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) accounted for 93% of all mononeuritis claims and for 67% of all direct medical costs, with an average of $2,948 per claim. Carpal tunnel syndrome was second only to forearm muscle strain injuries among computer-related work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

If the treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome requires surgery, this disorder can result in direct medical costs on the order of $10,000 per patient and may lead to prolonged worker absenteeism and permanent disability.

Investment in Prevention

A recent study estimated annual medical spending due to overweight and obesity to be as much as $92.6 billion in 2002. This represents 9.1 percent of U.S. health expenditures.

In today’s business environment or unprecedented competition, traditional explanations, prescriptions and even medications are no longer adequately dealing with health care issues. Health care is usually the number one corporate expense, next to salary.

Growing disconnects between employer and employee views on health care related costs and issues threaten to undermine any wellness program efforts. The employer who takes a passive role by shifting the risk of controlling costs to the HMO or insurance company will eventually see the costs shifted back to consumers and the employer through increasing premiums and decreased services.

We have the Answer!

Learn how to incorporate The MoveWell Corporate Solution into your existing wellness or safety program.