Classes and Quitlines and Patches, Oh My! Tobacco Use Why it is Your Business. Deirdre Sullivan, Health Educator

Transcription

1 Classes and Quitlines and Patches, Oh My! Tobacco Use Why it is Your Business Deirdre Sullivan, Health Educator

2 Why Tobacco? Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disability in the United States Smokers tend to have more hospital admissions, take longer to recover from illness and injury, have higher outpatient healthcare costs and have lower birthweight babies Tobacco related illnesses result in over $3400 per employee in annual employer expenses (health costs, lost productivity)

3 Why Employers? Rising health insurance costs Reducing the number of smokers in the workplace is cost-effective Smoking cessation treatment is referred to as the gold standard of interventions.

4 How much does tobacco cost employers? 1000 Total number of employees x 17 Estimated % of employees who smoke (17% of adult population in CO some sectors higher) = 170 Total # of smokers x $3,400 cost per smoker (CDC estimate for lost productivity, health insurance costs, etc.) = $578,000 Employer's estimated cost of smoking per year

5 What Works? Successful employee programs COMBINE Information and educational materials- recurring communication to employees about quitting and what is available to them- orientation and beyond Access to Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and medications such as Wellbutrin, Chantix Counseling options: individual, group, phone (1-800-QUIT-NOW); Fresh Start; etc. Supportive workplace environment policies

6 Where Do Some Employers Go Wrong? Implementing one-shot approaches that don t include analyses of policies or the implementation of sustainable changes Examples include- on-site stand-alone classes without NRT benefits; health fairs; single events without follow-up (quit day, etc) Putting tobacco in its own silo---the best approach is to collaborate with other wellness initiatives!

7 Where can I start? Ask for HEDIS data (Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set) that reports rates of provider advice to quit. This data will let you know how well your health plan is doing at providing treatment for tobacco dependence. The National Committee for Quality Assessment (NCQA) is the organization that provides HEDIS data. For more information, visit Find out what your current health plan provides in regard to tobacco use, including benefits, riders, products, discounts, and cessation services. When shopping for health insurance or evaluating an existing plan, ask questions about tobacco cessation coverage including: How does the plan promote cessation services to it members? What smoking cessation drugs (including over-the-counter drugs) are covered? What types of counseling are covered and for how long? Does the plan provide any education services or materials?

8 How does treatment for tobacco dependence compare to other services usually provided by health plans?

9 Service Cost Effectiveness Disease Prevention Total Priority Score Childhood (1=low; 5=high) (1=low; 5=high) Vaccinations Flu Shots Pap Smear High Blood Pressure Screen Cholest. Screen Tobacco Cessation Counseling Vision screening for age Screening for colorectal cancer Source: Coffield AB, Maciosek MV, Mcginnis M, et al. Priorities among recommended clinical preventive services. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2001; 21(1)

10 Take what you have and MAXIMIZE it! What do you tell new employees in orientation/manual about your commitment to them living tobacco free? Use key dates and develop messages that reinforce your commitment to helping employees quit- Great American Smokeout; New Years; Heart Month; Kick Butts Day, World No Tobacco Day, etc. Communicate to non-smokers how they can be involved in helping co-workers quit walk breaks, etc. Think about creating a workplace environment that supports tobacco users in their attempts to quit. Tobacco free workplace policies are the most effective mechanisms for helping users quit!

11 Larimer County partnership Well City Initiative through PVHS Coalition for Activity and Nutrition to Defeat Obesity (CANDO) New Belgium Brewery identified tobacco use as a health behavior they wanted to address Program developed and launched with $200 incentive for cessation, promotion of the QL and regular communication to employees; benefits reviewed and included in communication

12 1-800-QuitNow ( ) Free Support from a Quit Coach and free nicotine patches. Of the smokers who chose to use the coaching AND the NRT benefit: Nearly 40% stay quit TO ORDER YOUR OWN FREE QUITLINE MATERIALS, GO TO

13 For more information (970) or or visit e/workplace_guide.htm ROI calculator can be found at