The DMPC mantra is that wellness is five years behind disease management in measurement, which is like being five years behind Iraq in democracy. If that is the case, then Health Solutions Ltd. is still wearing leisure suits and WIN buttons. Take the site tour. The first thing you’ll notice is that they reduced claims by 15% in 2008 even though their program was only in place for half of 2008, implying a second-half reduction in claims of 30%, even before people completed their coaching programs, let alone changed their behaviors, let alone avoided events from those changed behaviors.

And by the way, 30% is more than the total spent on all medical expenses (leaving aside surgical, maternity/birth events, trauma, cancer, primary care, outliers and rare diseases), so they would have to wipe out medical expenses to hit this target. But we’ll never know if they wiped out medical expenses because they didn’t measure them.

Also, what it is about wellness companies and grammar? “Health Solutions was able to demonstrate the savings if each employee was [sic] to eliminate 1 risk factor.” While we’re on the subject, how about proofreading? “In other works [sic], if each employee…”

However, the best sentence is: “In this actual…case study, the potential savings is the difference between the total paid claims of $5,665,012…and total paid claims of $5,001,270.” How can you have an actual case study with potential savings? I don’t actually know, but they are claiming potential savings of about 12% simply by reducing one metabolic risk factor per employee. To put this number in perspective, the number of employees in this case is 2160. 2160 employees will in an average year have slightly more than 2 survived heart attacks, heart attacks being the most serious relatively common preventable medical event. Yet to save 12%, over 40 heart attack-equivalents would have to be avoided…all with lifestyle changes only, no disease management or compliance incentives.

Next Intelligent Design Award