Tobacco Free Workplace : Does It Reduce Costs And Can It

CVS is the first the first national pharmacy chain store to ban tobacco and focus on the health and well-being of its patients and customers (Drell, 2014). This is a nationwide initiative, however, it doesn’t immediate solve the problem, but it is a step in the right direction. In light of CVS’s removal of all tobacco products from its shelves, the drugstore chain plans to offer its customers robust smoking cessation programs (Drell, 2014). The target public is the heavy tobacco users—the age range differs but it includes both men and women.

Adriaanse, H., Van Reek, J., Zandbelt, L., & Evers, G. (1991). Nurses' smoking worldwide. A review of 73 surveys on nurses' tobacco consumption in 21 countries in the period 1959-1988. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 28, 361-375.

The problem with businesses is uncertainty. Uncertainty is defined as by Merriam-Webster as “the quality or state of being uncertain; something that is doubtful or unknown” (n.d.). Business uncertainties, in my opinion are the number one concern of many executive leaders including health administrators. Although, life is uncertain business uncertainties are different because of economic qualms, especially in relation to policy because it has been a greater deal than it has ever been in years. The United States economy has been in corrupt positions of uncertainty. The U.S. economy is barely moving, but has made strides and improvement to the overall job market. Unfortunately, there are still millions of workers that cannot find employment and

Insurers have a unique ability to make things happen such as promoting behavior while avoiding unnecessary costs. Health care providers struggle just as much as they’re administratives in dealing with insurers and losing considerable amount of time and money by submitting, disputing and collecting claims for reimbursement. The American Medical Association, which offers providers a series of administrative simplifications initiatives estimated that 10 to 14% of revenues is waste on inefficient claims and processing. Incentives are poorly aligned between providers and insurers according to the fee for service model, where insurers reimburse providers according to the volume of services not the quality of services. The American psychiatric association states that many physicians complain that the insurance industry requires them to place a diagnosis on the insurance claim form in order to get paid. At the same time, many providers are not used to factoring costs into their clinical decisions. They are simply taught to save lies and not how to save money. On the other hand insurers have created a beneficial culture with patients by giving them incentives and reimbursements for preventive care and other benefits through employers for these services leading to participation and over

A lack of preventative care is a second major factor contributing to our country’s large healthcare expenditure. About 75 percent of costs are associated with treating chronic health problems that are preventable, such as type two diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and strokes (Froemke and Heineman). It has only been within the last ten years that major insurance programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, have been starting to emphasize the importance of preventative care. A study conducted by a team from Dartmouth mapped how much money Medicare spent per patient in 2007. The average recipient in Miami, Florida received $15,000, while the average recipient in Minneapolis, Minnesota received about half as much (Froemke and Heineman). One would think that patients in Miami would be in better health since they were receiving more care. Surprisingly, the opposite is true. Patients in regions where Medicare spends the most money are more likely to die than patients in other regions (Froemke and Heineman). This is because Medicare does not adequately provide reimbursement for preventative care; they will pay for procedures and medicines that are high risk and expensive. However, providers of Medicare have started to push for more preventative care due to rising enrollment into the insurance program. Members of the baby boomer generation are becoming eligible for Medicare at a rate of 10,000 people a day. This high enrollment rate coupled with the fact that 21 percent of patients

Public health strategies this was based on strong evidence showing that tobacco control is cost- effective compared to other health interventions. It involved measures on price and taxes, exposure to tobacco smoke, the contents of tobacco products, product disclosures, packaging and labeling, education, communication, training, and public awareness, tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship and reducing tobacco dependence.

The online research toolkit explains the rationale behind focusing on tobacco cessation to promote health and well-being of the community. Previous research by the New York State showed that tobacco addiction is the leading preventable cause of morbidity and cigarette use alone causes about 25.000 deaths in the state (New York State Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Program Project Toolkit). The toolkit also describes how tobacco use can increase the risk of developing diseases such as lung and oral cancer, heart disease, stroke and COPD. Some of the proponents of tobacco use cessation strengthen their argument

Rising health care cost has challenged management leaders to develop new initiatives to reduce costs and increase participation in wellness programs. Employers often shift costs to employees or redesign their benefits system to combat rising health care cost (Larsen and Pomeranz, 2009, p. 29). Dropping health insurance coverage altogether is a form of cost shifting (Blumenthal, 2006, p. 196). This organizational strategy may make receiving employer-sponsored insurance a practice of the past. The management leader philosophy of shifting health care responsibility could have a problematic effect on employees. Some employers feel justified with these measures because health care costs continue to rise and have become a liability for

It is one thing to mandate that employees not smoke on premises. It is another thing to mandate that employees not smoke at all; is it legal for employer to mandate this? Is it discrimination? In short, yes. All over Springfield there are laws prohibiting employees from using tobacco products, not only cigarettes, my place of employment is one of them. According to the executive summary of Smoke-free Workplace Laws (2009) not only is it legal to enforce policies that promote a smoke-free work environment. Allowing smoking at work, if the effects are severe enough to threaten employee health, might constitute a violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The argument here is that it provides an unsafe work environment for non-smokers

The health issues associated with smoking include lung cancer and other terminal illnesses, and shortness of breath. Employers have a duty of care to their employees and should not promote smoking in the workplace. It is in the best interest of the company that staff members remain healthy so that there is a decrease in sick days and absenteeism and and increase in a productive workforce. Smoking is unacceptable inside premises as passive smoking has been clinically proven to be harmful. It has become law that smoking inside a workplace or restaurants is not allowed.

There are a number of products and initiatives being used by health plans to control expenditures and maintain market competitiveness. Recent slowing in health expenditures has largely been due to price changes, a shift from inpatient to outpatient care, and increased coverage. However, here I will focus on operational changes within the health plan that can be made to decrease expenditures. I will discuss how investing in disease management programs, wellness incentives, and value-based insurance design now can be used to control rising healthcare expenditures in the future while adding value for consumers. I will also discuss the challenges involved with implementing these initiatives.

Today, there is a lot of talk about healthcare in the United States. This is largely due to the enactment of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 by the U.S. congress. This marked the greatest change in US health policy since the 1960’s (Shaw, Asomugha, Conway, & Rein, 2014). This law signed by president Barack Obama focuses on issues with the healthcare system in the United States, such as rising cost of care and the limited number of Americans with health insurance. Not only did this law bring up financial concerns of the healthcare system, it also sought to address issues with the level of care being provided by healthcare workers. “Transforming the health care system to provide safe, quality, patient-centered, accessible, and affordable care will require a comprehensive rethinking of the roles of many health care professionals, nurses chief among them” (Institute of Medicine, 2010). The full effects of this law are still unknown as this law continues to unfold and establish its place in health care. In the next few years the health care industry can expect to undergo major changes as this law takes full effect.

2. The CEOs took action by implementing the health and smoking programs. Although there we many alternatives, their action was focused on the individual’s choice: to participate or not. The decision then became that of the employee and not the “for the group.”

“Healthcare” and “consumerism” are not commonly known, nor considered to be in conjunction with one another. With the velocity of change in the healthcare industry, organizations have been forced to grip their pocketbooks in an attempt to contain their healthcare spend. Employers have done this by taking large steps toward cost-shifting/sharing with employees in an effort to encourage (some would say force) consumer behavior in the area of healthcare through high deductible health plans (Miller, 2014). With that being said, employers and consumers are aggressively looking for answers and solutions for controlling out-of-pocket expenses related to healthcare. The purpose of this research plan is outline two primary research methods as it relates understanding the importance of healthcare consumerism and the options available for alleviating the concerns of individuals, organizations, and the healthcare industry.

On August 25, 2015, Southern announce a tobacco-free environment on campus, which means that smoking or tobacco use is forbidden in all facilities and outdoor areas of campus (include sidewalks, parking lots, and entrance and exit ways). The goal of the program is to promote a clean and healthy environment for all students, employees, and visitors. The program objectives are (a) to decrease smoking rates, (b) to protect the SCSU community from unwanted and involuntary exposure to tobacco and secondhand smoke, (c) to reduce campus litter, and (d) to prepare students for careers in tobacco-free work environments (“Tobacco-Free Policy,” n.d.; Rosenthal, 2016).