Making the business case for health and productivity management

Health and productivity management (HPM) is an important innovation for businesses concerned with rising health care costs. Like any innovation, however, it will not be adopted rapidly unless it is tailored to the needs of employers. For the last 6 years the Institute for Health and Productivity Management has studied the needs of American employers and sponsored employer driven case studies of health care and productivity. From these studies and the work of academic experts we have fashioned a set of programs to effectively communicate the advantages of health and productivity measurement and management. To make the business case for health and productivity management, researchers need to (1) demonstrate the relative advantage of HPM, (2) keep the evidence simple, (3) show that HPM is compatible with employer practices, and (4) communicate the results within and across corporate departments.