Last week, there was a press conference in Washington, D.C. that I couldn't attend in person, but was invited to attend via telephone conference call. The concept of their announcement caught my attention immediately -- a "Migraine Calculator" that would show an employer how much money a company can save when Migraineur employees receive proper Migraine treatment. The call was absolutely time well spent.
Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) unveiled a new “Migraine
Calculator” March 10. The calculator is a web-based tool designed to
help employers estimate the incidence of Migraine, its impact on their work
force, and the potential net savings of helping employees get treatment.
Billy Tauzin, PhRMA President and CEO, stated in a press release¹:
“Migraines rob millions of Americans of the ability to live normal lives and to do their work. Treatments needed to end the suffering and give people their lives back are readily available. The Migraine calculator lets employers see how they can boost productivity by helping employees suffering from Migraines get the treatment they need. Migraines rob millions of Americans of the ability to live normal lives and to do their work."
The Migraine Calculator, or
Productivity Impact Model (PMI), was developed by The HSM Group, Ltd., a health
care consulting firm based in Scottsdale, Arizona, with support from PhRMA. The
calculator estimates the incidence of Migraine and its impact on a company’s
work force. The estimates are based on the company’s size, type of industry,
location and the age and gender of employees. It computes the expected number of
days each year employees will be absent or suffer low productivity due to
Migraine and calculates the associated cost to the business. It also projects
the potential net savings the company can expect, after considering the cost of
treatment, if employees obtain treatment.
Sheryl Bronkesh, president of The HSM Group, Ltd., commented in the press release¹:
“This new, easy to use Internet-based Migraine calculator integrates extensive research findings from peer-reviewed literature and turns them into useable results for employers. It’s an important tool that allows employers to see the whole picture on the economics and value of getting patients with Migraines needed treatment. Basically, the calculator allows employers to see a snapshot of the potential financial benefits for their company if they assist their employees who are battling Migraines.”
So much for theory. Let's see
what it does
Here's an example, using data from a sample employer, showing how Migraine
disease impacts employers:
- School district in the Northeast with 1,000 employees
- 174 employees can be expected to suffer from Migraines
- With treatment, lost workday equivalents can be reduced by 509 days.*
- This means that the employer will pay $129,717 less in replacement costs**
- Treatment costs would be $53,287***
- The net savings to the school district would be expected to be $76,430 per year
Check out the "Migraine Calculator" for yourself at www.migrainecalculator.com.
Summary:
Kudos to PhRMA and HMS. The "Migraine Calculator" has the potential to not only
show employers the impact of their Migraineur employees getting treatment, but
to possibly open other doors. The "Migraine Calculator" web site also includes
basic information about Migraine, it's treatment, and some helpful links. I do
hope they update their site soon and stop referring to Migraine attacks as
Migraine "headaches," but I guess we can't have everything at once. Hopefully,
the tool and the web site will also lead to more awareness of Migraine disease
and the challenges facing Migraineurs, better educated employers, and more
understanding for Migraineurs in the work place.
____________
Notes:
* Lost workday equivalents
includes the number of days a person was absent from work and a calculation of
the amount of work missed because of reduced effectiveness on the job known as
presenteeism.
**The costs of absenteeism are directly related to replacement costs, which are
dependent on total compensation. Compensation is comprised of average wages,
benefits and fringes for each specific industry as reported by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics. Users of the model are able to adjust the wages and benefits
to better represent their own companies.
*** The model takes account the cost of triptan treatment. The average treatment
costs include the cost for the medicine that the employer or health plan will
pay, which is partially offset by the employee co-pay for the prescription. The
default co-pay value used by this calculator is $25 per prescription based on
HSM’s analysis of publicly available data.
References:
¹ Press Release: "Migraine Calculator" Shows Benefits of Treating Employee
Migraines. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
March 10, 2005.
>>For a more in-depth version of this article, click HERE.<<
