Alere's Dr. Michael Taitel Makes Business Case for Health Support at the Wellness Council of Iowa Annual Conference

• Press Release
• Source: Alere LLC
• On 7:22 am EDT, Thursday October 1, 2009

ATLANTA, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ --

• Taitel, wellness expert and vice president of the Alere® Center for Health Intelligence, to present at 19(th) Annual Worksite Wellness Conference
• Presentation will highlight the importance of quantifying additional wellness program value benefits, including higher productivity, reduced short-term disability and increased job satisfaction
• Makes the compelling business argument that wellness is good business for employers and health plans

This past year, companies have struggled to keep their businesses operating with limited resources due to fewer people. As the remaining employees take on increased workloads and higher stress, many employers are realizing that they need to find ways to keep their workforces healthy and productive. Michael Taitel, PhD, vice president of the Alere Center for Health Intelligence at Alere LLC, a leader in personal health support solutions, will present the business case for why wellness programs are a good investment and highlight the importance of quantifying all wellness program value benefits at the Wellness Council of Iowa's 19(th) Annual Worksite Wellness Conference October 1 in West Des Moines, Iowa.

The one-day conference, "Partnering for Change: Building a Healthier Workforce," features nationally recognized experts who offer effective methods to enhance and retain participation, improve nutrition, enhance productivity, contain medical cost increases, apply incentives and achieve critical outcomes in health promotion.

In his presentation, "Creating a Road Map for Wellness ROI," Taitel will discuss why focusing on return on investment can be misleading and that businesses need to first understand the value of investment, or VOI. This includes other equally important performance indicators, or what he calls health and productivity value endpoints. He will show how to apply a range of wellness measurement methods in order to make a more compelling business argument for wellness to decision-makers.

"Historically, decision-makers have focused on healthcare cost savings as the only financial return from a wellness program investment," notes Taitel. "This excludes additional financial endpoints, such as higher productivity, reduced short-term disability and increased job satisfaction. In my presentation, I will show how employers can translate the impact that a wellness program has on these endpoints into more quantifiable financial savings."

Taitel has participated in groundbreaking research on wellness-related issues conducted by the Alere Center for Health Intelligence. Last year, he published a study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM) that examined various factors that influence employee participation in health risk assessments.(1) Earlier this year, he was an author of the largest multiemployer study to date, also published in the JOEM, which showed that employers who focus only on medical and pharmacy costs in creating employee health strategies may misidentify the health conditions that most impact productivity.(2)

"With the troubled economy and workforces that are stretched very thin, employers need to worry about health and productivity more than ever before in order to positively affect their organization's culture of health," Taitel says. "For years, employers have found that investing in wellness programs is good business. However, many employers still have difficulty fully quantifying the impact of their wellness programs. The presentation will provide employers with a variety of measurement methods that can be used to measure the impact of a wellness program in addition to healthcare cost savings."

For a copy of Taitel's presentation or additional information, please contact Alere at alereinfo@alere.com.

About Alere

Alere (www.alere.com) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. (www.invernessmedical.com) (NYSE: IMA - News). Alere, a Latin verb, meaning "to care for" or "to support", offers the most patient-centered health management services available from a single provider in the industry. Alere services provide health interventions that are designed for the entire lifespan from pre-cradle (high-risk pregnancy and NICU management) to end-of-life care (complex care) as well as the continuum of health from wellness (health and productivity programs) and prevention to total health management of the individual for those having various chronic illnesses.

© 2009 Inverness Medical. All rights reserved. Alere and Matria are trademarks of the Inverness Medical group of companies.

1 Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, "Incentives and Other Factors Associated with Employee Participation in Health Risk Assessments," Taitel et al., Vol. 50, No. 8, August 2008

2 Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, "Health and Productivity as a Business Strategy," Loeppke et al., Vol. 51, No. 4, April 2009

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