Johnson & Johnson's Health and Wellness Program

THE BENEFITS REAPED

To find out the impact of its HWP, the MEDSTAT group was asked to carry out an independent evaluation. The group scrutinized the medical insurance claims of 18,331 employees of J&J, who participated in the HWP during the period 1995 to 1999.

The study thoroughly analyzed the medical expenditure of employees five years before and four years after the introduction of HWP. The study revealed that J&J had enjoyed substantial financial benefits to the tune of $8.5 million in the form of annual savings in medical care costs of employees.

Most of the savings were realized in the third and fourth year of the implementation of HWP. The company saved $225 per employee annually due to the decrease in the number of hospital admissions, cases of mental health problems and outpatient services. J&J also benefited due to increased employee productivity, lower benefit plan costs and reduced absenteeism.

J&J's employees also lowered their health risks to a large extent in major risk categories. Some of these categories included ill effects of tobacco consumption and sedentary work life, high hypertension, high cholesterol, low consumption of fiber-rich food and insufficient motor vehicle safety measures.

Appreciating the benefits of HWP to J&J, Ronald J. Ozminkowski, Director, MEDSTAT said^[29] , “These results highlight the significant impact that integrating large-scale corporate health and productivity management programs can have on company medical expenditures.”

OTHER EMPLOYEE HEALTH FRIENDLY INITIATIVES

In 2001, J&J introduced a health surveillance program for its employees in the US for certain hazardous jobs. The main objective of the program was to develop measures to control workplace hazards and prevent occurrence of illnesses and injuries. Employees were asked to work in collaboration with environmental, health, safety and industrial hygiene professionals to eliminate workplace hazards. In 2001, major surveillance programs undertaken by J&J (Refer Table II) employees included:

TABLE II
SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMS DELIVERED TO J&J EMPLOYEES

Surveillance Program	Number of employees covered
Blood borne pathogens	2,770
Emergency response personnel	410
Ergonomics evaluations	2,306
Hearing conservation	1,933
Powered motorized equipment personnel	1,346
Respiratory protection	1,690

Source: www.jnj.com

TABLE III - J&J HEALTHY PEOPLE 2005 TARGETS

EXHIBIT I - CHAA'S CRITERIA AND POINT WEIGHTING OVERVIEW

EXHIBIT II - BENEFITS OF HWP REAPED BY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

EXHIBIT V - THE 16-POINT SAFE FLEET PROGRAM

ADDITIONAL READINGS AND REFERENCES

^[29] OSHA's objective is to safeguard lives, prevent injuries and protect the health of workers in the US. Almost every employee working in the US comes under the purview of OSHA, with a few exceptions like miners, transportation workers, government employees and entrepreneurs.