The greatest contribution to the savings is from reduced disability costs.  Specific disability conditions related to a sedentary lifestyle yielded 11 fewer disability days for the FitWorks participant.  A tiered analyses, based on total check-ins for 1995 was added to the program evaluation.  Participants with 43 check-ins annually experienced one less absence day than non-participants. 

Pacific Bell’s prenatal program, Step in Time (SIT) was evaluated this year for financial savings to the Company and program effectiveness.  Birth outcomes of SIT participants to non-participants for Health Care Network (HCN) and Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) enrollees were compared separately.  Pacific Bell average-length-of-stay (ALOS) and C-section rates were also compared to Kaiser HMO and Cigna Point of Service (POS) California-wide averages. Findings indicate the older SIT participants (ages 35-49) had lower ALOS than non-participants (2.83 vs. 3.1 days).  Older SIT participant cost/case was $6,500 compared to $7,060 for older non-participants. 

A new strategy was to integrate workplace programs with benefit program offerings.  A survey of the providers identified primary, secondary and tertiary prevention activities available to Pacific Bell employees, dependents and retirees.  These findings were validated through a randomized sampling of 2500 employees on their perceptions of and experience with provider’s prevention programs.  The reported survey data was compared with Pacific Bell’s prevention priorities and performance targets were established for the health plans. 

An additional benefit analysis to identify and address the health-related risk of potential drug-to-drug interactions (DDI) was conducted.  Pacific Telesis Group employees with prescriptions with at least one potential DDI within a two-month rolling "window" were identified.  Over a 13-month period, nearly 7,300 patients had at least one potential Level 1 interaction.  The ratio of emergency room visits for employees receiving potential DDI prescriptions, to employees who did not, was also reviewed. 

The retiree program cited in the 1995 application has been evaluated internally via pre- and post-enrollment measurements and a quality of life survey.  Since using FitWorks, 56 percent of survey respondents indicated an improvement in overall health.  Twenty-two experienced a decrease in body pain severity. The retirees’ pattern of prescription drug use has been integrated into the DDI study.