Combining Benefit and Biometric Data Provides Powerful Insights

Combining Benefit and Biometric Data Provides Powerful Insights

A look at one children's hospital's data revealed unexpected correlations and clear targets for improving employee health and reducing benefit costs.
Quick Takes

  • 45% of the population had pre-hypertension, the second most costly blood pressure category.
  • Underweight people had higher average costs than those who were obese.
  • People unaware of their cholesterol levels had the highest spend.

By analyzing biometric data with benefit costs available through the Claims and Health Analytics Resource Tool (CHART), hospitals sometimes can find some unexpected data correlations and identify clear targets for improving employee health and reducing benefit costs. This new insight allows hospitals to invest health and wellness dollars strategically.

Analysis of one hospital's data revealed the following:

  • 45% of the population (1,355 people) had pre-hypertension, the second most costly blood pressure category (averaging $7,300 per person).
  • Underweight people had higher average costs than those who were obese (on average $9,800 vs $6,200 in costs). 
  • People unaware of their cholesterol levels had the highest spend ($14,500 on average). 

A closer look at the data for one hospital illustrates the actual variances: 

Blood pressure

Blood pressure category Employee count 2015 avg. allowed
N/A 14 $4,774
Normal 1,353 $6,399
Pre-hypertension 1,355 $7,274
Unblinded peer comparison 241 $10,063
Quarterly manual data submission 44 $5,377

 

Body mass index

Underweight people had higher average costs than those who were obese.

BMI category Employee count 2015 avg. allowed
Underweight 30 $9,794
Normal 933 $6,365
Overweight 925 $6,217
Obese 1,119 $8,275

 

Cholesterol levels

People unaware of their cholesterol levels had the highest spend.

Cholesterol level Employee count 2015 avg. allowed
N/A 46 $14,498
Desirable 2,072 $6,886
Borderline high 687 $6,356
High 202 $9,608

 

Glucose levels

People unaware of their glucose levels were second only to diabetic in average cost.

Glucose category Employee count 2015 avg. allowed
N/A 297 $7,420
Normal 2,319 $6,866
Pre-diabetic 308 $6,668
Diabetic (type II) 83 $12,814

 

Type II diabetes

People with type II diabetes with glucose and blood pressure levels outside normal ranges had the highest costs.

Glucose Cholesterol <175 Blood pressure  Employee count 2015 avg. allowed (n) filled script
N N N 71 $10,405 25
N N X 23  $10,208 12
N X N 47  $8,686 31
N X  X 16  $17,918  12
X N  N 26  $13,637  5
X N  X 14  $23,003  5
X X  N 27  $16,080  10
X X  X 15  $6009  2

About CHART

Organize medical and pharmacy claims, and ancillary data to create an overview of your employees’ population health with the CHART tool.