Digestive health issues can significantly impact productivity, healthcare costs and overall wellbeing. It's crucial for employers to address these conditions among their employees. By supporting employees with digestive health issues, employers can improve employee health, reduce healthcare expenditures and enhance workplace productivity and engagement.
Nearly 61% of U.S. adults suffer from debilitating gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms each week — twice that of diabetes.
$141B nationally GI ranks in the top four condition areas driving medical and pharmacy expenditures
Treating members with digestive health conditions can reduce overall population healthcare costs for employers. It can also improve employee health, longevity, productivity and engagement.
We support our clients by offering:
- Pharmacy and medical cost evaluation to fully assess cost and member impact
- Plan design evaluation to uncover existing options within your health plan and partner ecosystem
- Vendor partnership evaluation and selection, including clinical process review and RFP support
- Preferred partnership with digestive health providers with preferred pricing
- Implementation support after vendor selection
- Member education and engagement
Five things employers need to know about digestive health
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01
Two out of three employees live with chronic, debilitating digestive issues
But they aren’t likely to talk about it or say why they’re calling in sick — though it may be impacting every aspect of life and work. The prevalence of chronic digestive conditions continues to rise, and many suffer in silence. In fact, almost a third don’t yet have a diagnosis or are misdiagnosed.
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02
Digestive issues drive significant costs year-over-year
Digestive health is consistently a top-five and even a top-three cost category for most employers — driving over $141 billion in medical spend in the U.S. Surprised? Claims data and digestive health are complex. The true picture of the prevalence and cost of digestive conditions in your insured population is often understated in actuarial claims analyses and demands a more robust actuarial model to capture otherwise “hidden” spend.
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03
Traditional healthcare is complex for patients and employers
Patients bounce between primary care, specialists, imaging and procedures. The typical diagnostic journey for a digestive member is two to three years long, during which people continue to struggle, miss work and rely on urgent care during flares. It can also take nine months to a year to get a gastroenterology specialist appointment. Only 29% of IBS patients are satisfied with their current care.
Frustrated patients are opting out of our healthcare system. They turn to social media and try to figure out complicated symptoms on their own, where they find it difficult to identify what works and what doesn't. Many will end up in the ER where they won’t get answers – digestive symptoms are the number one reason for treat-and-release emergency room visits.
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04
Virtual digestive care gives employees convenience, confidentiality and hope — and may already be available in your health plan network
Most digestive conditions can be diagnosed and treated through telehealth, easing the burden of travel, and weathering long wait lists for an appointment. Telehealth and virtual care options aren't only convenient, they enable frequent touchpoints with digestive-specialized providers to discuss dietary changes, behavioral interventions and symptom response. This helps guide patients to understand their conditions and finally find sustainable answers to keep symptoms under control.
And the good news? Many health plans already have virtual digestive care options available as an in-network provider in their networks — which means little additional contracting or implementation for you.
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05
Digestive health is a root-cause issue that impacts the entire benefits ecosystem
Chronic GI symptoms are tightly connected to stress, anxiety and depression and often impact overall physical health. This can be especially true for women, as they are more likely to have IBS and experience stigma, misdiagnosis, or delayed care.
Other top focus areas for employers are impacted, and without digestive health benefits, other benefits may suffer.
- For individuals taking GLP-1 medications, GI side effects like nausea, bloating and constipation are common, often resulting in avoidable ER visits or discontinuation of treatment
- Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of death among cancers yet it's the most preventable — but screening compliance rates nationally are around 59%
- Up to 75% of those with diabetes have some type of GI issue — and without support, diabetes costs will continue to rise
Digestive health is no longer a niche issue. It's a massive drain on workplace productivity and avoidable spend within the system. Unmanaged symptoms can worsen various health conditions, increasing the burden on employers and representing one of the largest addressable cost categories for them. Better options are available.
