Project for Integrative Health and the Triple Aim (PIHTA) - Knowledge Base

Employers/Workplace

Workplace Wellness Programs Can Generate Savings
Baicker K, Cutler D, Song Z

Meta-Analysis of workplace based wellness and prevention programs. The primary outcomes analyzed were health costs and absenteeism. Both cost categories showed decreased costs per dollar invested in the programs ($3.27, $2.73 respectively).

The Efficacy and Cost Effectiveness of Integrative Medicine A Review of the Medical and Corporate Literature
Guarneri E, Horrigan BJ, Pechura CM

A review of integrative medicine that proposes three distinct areas for cost savings via integrative care. These include lifestyle change programs, integrative care for depression, and prevention/wellness programs. Provides examples from varied stakeholders for each area..

Cost Effectiveness of Naturopathic Care for Chronic Low Back Pain
Patricia Herman, Orest Szczurko, Kieran Cooley, Edward Mills

Results from this economic evaluation suggest that naturopathic care for the treatment of chronic low back pain is more cost-effective than standardized physiotherapy program from societal, employer and patient perspectives. Those in the naturopathic care group showed an improvement in health related QoLs and a reduction in adjucntive care and absenteeism when compared to the control treatment.

Cost Analysis Related to Dose-Response of Spinal Manipulative Therapy for Chronic Low Back Pain: Outcomes From A Randomized Control Trial.
Darcy Vavrek, Rajiv Sharma and Mitchell Haas

Findings from this study show that 12 spinal manipulation therapy sessions may contribute to a reduction in pain-free and disability-free days for patients with chronic low back pain.

Early Predictors of Lumbar Spine Surgery After Occupational Back Injury: Results from a Prospective Study of Workers in Washington State
Benjamin Keeney, Deborah Fulton-Kehoe, Judith Turner, Thomas Wickizer, Kwun Chuen Gary Chan, and Gary Franklin

This prospective population-based cohort study involving workers in Washington state suggests that patients who first saw a chiropractor instead of a surgeon were able to reduce their odds for undergoing surgery. According to these findings, only 1.5% of individuals who first visited a chiropractor underwent surgery while 42.7% of surgeons' patients had surgery.