Association of worksite wellness center attendance with weight loss and health care cost savings: Mayo Clinic's experience.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the impact of wellness center attendance on weight loss and costs.


METHODS
A retrospective analysis was conducted using employee data, administrative claims, and electronic health records. A total of 3199 employees enrolled for 4 years (2007 to 2010) were included. Attendance was categorized as follows: 1 to 60, 61 to 180, 181 to 360, and more than 360 visits. Weight loss was defined as moving to a lower body mass index category. Total costs included paid amounts for both medical and pharmacy services.


RESULTS
Subjects with 181 to 360 and more than 360 visits were 46% (P = 0.05) and 72% (P = 0.01) more likely to have body mass index improvement compared with those with 1 to 60 visits. Compared with the mean annual cost of $13,267 for 1 to 60 visits, the mean for subjects with 61 to 180, 181 to 360, and more than 360 visits had significantly lower costs at $9538, $9332 and $8293, respectively (all P < 0.01). Higher attendance was associated with weight loss and significantly lower annual costs.
From the Division of Health Care Policy and Research (Dr Borah, Dr Shah, Ms Wagie, and Dr Yao), Department of Health Sciences; Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery (Dr Borah, Mr Egginton, and Dr Shah); Cardiovascular Division (Dr Lopez-Jimenez), Department of Medicine; Department of Otorhinolaryngology (Dr Olsen); and Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center (Mr Egginton, Dr Olsen, and Dr Lopez-Jimenez), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
Bijan J
BJ
Borah
Jason S
JS
Egginton
Nilay D
ND
Shah
Amy E
AE
Wagie
Kerry D
KD
Olsen
Xiaoxi
X
Yao
Francisco
F
Lopez-Jimenez
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D017046:Cost Savings; D005260:Female; D020446:Fitness Centers; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015431:Weight Loss; D017132:Workplace