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We've reported previously (such as here) on the use of incentives in workplace wellness programs. Some companies use incentives to help encourage employees to take biometric screening based health risk assessments.

A report by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) “examines, first, the effect of financial incentives on wellness program participation, and second, it estimates the impact of wellness program participation on utilization of health care services and spending.”

The paper, titled “Financial Incentives, Workplace Wellness Program Participation, and Utilization of Health Care Services and Spending,” found:

• “Participation in health risk assessments (HRAs) increased by 50 percentage points among members of unions that bargained in the incentive, and increased 22 percentage points among non-union employees.”
• “Participation in the biometric screening program increased 55 percentage points when financial incentives were provided.”

Moreover, the report finds that by participating in the biometric screening, employees may have created the opportunity to address personal health issues they may not previously have been addressing.

The report concludes: “In the one year following the completion of health risk assessments, no effect was seen on utilization of health care services and spending. Biometric screenings, on the other hand, increased prescription drug utilization and spending in the first year post-participation. Unsurprisingly, statins were the most positively affected therapeutic class, which one might expect since cholesterol levels were included in the biometric screening. Other evidence of chronic disease may also have been uncovered during the biometric screening process, leading to initiation or improved adherence on pharmacotherapy.”