Abacus, SurePoint Medical partner to offer diabetes-care plan for employers

SurePoint Medical, provider of direct-to-consumer healthcare supplies and disease-management services, today announced a strategic partnership with Abacus Employer Health Solutions (Abacus) to offer its SurePoint Wellness diabetes-care plan to companies that use Abacus's Good Health Gateway^® employee health management program.    

For businesses nationwide seeking to better manage their employee healthcare costs, the new alliance offers a powerful combination of preventative and incentive-based health management tactics designed to motivate smart health choices. Diabetes afflicts nearly 26 million Americans and costs employers about $174 billion annually, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Abacus offers customized, behavior-based benefits plans that incent high-risk plan members to engage in ongoing proactive self-care. Only members who maintain compliance with program criteria earn rewards. The program has produced significant results for clients like Amica Mutual Insurance, the City of Hartford, Connecticut, and Stamford Hospital. Outcomes include improved employee health, reduced out-of-pocket costs for employees, and significant insurance savings for employers.

The SurePoint Wellness plan provides a way for employers to help employees who have diabetes or who are at risk for the disease. Participants receive home delivery of all needed supplies, including over-the-counter products like glucose meters and test strips, as well as prescribed drugs such as insulin. They also gain access to SurePoint's special online health-management tools like its vibrant diabetes e-community, http://www.besuretotest.com.

"SurePoint Medical is committed to revolutionizing healthcare delivery through initiatives that simultaneously improve employee health and reduce employer healthcare spend," said Gordon Roll, President. "Toward that end, Abacus is a natural partner for us. Because we can deliver diabetes supplies and services directly to employee-participants, it becomes much easier for them to successfully manage their health. They no longer have to make trips to the pharmacy to buy diabetes-related items and refill prescriptions. Their copays are covered by their employer, so no more problems with out-of-pocket payments."

According to Ed Aberger, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Abacus, research shows that "Adding incentives, such as eliminating the copay for targeted prescription medications, motivates employees to follow health regimens and saves companies money."

According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetics who control their blood sugar levels can reduce employers' monthly medical claim expenditures nearly fourfold, from $115 to $24.

Healthier employees are more productive, miss less work, and have fewer expensive events like hospitalizations, said Mr. Roll. Indeed, diabetes' indirect costs - through increased absenteeism, reduced productivity, and unemployment disability - cost employers more than $30 billion annually. Poorly controlled diabetes can lead to a variety of other serious health problems, including damage to the heart, kidneys, eyes, and immune system, increasing health-related and insurance expenses.

In addition to diabetes, SurePoint Medical offers targeted SurePoint Wellness treatment programs for smoking cessation, prenatal health, weight management, and cardiovascular disease.