A screening program to assess the risk for heart disease is making its way around the business community.
Sandy Shapleigh spent 30 years working in the dire consequences department of the health-care system.
As an emergency room nurse, specializing in cardiac care, she saw the often fatal results of heart disease.
Now she’s working at the other end of the system.
“It’s wonderful to be on the prevention side,” said Shapleigh.
She is one of two nurses working with Scorekeeper, a voluntary program that screens people to assess their risk of heart disease. Since last spring, 600 people have been screened by the program, which is administered by the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute.
About half of them were identified as at-risk for heart disease, many of whom didn’t know it, said Sandi Kottman, primary prevention manager at CMHVI. About 42 percent were identified as at-risk for a heart attack within a 10-year period, and 48 percent had elevated cholesterol readings.
“What we’re doing is very, very exciting,” said Kottman.
The program has evolved since 1974 when Sandy and Burgess Record, Franklin County health-care providers, began compiling a test to assess risk factors for heart disease. Thirty years later, the concept has become a trademarked software and screening program and is being marketed to businesses as a tool to identify employees at risk for heart disease.
The benefit to the employee is clear. But now a growing number of businesses are also anticipating benefits, both for their employees and their bottom lines.
The Skelton, Taintor & Abbott law firm in Auburn underwent the screening in June. James Ferrante, an administrator for company, said the overriding concern is for the well-being of their 42 employees, many of whom have been with the firm for decades. But there are financial concerns as well.
“We’re hopeful there will be benefits in lost time and lower health insurance costs,” said Ferrante.
Ferrante has reason to be concerned.
Heart disease costs more than $350 billion a year, according to statistics from the American Heart Association. That figure includes direct costs such as physician, hospital and drug fees as well as the indirect costs such as lost productivity, which is estimated at $32 billion.
And health insurance premiums continue to rise, shrinking the number of businesses that can afford to offer the benefit to its employees. Nationally, premiums have seen double-digit increases for the last three years, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Employee-sponsored health benefits reach nearly three out of every five Americans, but more of them are paying a higher percentage of the health insurance premiums.
“It’s to everyone’s advantage to prevent heart disease, rather than deal with it after the fact,” said Kottman.
Information, please
It takes about a half an hour to do the Scorekeeper screening. Shapleigh sets up her laptop computer and fires up the Scorekeeper software as a client waits patiently. She explains that the screening gives a quick snapshot of a person’s cardiovascular profile and that the client will get a printout which identifies areas of concern as well as areas where the client has reached a goal.
She asks questions ranging from diet and exercise to family history and enters the responses on the computer. Shapleigh said it’s a great opportunity to pass along crucial information in a casual, non-intimidating way.
“Do you know the warning signs for a heart attack?” she asks a female client. “They’re different than those for a man.”
Shapleigh ticks off the symptoms and then asks what’s the appropriate response if the client feels a heart attack coming on.
“Always call 911,” Shapleigh said, explaining that emergency medical responders can administer oxygen and medication, which can be crucial in mitigating a heart attack.
She then records height, weight, blood pressure and takes a small blood sample to check cholesterol level.
When all the information has been entered into the computer, it spits out a profile assessing the client’s risk of heart disease. Shapleigh goes over areas of concern and suggests follow-up. Sometimes they are lifestyle changes, sometimes they are medical interventions. A copy of the profile is sent to the client’s physician.
“What really works about this program is the interaction,” said Shapleigh.
The individual reports are kept confidential, but an aggregate of the workforce is given to the business. When Connie Poulin, the director of human resources at Skelton Taintor & Abbott got her company’s report, she was surprised.
“Some of the risk factors were higher than we expected,” she said. “The risks for general heart disease and stress were high.”
She and Ferrante opted to offer a series of lunchtime workshops designed to address the risk factors. The outreach, also a component of Scorekeeper, will continue for six weeks. As an incentive, the law firm is offering employees who complete the workshop series a free, two-month membership in a local fitness center.
A follow-up screening will be scheduled this winter to see how people are doing. Twenty-eight of the firm’s 42 employees underwent the screening in June; Ferrante is hoping the other employees will sign up for a screening during the follow-up. Ideally all 42 employees will undergo screening.
“We hope everyone takes advantage of it,” said Ferrante. “It’s not directed at anyone in particular, but to assess everyone’s risk.”
Ferrante said one, generally-fit employee was shocked to see a cholesterol reading 50 points higher than he expected. He contacted his own physician to schedule a complete lipid screening.
Surprises are common. Kottman said one woman’s blood pressure registered 182 over 118 at a Banknorth screening in September.
“She went to the doctor right away,” she said.
Cianbro construction was one of the first businesses to undergo the screening. As a result of the follow-up, the company’s health profile improved to the point where it reduced lost time, sick time and its premiums began to go down, said Kottman.
Ferrante said the law firm hopes to realize a savings on its health care costs in the long term, but expects costs could go up in the short term as people pursue treatments.
Still, it’s an investment in the well-being of its employees that matters the most.
“We care about our employees,” he said. “That’s really why we ‘re doing it.”
Comments are no longer available on this story