We’ve gathered information on Wellness and Disease Management with links to informative web sites

You’ve probably heard this before… “If you watch what you eat, what you drink, and exercise you’ll have a greater chance of living longer”. So why is this so difficult?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, acknowledge the leading factors to the causes of death are smoking and tobacco use, alcohol and substance abuse, accidents, diet, lack of physical fitness, emotional and mental health problems and environmental health concerns. Thus, the main causes of disease in our nation are no longer communicable. Instead, chronic disease, lifestyle, and human behavior are now the main contributing factors in the causes of death in the United States and other industrialized nations.

Many people do not seriously consider the link between lifestyle choices and their health. That situation is aggravated since persons or entities other than themselves cover the majority of the costs of their illness. As a result, they have little or no motivation to change their lifestyle, even if it would most certainly improve their health.

At Stirling Benefits, we review data to identify members who would benefit from a physical examination. Early identification and treatment can prevent many conditions from progressing. It’s accurate to say that in most cases of colon cancer, had the cancer been detected earlier, the outcome would be better, and costs would be lower, compared to diagnosis in the later stages of cancer.

As is commonly known, the only major cancer that can actually be prevented is lung cancer, and that is through smoking cessation. For the other major cancers (breast, colon, prostate, cervix) the most cost-effective and medically correct approach is to find such cancers (or their precursors) early in the course of the disease. Treatment at an early stage of cancer is far less expensive, and the patients have a much better chance of survival.

For individuals who are managing a chronic illness, we can help. Long-term outcomes are drastically improved for patients who follow the recommended disease management protocols, or so-called “best practices”. For example, properly managed diabetics who maintain controlled glucose levels, controlled cholesterol levels, and controlled blood pressure, have far fewer long-term complications such as kidney failure, heart attacks, and strokes. To manage, or control the progression of a disease requires active participation from the patient, the provider and the health plan.

Under the supervision of our medical director we have developed a program to improve results on influencing individual behavior and identify emerging disease. This integrated program offers different resource levels to our covered members based on the individuals’ needs, providing a complete approach to improving employee health.