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Kuan · #1 05-22-2007, 05:20 PM

http://www.startribune.com/1244/story/1197828.html

Quote:

Staying in shape cuts health costs, study says

Plan members enrolled in fitness programs had fewer doctor visits and hospital stays.

By David Phelps, Star Tribune

That better health goes with better fitness might be stating the obvious, but Minnesota's largest insurers and fitness centers now have numbers to do the talking.

For Medica clients who used Life Time Fitness facilities at least eight times a month in the past two years, hospital and clinic claims declined by 64.3 percent, physician claims dropped by 13 percent and claims for prescription drugs decreased by 9.2 percent, according to a study released Monday by Medica and Life Time.

Participants in Blue Cross' Blue Print for Health fitness center discount program also had lower claim costs and fewer emergency room visits and hospital admissions.

"It's always nice when facts match your intuition," said Dr. Charles Fazio, Medica's chief medical officer. "We're seeing people use health care less."

HealthPartners has a similar incentive program called Frequent Fitness. It is conducting a study of claims activity by program members but does not have conclusive numbers yet.

Both Medica and Blue Cross offer fitness plan participants a $20 monthly rebate on their fitness center membership fees if they use the facility at least eight times a month. Medica's fitness center partnership is with Life Time. Blue Cross' fitness network includes national chains and independent centers.

The Medica findings are based on a study of 3,249 members who belonged to the insurer's Fit Choices program. The Fit Choices participants were compared to a similar size non-Fit Choices group with comparable demographics, health status and health care consumption habits.

Among that group, the Medica study found, there were 63.6 percent more visits to hospitals, 105 percent more visits to emergency rooms and 43.3 percent more visits to outpatient facilities. Over the two-year life of the study, fit Medica members had average monthly claims of $219.97 while the average monthly claims of the other group was 50 percent higher at $331.16.

"The value and economic impact of physical fitness is significant, especially in light of more consumer-driven health plans," said Glen Gunderson, a vice president for Life Time. "This is a heckuva motivation."

Members of the Blue Cross fitness plan experienced claim costs that were 17.8 percent lower than non-participants. Emergency room visits occurred 38.7 percent less often and hospital admissions were 41.4 percent lower. Blue Cross also found that 43 percent of those surveyed joined a health club to get the discount.

Blue Cross found that nearly two-thirds of those who signed up for the discount program live within 2 miles of a participating fitness center while those who didn't lived at least 3½ miles from the nearest center.

"The biggest surprise to me was the tight correlation between participation and proximity to the club," said Shawn Patterson, Blue Cross marketing vice president. "I guess that's why there's a McDonald's on every corner."