Determining the value of wellness programs.

Recent advances can give companies a solid set of return on investment (ROI) measurements on their health improvement programs, provided they are willing to invest in both wellness programs and measurement efforts that effectively gauge those programs' merit. As this article explains, choosing the right methodology will depend on the health improvement programs being evaluated, data and resources available, and the degree of precision desired by management. The authors discuss the different measurement methodologies and various measurement considerations. They conclude that using several methods and multiple iterations under varying sets of assumptions is often useful, not only for calculating ROI but also for providing companies a framework for continual program tracking and improvement.