CuraLinc's EAP Delivers Measurable Impact on Absenteeism, Productivity, Clinical Outcomes

CHICAGO - March 9, 2016 - PRLog -- To most employers, the value proposition of an employee assistance program (EAP) is based on the understanding that employees with unresolved mental health, substance use, and emotional well-being concerns often have troubles in their professional and personal lives that ultimately impact the organization’s bottom line.

Historically, EAP providers have used a variety of metrics to illustrate their ability to resolve or mitigate these concerns, such as employee utilization, referrals to external resources, satisfaction surveys, or website usage. While these valuable measurements help employers identify the level of awareness and overall usage rate of their EAP, they don't truly address the impact that the EAP had on the individuals who used the program.

New research by CuraLinc Healthcare, a leading provider of employee assistance programs, suggests that EAP models with the proper construct and focus can facilitate meaningful and lasting behavior change that leads to a decrease in absenteeism, an increase in productivity, and improved health outcomes for employees who present with depression and alcohol abuse.

Absenteeism
•    After using the EAP, the average time away from work caused by the employee’s behavioral health concern(s) decreased by 7.17 hours within 30 days.
•    From among employees who missed at least 20 hours of work due to their behavioral health concern(s) before using the EAP, only 30% missed any time at all 30 days after completing EAP treatment; and the average improvement was 38.3 hours per employee.

Productivity
•    30 days after completing EAP treatment, the mean presenteeism index score from EAP participants increased from 19.2 (average presenteeism) to 23.5 (high presenteeism), representing an improvement in employee productivity.
•    79.4% of employees reported high presenteeism after completing EAP treatment, compared to 53.3% prior to using the program.

Depression and Alcohol Use
•    41.4% of EAP participants who presented with depression were 'severe' or 'moderately severe' during the initial assessment. Thirty days after the completion of EAP treatment, that figure dropped to 10.3%.
•    From among employees who completed the questionnaire during the assessment and again after 30 days, the average depression index score improved from 10.1 (‘moderate depression’) to 3.9 (‘minimal depression’), representing a significant reduction in depressive symptoms.
•    The average AUDIT-C score for EAP participants who presented with alcohol use or abuse improved from 5.6 (during the initial assessment) to 1.6 (30 days after EAP treatment), which demonstrated a significant reduction in the abuse of alcohol.

The aforementioned results came from an analysis of over 2,506 EAP cases between January 1 and December 31, 2015. Although data was collected from all EAP participants, including spouses and dependents, only results from covered employees of CuraLinc Healthcare clients were used in the study.

CuraLinc used the following instruments to evaluate self-reported data from EAP participants.
•    Stanford Presenteeism Scale (SPS-6): Productivity
•    Workplace Outcomes Suite (WOS): Absenteeism
•    Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9): Depression
•    Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C): Alcohol Use

CuraLinc offered the SPS-6 and WOS to all employees; and offered the PHQ-9 and AUDIT-C to employees who presented with depression and alcohol abuse, respectively. After the assessment, CuraLinc followed up at 30-, 60- and 90-day intervals to measure changes in the employee’s health.

“As was the case when we released our initial outcomes study two years ago, the most recent round of results demonstrate that EAP models with the proper clinical construct can have a significant and measurable impact on the health and well-being of participants.”, said CuraLinc’s Vice President of Administration, David Pawlowski, LCPC, CEAP, SAP. In addition, according to CuraLinc’s Vice President of Clinical Operations, John Kamilis, LCPC, CEAP, DCC, “CuraLinc’s use of licensed and experienced mental health professionals to conduct assessments, monitor treatment plans, and provide long-term support and advocacy is the catalyst for the program’s outstanding results.”

About CuraLinc Healthcare
CuraLinc Healthcare provides clients with a fully-integrated array of behavioral health and wellness programs which help individuals improve their psychological and physical well-being. For more information, please call 800.490.1585, email info@curalinc.com or visit http://www.curalinc.com.