Meredith DeMartino, executive vp of talent development at Event Network Inc., keeps track of wellness program progress through the use of dashboard reports provided by her broker, San Diego-based Intercare Insurance Solutions L.L.C.

Even though San Diego-based Event Network's experience is pooled with that of other Southern California employers in Blue Shield of California's book of business, Intercare was successful in obtaining the data necessary to compile these reports through negotiations with the insurer, according to Beth Taylor, senior consultant for health and performance at Intercare. Besides claims data, Intercare also has obtained more detail on prescription drug use and diagnoses.

“It's still the rear-view mirror, but it helps paint the entire picture. We really want to look at all those indicators, the leading indicators as well as the lagging indicators,” said Ms. Taylor, calling it the “IBI approach.” Intercare is an affiliate member of the San Francisco-based Integrated Benefits Institute.

Specifically, Intercare has adapted the dashboard reports using the three categories of lagging, treatment and leading indicators developed by IBI for understanding the “total cost view” of health for an employer. For example, claims history is often a lagging indicator of a group's future health care costs, whereas health risk assessments and biometric test results generally serve as leading indicators, showing where a group may be headed, Ms. Taylor said.

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The “dashboard reports” also incorporate research by the University of Michigan's Health Management Research Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., which found that health care costs grow proportionately with the number of health risks. For example, health care costs rise 2.24 times higher annually for individuals with five health risks vs. 0.4% higher per year for those with one health risk, according to the university's research findings. The average number of health risks in the U.S. population is 2.2 per person, according to the university's study of 205,216 employees, which was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in 2004 and 2006.

The top five risk factors among Event Network's employees are obesity, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, high stress and other chronic health problems such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, asthma or arthritis, according to the dashboard reports.

The good news is that the average number of risk factors has declined among Event Network's population to 1.3 in 2011 from 1.7 in 2010. The dashboard reports also show that tobacco use is down to 1.7% of employees in 2011 from 8% of employees in 2010; only 7% of employees are considered inactive, down from 18% in 2010; and the number of individuals with five or more sick days has fallen from 8% in 2010 to 2% in 2011.

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Moreover, Event Network's health care spending has fallen precipitously compared with other Southern California employers. While the company experienced a 12% rate increase in 2010-2011 vs. the average health care trend of 10%, its costs actually fell by 4.8% compared with an average upward trend of 10% in 2011-2012. Altogether, Event Network has saved close to $700,000 since it began emphasizing wellness and prevention, according to the Intercare dashboard reports.

Ms. DeMartino is even more excited about the potential future impact of one of the leading indicators spotlighted in the dashboard reports: readiness to change lifestyle behaviors. The reports show a steady year-over-year increase in employees moving from the pre-contemplative stage to the planning and action stage.

“We like to see movement,” she said.