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Employers Love Wellness Programs. But Do They Work?

As medical tests find their way into the workplace, companies risk putting workers through unnecessary screenings and invite excess treatment that can be costly and harmful, say critics like Al Lewis. He’s a former consultant to health plans and employers who used to preach the benefits of wellness and disease management. Lewis became one of their most prolific critics after he says he realized the hoped-for savings never materialized. “You have to identify and medicate tons and tons of people to prevent one or two from getting sick,” he says. Corporate HR departments are “playing doctor,” says Lewis, of Waltham, Mass. “They’re doing things they don’t really know how to do.”