Benefits | Cholesterol Interventions
Health benefits for cholesterol screening and control1-3
Employee health benefits are part of an overall compensation package and affect an employee’s willingness to seek preventive services and clinical care.
Provide coverage for cholesterol screening, counseling, and treatment for employees
- Cholesterol screening allows employees and clinicians to identify high cholesterol and begin cholesterol lowering treatments. Reducing total and LDL cholesterol levels to a normal level reduces the risk of heart disease
- The National Cholesterol Education Program’s (NCEP) Adult Treatment Expert Panel-III recommends:
- Clinicians routinely screen all adults aged 20 and older for elevated blood cholesterol levels every 5 years
- Screening should involve a complete lipoprotein profile
- Clinicians counsel all patients at risk for cardiovascular disease (i.e., those individuals with elevated low-density lipoprotein or lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels) about healthy lifestyles, healthy eating (e.g., lowering saturated fat intake), losing weight, and increasing physical activity
- If high blood cholesterol is detected, coverage for the following will enhance clinical care:
- Counseling to promote therapeutic lifestyle changes
- Office visits to monitor high cholesterol and treatment efforts
- Medications used to treat cholesterol disorders
- Health care or allied health professionals (i.e., health educators), or lay health advisors or volunteers need to educate individuals about the benefits and availability of screening, encourage individuals to be screened, and provide lifestyle counseling for those with elevated cholesterol levels. This type of education and counseling can be provided to individuals by telephone, face-to-face in an office or clinic setting, or at the workplace
- Counseling can be supplemented by brochures, informational letters, or reminders. The interventions can be tailored to address risks, questions, or barriers relevant to the individual or to a group
1. Campbell KP, Lanza A, Dixon R, Chattopadhyay S, Molinari N, Finch RA, editors. A Purchaser’s Guide to Clinical Preventive Services: Moving Science into Coverage. Washington, DC: National Business Group on Health; 2006.
2. Matson Koffman DM, Goetzel RZ, Anwuri VV, Shore K, Orenstein D, LaPier T. Heart-healthy and stroke-free: successful business strategies to prevent cardiovascular disease. Am J Prev Med. 2005; 29(5), suppl. 1:113-121.
3. Matson Koffman DM, Lanza A, Campbell KP. A Purchaser’s Guide to Clinical Preventive Services: A tool to improve health care coverage for prevention. Preventing Chronic Disease, April 2008; 5(2).