In a previous Robard blog on job absenteeism, we found that nationally, it is estimated that obesity costs employers more than $73 billion annually in higher healthcare costs — and that is a conservative estimate. The statistics don’t end there. Employees with obesity incur more than double the amount in health care, workers compensation and short-term disability costs than normal weight employees. In fact, obesity and related diseases have driven much of the increase in healthcare costs for employers. Looking toward the future, companies are beginning to look to adding weight management to their corporate wellness packages to help them reign in healthcare and HR expenses before obesity takes them under.

Obesity is the fastest growing health problem in the United States. It’s also proving to be among the most deadly. It kills more Americans every year than AIDS, cancer and all accidents combined. It is the second leading cause of preventable death just below smoking. In fact, 67 percent of the population that are either overweight or obese have a greater probability of developing hypertension, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. This translates to over 300,000 deaths per year from obesity related complications.¹

The New Year is always a time filled with new opportunities for health care providers, specifically for those who offer medical weight management. Patients are getting messages and reminders from all directions about losing weight, and New Year’s resolutions give dieters renewed hope and motivation to start off 2019 on the right foot. This is the moment for providers to capitalize on recruitment and re-engagement efforts — so don’t miss out! If you haven’t started your 2018 evaluation and 2019 planning, now is the time.

Robard is excited to announce a new member to our New Direction Medical Advisory Panel – Dr. Valerie Sutherland, founder, CEO and CMO of Rainier Medical Weight Loss and Wellness in Tacoma, Washington!

This might be a story you have heard before: a husband and wife go on a diet. They eat the same meals, take in the same calories, exercise at the same time… but then somehow, hubby drops 10 pounds in two weeks while wifey loses maybe half of that. What gives? Well, as it turns out, a recent study shows that there does seem to be a gender component when it comes to weight loss that gives men an edge.

We are in the midst of a tough season for weight loss patients: SUMMER. Between high-calorie backyard BBQs, hot weather that makes us more lethargic, and sweet cold treats, there are so many reasons why patients falling victim to summer weight gain.

According to the Center for Disease Control, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, with approximately 610,000 heart disease related deaths in the United States every year — that’s one in every four deaths.