Economic burden of illness for employees with painful conditions

Objective: We sought to compare the medical services utilization and average annual direct (ie, medical and medication) and indirect (ie, work-loss) costs for employees with painful conditions to a random sample (average employee). Methods:. An employer administrative claims database (approximately 600, 000 insured lives) was used to identify patients with ICD-9 codes for painful conditions. Direct costs were total employer medical and medication costs and indirect costs were associated with medically related absenteeism days and disability claims. Results: Among employees with painful conditions, total costs were 1.5 to 3.5 times as high ( P < 0. 01) as those of the average employee (ie, $7088 to $16,874 compared with $4,849) depending on the painful condition. Conclusions: Painful conditions are costly to employers, and better management/treatment of such conditions may help reduce the associated employer economic burden.