Discovering Gold through the ROI of Preventive Care Programs: Brazil´s Hidden Treasure Hunt

The age-old wisdom of ‘prevention is better than cure’ has endured for centuries, and for good reason. It’s not only wiser but also lighter on the wallet to stop an illness in its tracks rather than tackling it after the fact – and this applies to mental, physical, and occupational health.

Health promotion, vital for individual and community well-being, receives immense investments from the Federal Government, semi-governmental entities, employers, and health plans. Now here’s the mathematical twist: is this investment paying off as generously as ancient wisdom suggests? It’s a tough call in this fragmented landscape, where defining what falls under preventive care is as clear as mud. Is the focus on addiction, avoiding accidents, or non-communicable diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and mental health the correct focus? Who’s getting the attention, the young, the old, or the working population? Time to ask for a bit of light on this treasure hunt.

Companies should have an important role in preventive care. But how to do it?

Around 20% of the Brazilian population are employed by firms, and employers are expected to provide preventive care programs. It makes sense: the workplace is where you can influence most people. Employers are therefore tasked with implementing ‘Human Sustainability’. And the budget? Well, the employers’ foot the bill. In return, they supposedly should reap the benefits of reduced absenteeism, presenteeism, turnover, and a laundry list of hiring costs. A golden opportunity, right? Yet, no one seems to find the gold on the treasure map.

Employers face the Herculean task of allocating budgets for employee preventive care and deciding: mental health or physical well-being, which programs, which providers, who should implement such programs? It’s a big puzzle, especially when HR already juggles a to-do list the size of an encyclopaedia, and the market’s full of well-being solutions selling eye-popping ROIs. Finance departments tremble at the prospect of asking and receiving no clear answers on which program best suits their staff and how to justify it with numbers.

Read more: What are the ‘Essential ingredients’ of a Wellness Program ROI Calculation?

Hence, the appeal of dismissing preventive programs in favour of technology investments, which have well defined ROI metrics. The result? Preventive care budgets remain modest or get pushed to the next fiscal year. Sometimes, the cheapest program gets implemented just to tick a box. And the gold remains untapped.

ROI calculations following the same methodology as investments in capital equipment is the solution. The calculation methodology must as valid and convincing as those of ROI calculations f other corporate investments.

Calculating the ROI in preventive care

For three decades, Wellcast has witnessed the dazzling ROIs of preventive care programs across countries, industries, and organizations. With the WELLCAST ROI© Calculator, organizations can slap a price tag on their ‘better health and happier minds’ programs. A single calculation and a comprehensive ROI report can light the way for your organization’s mission to care for its employees. You can get your free demo today. Talk to us: https://wellcastroi.com/en/contact/