HR Challenge #1: How do I manage growing healthcare costs?

Human resources leaders have been facing various challenges after challenges these past few years. This year is no different in terms of helping to shape the company.

Employee well-being remains among the top HR issues this year. After the major pandemic disruptions, companies begin to realise the need for customized employee health benefit plans to address individual employees’ requirements. Companies are offering better, more varied benefits, including telehealth, and expanding coverage to mental health services.

In these coming weeks, we will be bringing you a series of HR Challenges and how some of our clients have addressed them, in hope that it can also help you find a resolution.

HR Challenge #1: How do I manage growing healthcare costs?

This is a rising concern among companies and HR departments. There are many solutions around this such as tiered programmes, enhancing employee’s well-being, introducing tele-medicine, etc.

One solution that one of our MHC clients adopted was to look into a preventive care programme which included on-site health screening and an on-site health clinic. Other preventive care offerings can also be introduced such as wellness programmes, incentives for participation in health screenings or low-cost vaccination programmes that can help prevent acute illnesses.

Find out more about our MHC Programme today and how our extensive network of Panel Clinics can help you manage against today’s rising healthcare costs. With our comprehensive network credentialing process, rest assured that this cost containment comes along with appropriate care, striking the best balance between managing costs and providing comprehensive employee benefit coverage.

Find out more about our MHC Programme’s corporate health benefits can help your company today.

To book an appointment with our MHC consultant, kindly email sales@MHCAsiaGroup.com.

Health Connect – October Edition

Health Connect – October Edition 

Cataracts refer to the opacification / clouding of the lenses in one’s eyes, thereby causing a multitude of visual problems.

The majority of cataracts are age-related, and the incidence of cataracts usually increases with age due to degeneration. However, cataracts can also occur due to prior insults such as ocular trauma, infections, inflammation, radiation, medication side-effects, comorbidities etc.

The symptoms of cataracts may vary widely and include blurring and distortion of vision, blindness, difficulties with night driving, glare issues and more. It is routinely diagnosed via eye examinations (e.g. fundoscopy, slit-lamp examination) by a healthcare provider.

The management of cataracts is dependent on several factors including one’s age, maturity of cataracts, comorbidities and more. Surgical intervention, whereby new lenses are inserted, is the mainstay of treatment. Do speak to your healthcare provider for further information regarding this.

References
1. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/cataract-in-adults
2. https://www.nuh.com.sg/About-NUH/Clinical-Outcomes/Pages/Cataract.aspx#:~:text=In%20Singapore%2C%20the%20percentage%20of,people%2075%20years%20and%20older.

Health Connect – September Edition

Health Connect – September Edition

To kickstart our new monthly series, we will start off with a topic that has been widely reported in the media recently – monkeypox

Background

Monkeypox is a viral disease caused by the Monkeypox virus, an orthopoxvirus. There are 2 distinct types of the monkeypox virus – West African and Central African. The monkeypox virus from Western Africa is thought to be less virulent. While monkeypox is not a pathogen that we are familiar with in this part of the world that we live in, it has in fact been known to cause disease in humans for many years in Africa and is even endemic in certain parts of Africa.

Transmission

Monkeypox cases, outside of Africa, have been traditionally linked to global travel, importing of animals etc. However, since earlier this year, the medical community has taken note of the fact that there are cases of monkeypox infections in various parts of the world, with some patients having no known travel history. At present, investigations are underway to better understand this.

Transmission of the virus can be broadly classified into animal-to-human or human-to-human transmission. Animal-to-human transmission occurs when an individual is exposed and in contact with an infected animal’s fluids or bites etc. Human-to-human transmission can occur through close contact and exposure to infectious materials and fluids, skin lesions and respiratory droplets etc.

Clinical Manifestations

Most of the time, monkeypox infections are self-limiting and symptoms are mild, though serious complications do occasionally occur. Common symptoms include rash, fever, chills, lymph node swellings, headaches, muscle aches, fatigue and more.

Treatment

Treatment of monkeypox infections are usually supportive and symptomatic in nature. Antiviral medications/vaccinations are currently being explored.

Do refer to the resources from the Ministry of Health (Singapore) and World Health Organization for further information and the latest updates.

References

  1. Ministry of Health, Singapore. (2022, June 7). Monkeypox. Ministry of Health. Retrieved June 14, 2022, from https://www.moh.gov.sg/diseases-updates/monkeypox
  2. Isaacs, S. N. (2022, June 10). Monkeypox. UpToDate. Retrieved June 14, 2022, from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/monkeypox?search=monkeypox&source=search_result&selectedTitle=1~17&usage_type=default&display_rank=1#H2690330960

Health Connect – August Edition

Health Connect – August Edition 

Polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS for short, is a common hormonal disorder in women of reproductive age. About 10% of women in this age group have this condition, and up to 70% of cases remain undiagnosed.

What are the signs and symptoms of PCOS?

  1. Irregular or absence of menstrual period
  2. Symptoms of high male hormones: excess hair growth on body, male-pattern hair loss, decreased breast size etc.
  3. Acne, oily skin
  4. Metabolic syndrome: weight gain and obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and increased insulin level, high cholesterol
  5. Infertility/ subfertility
  6. Slightly enlarged ovaries or cysts in the ovaries

What is the cause of PCOS?

The exact cause is unknown, but it is likely to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

Some women with PCOS have several cysts in their ovaries. This is due to the eggs not being released every month, and the unreleased eggs in the ovaries form the cysts. Due to the irregular release of the eggs, menstrual periods are irregular, and women might experience difficulty with conception.

Women with PCOS may also produce more than normal levels of male hormones, which result in the features of excessive body hair, male-patterned hair loss etc.

How is PCOS diagnosed?

Your doctor will need to ask you about your medical history, and do a physical examination. Investigations like blood tests and ultrasound pelvis are required as well.

Why is it important to diagnose PCOS?

PCOS is associated with metabolic syndrome and endometrial cancer. Identification of PCOS will create the opportunity for your doctor to educate you on the long-term risks and monitor you accordingly.

Women with PCOS might also experience mood swings and depression, regular follow-up with a healthcare provider will improve pickup rates of such complications.

What is the treatment for PCOS?

There is no cure for PCOS. Treatment is targeted based on symptoms, and aim to reduce the effect of symptoms.

Lifestyle and dietary modifications
Regular exercise and weight management often help with regularization of menstrual periods.

Pharmacological management
Contraception pills might be used to regulate menstruation.
Subfertility or infertility can be managed with a specialist with either medication to induce ovulation, in vitro fertilization, or laparoscopic keyhole surgery
Metformin might sometimes be used to manage the insulin abnormalities associated with PCOS.

Health Connect – July Edition

Health Connect – July Edition

To kickstart our new monthly series, we will start off with a topic that has been widely reported in the media recently – monkeypox

Background

Monkeypox is a viral disease caused by the Monkeypox virus, an orthopoxvirus. There are 2 distinct types of the monkeypox virus – West African and Central African. The monkeypox virus from Western Africa is thought to be less virulent. While monkeypox is not a pathogen that we are familiar with in this part of the world that we live in, it has in fact been known to cause disease in humans for many years in Africa and is even endemic in certain parts of Africa.

Transmission

Monkeypox cases, outside of Africa, have been traditionally linked to global travel, importing of animals etc. However, since earlier this year, the medical community has taken note of the fact that there are cases of monkeypox infections in various parts of the world, with some patients having no known travel history. At present, investigations are underway to better understand this.

Transmission of the virus can be broadly classified into animal-to-human or human-to-human transmission. Animal-to-human transmission occurs when an individual is exposed and in contact with an infected animal’s fluids or bites etc. Human-to-human transmission can occur through close contact and exposure to infectious materials and fluids, skin lesions and respiratory droplets etc.

Clinical Manifestations

Most of the time, monkeypox infections are self-limiting and symptoms are mild, though serious complications do occasionally occur. Common symptoms include rash, fever, chills, lymph node swellings, headaches, muscle aches, fatigue and more.

Treatment

Treatment of monkeypox infections are usually supportive and symptomatic in nature. Antiviral medications/vaccinations are currently being explored.

Do refer to the resources from the Ministry of Health (Singapore) and World Health Organization for further information and the latest updates.

References

  1. Ministry of Health, Singapore. (2022, June 7). Monkeypox. Ministry of Health. Retrieved June 14, 2022, from https://www.moh.gov.sg/diseases-updates/monkeypox
  2. Isaacs, S. N. (2022, June 10). Monkeypox. UpToDate. Retrieved June 14, 2022, from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/monkeypox?search=monkeypox&source=search_result&selectedTitle=1~17&usage_type=default&display_rank=1#H2690330960