Which set of metrics should a wellness program track to measure ROI and health outcomes?

• A. Participation, Productivity, and Absenteeism Only.
• B. Participation, Health Risk Changes, Medical Costs, Productivity, Absenteeism, and Employee Satisfaction.
• C. Employee Satisfaction and Attendance Only.
• D. Medical Costs Alone.

Answer: (B)

Evaluating a wellness program effectively requires tying program reach to health changes and business impact. Tracking participation shows how many people are engaged, which is essential to interpret any outcomes and to understand the program’s reach. Monitoring health risk changes demonstrates whether the program is actually improving health behaviors and reducing risk factors, which is the core health outcome you want to influence. Watching medical costs provides a direct financial signal of how health improvements translate into claims and spending, a key piece of ROI. Measuring productivity and absenteeism shows how healthier employees perform and how often they are present, connecting health outcomes to day-to-day work results. Including employee satisfaction captures morale and acceptance, which affect long-term engagement and sustainability of the program. Together, these metrics give a complete picture of value: who’s participating, whether health risks are moving in the right direction, how costs are affected, and how those changes show up in performance and feelings about the program. Other sets miss important elements—without health risk changes or medical costs you can’t gauge health impact or financial return, and without participation, productivity, absenteeism, or satisfaction you lack signals about reach and organizational value.