Our Customers
- A pharmaceutical representative in Shanghai, China speaks with a customer at a local pharmacy.
Working with Customers
Abbott's global customer base is diverse: hospitals, multinational corporations, managed care organizations, government agencies, cities, and international organizations. Our growth strategy includes continuously strengthening relationships with our customers.
Changes that Last a Lifetime
Many of our customers are major employers grappling with rising health care costs. Some years ago, we posed a question to them – how can Abbott use our broad expertise across multiple chronic diseases to help employers manage health care costs while keeping their employees healthier?
Their feedback led us to create a new global commercial strategy that aligns with our leading therapeutic areas while reducing employees' health risks. What resulted was Changes That Last a Lifetime, a program developed by Abbott and utilized in partnership with the Institute for Health & Productivity Management. (www.ihpm.org) Changes educates employees about prevention and management of metabolic conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, lipid disorders and thyroid disease. What is unique about Changes is that it combines physical fitness, nutrition and behavioral change reinforcement. The program also features before-and-after health screenings and an individualized health risk assessment tool. Employees have access to motivational speakers, daily reinforcements via email and an interactive Web site.
Changes is working. In 12 weeks, municipal workers in the city of Phoenix, Arizona – one of the first employers to sign up – reported positive results. The city estimates a 28 percent reduction in cases of metabolic health conditions, outcomes that are expected to translate into future cost savings. What's unique is the high retention rate the program is achieving. Between 65 and 85 percent of employees complete the Changes program, compared to the approximately 15 percent who complete other interventional programs. The success is spreading to other cities and employers, as they see the linkage between nutrition, fitness and health care cost containment. To date, pilot programs are underway in the United Kingdom and China and will spread to other emerging markets in 2008.
