Diabetes affects 37 million people in the United States, and uncontrolled diabetes costs employers across all industries $20 billion per year. According to a recent study, U.S. employees with diabetes account for 58 million more days of unplanned missed work each year compared with their colleagues. It's one reason why more employers are investing in diabetes management initiatives — and why the ability to demonstrate return on investment (ROI) is critical.

All told, the annual direct costs of diabetes to employers amount to $237 billion in hospitalization, medical care, treatment and supplies, and other expenses. Indirect costs, meanwhile, include $3.3 billion in absenteeism, $26.9 billion in reduced productivity at work, $2.3 billion for inability to work because of disease-related disability and $19.9 billion in lost productivity. Thus, it should be no surprise that more employers, large and mid-size, are taking chronic disease management, particularly diabetes management, into their own hands.