MIAMI, May 26 (UPI) -- The University of Miami and Humana Inc. plan a center to study what "wellness" programs do the best job of improving health and keeping medical costs down.
The Health Services Research Center announced Thursday is expected to open next year in south Florida.
While wellness programs, with amenities like company health clubs and stop-smoking programs, have become popular, there is little research on what they achieve.
Dr. Laurence Gardner, chairman of Miami's Department of Medicine, said the center will allow researchers to examine the programs in detail.
"This new research center will be one of the first to look at what happens when you introduce a culture of wellness into your workforce," Gardner said. "In a scientific way, how does encouraging exercise, a healthy diet and weight loss have an impact on health care costs and missed days of work?"
Researchers will be able to use data from the university and from Humana's records. Humana is one of the country's largest health benefits companies.
