A case study for calculating employer costs for lost productive time in episodic migraine and chronic migraine: results of the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention Study.

OBJECTIVE: To model workplace lost productive time (LPT) from episodic migraine (EM) and chronic migraine (CM).

METHODS: We used published estimates of migraine epidemiology and related LPT to model the impact of migraine on two typical US workforce scenarios that differ by gender and age.

RESULTS: In a simulated service sector workforce of 10,000 individuals, the migraine-related LPT was $2.9 million annually compared with $2.1 million for a manufacturing workforce. Individuals with moderate frequency EM accounted for 42% of the cost. Individuals with high frequency EM and CM comprised 10% of all migraine sufferers and accounted for 22% of the LPT.

CONCLUSIONS: Lost productive time impact of migraine and other health problems depends on workforce demographics and the cost of labor. Employers can often estimate LPT costs to reveal priorities for optimizing use of health care.