Why You Should Offer On-Site Clinics
Since 2010, the prevalence of primary care clinics has risen from 20% to 31% of U.S. employers with 5,000 or more employees. What’s more, 43% of these organizations reported an ROI of 1.5:1 or greater and 31% reported an ROI of 2:1 or greater. It shows that offering on-site clinics isn’t just a business trend – it’s bringing in a return on corporate investments.
These clinics give employees convenient access to healthcare services that frees them up from driving to and from appointments and from long-term illness. They can return to work sooner, remain productive, and maintain positive morale about an employer who has their back when it comes to healthcare. From efficiency to cost-effectiveness, learn about the many benefits of corporate clinics.
Reduced Costs
Delivering healthcare services on site gives you more control over employee spending because you choose providers and supplies. It also allows you to perform more preventative care, which can help identify potential problems before they become serious and require more extensive treatments. Studies also have shown how workplace clinics reduced emergency room visits, workers compensation and disability claims and other significant costs (even more so for highly physical roles).
Reduced Injuries
If an employee has a low-back pain issue but can’t get into their regular doctor for weeks or even months, the ability to skip the long wait and get to the clinic on site can prevent exacerbating the problem. Not to mention the fact that working through pain can be distracting and lead to workplace injuries – especially in manufacturing jobs.
Reduced Drug Dependency
Early intervention via more accessible appointments from on-site clinics help employees avoid or reduce the need for costly prescription drugs. Some prescriptions, like opioids, could lead to dependency that physically affects or impairs the worker. A dependency could delay that employee’s return to the job which impacts the organization and productivity levels, too.
Reduced Time Off
Plenty of us have let a lingering health concern carry on longer than it should. And when we do, we often wind up dealing with more problems that could have been avoided with faster action to begin with. When employees are in close proximity to care with a workplace clinic, they’re more likely to address those concerns sooner. Because they can be seen quicker here than at an off-site practice, they can minimize distractions of aches or pains that keep them from performing their best on the job. It means they take less time off from work to recover.
Convenience
On-site workplace clinics bring the clinic to the employees which means they avoid extra travel time to and from appointments. Employees save on transit money too because they can likely walk to the clinic on the employer’s campus. The clinics also provide continuity of care from in-network providers, so there’s no more searching at multiple practices for an opening or an approved provider (let alone one who might actually be familiar with the employee’s health history).
Improved Productivity
The time employees save on traveling off site to healthcare appointments means they can spend more time at the workplace actually working. But more importantly, healthy employees are simply more productive. The CDC says productivity losses related to personal and family health problems cost U.S. employers $1,685 per employee per year, or $225.8 billion annually. When they’re feeling good, stress levels are low and they can focus on the task at hand.
Partner with DHS for Workplace Wellness
The benefits of on-site clinics speak for themselves – and they help both employers and employees alike. Talk to Discovery Health Services about designing a tailored wellness program for your organization.