Evaluating Onsite Care Centers: Better Health Outcomes For Your Organization

Healthcare delivery has a major impact on an organization’s budget and workforce. When employees are sick, they aren’t able to focus on their work. Employers who skimp on healthcare should expect significant losses in productivity, which could outweigh the savings represented by lower-cost care.

Advanced primary care delivered through a worksite or onsite care center is the most effective healthcare delivery option for employers who want the best out of their organization and employees. But, implementing such a care center does come with substantial upfront costs that can be hard for some employers to accept.

Rather than focus on the upfront costs, organizations should see a worksite care center as an investment that will provide long-term gains well into the future.

Reduce acute care and specialist visits

One of the biggest healthcare costs for companies comes from acute care and specialist visits, both because of the claims inherent cost and the associated productivity losses that come with more elaborate care.

The problem is, traditional healthcare has trained employees to ignore health issues because they don’t feel that they can take time off from work. So, their problems become worse until they demand an acute or specialty care visit.

An onsite care center can significantly reduce claims associated with acute and specialist care by getting members the treatment they need before issues turn into bigger problems. Care centers are able to provide nearly all members primary care needs at one convenient location for little to no cost, so employees don’t put off going to see a provider.

The result is a workforce that’s more proactive about taking care of their health, and less likely to end up in the emergency room or in specialty care because of a neglected health issue.

Make visits easier and reduce time out of the office

HR administrators are constantly thinking of ways to increase utilization of employee benefits. Here are two ways an onsite care center improves on the standard process of seeing a provider.

1. Provide convenient access — Instead of traveling across town, members can drop into an onsite or near-site care center without taking time off from work.
2. Remove financial barriers — Nearly all of a member’s primary care needs are met at an onsite care center for little to no cost, including most basic prescription services, which relieves anxiety many members have about incurring high healthcare costs

When healthcare is easy to access, member engagement goes up. Patients who are regularly engaged with their health are more likely to stay healthy, reducing claims costs and improving productivity.

Manage chronic disease more effectively

Chronic diseases, like diabetes, are one of the most expensive claims costs for organizations. Onsite care centers tackle chronic disease with dedicated care teams. Teams take a holistic approach to member care, considering psychosocial, environmental, and economic factors that affect their overall health and ability to manage their disease.

Care teams partner with members to develop comprehensive, personalized care plans that reflect a member’s whole health. Because the care center is highly accessible, chronic disease members are more likely to engage with care teams and become advocates for their own health in managing their condition. Long-term, better disease management reduces claims costs.

At Seattle Children’s, a Vera care center engaged nearly 100% of employees with type 2 diabetes and created a reduction in annual spend of $920.00 per year, per member after year two.

Empower employees through health coaching

One of the biggest determinants of healthcare costs is member behavior. According to the National Association of Health Underwriters, roughly 70% of healthcare costs are tied to behaviors.

Onsite care centers that integrate health coaching offer a clear way to engage with members and guide them toward practices that ultimately result in behavior change. Health coaches use empathetic listening to meet a member where they’re at in their own journey of change.

And, because Vera health coaches partner with providers, members get the benefit of a highly coordinated, comprehensive approach to their overall care.

Vera care centers provide a map to better outcomes

At Vera, we’ve teamed up with dozens of organizations to provide advanced primary care at conveniently located care centers. At each one, dedicated care teams, integrated health coaching, and comprehensive care coordination have driven outcomes that include:

• Claims decrease by the end of year one
• Improved cost containment
• Reduced absenteeism
• Increased productivity
• Higher employee satisfaction

Onsite care centers are a proven and effective healthcare model that give employers an opportunity to reduce unmanaged healthcare costs and improve overall employee health outcomes.

Learn how advanced primary care is delivered at an onsite care center. Download our free resource: Advanced Primary Care: The Front Line Of A Health Revolution.