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| Issue No. 3 |
December 2009 |
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Greetings!
The majority of our space in this issue will refer to one study completed by Towers Perrin, the annual "Health Care Cost Survey". The study compares the health care costs for "high" performing companies versus "low" performers. While this survey touches on many, many data points and describes the findings and their impact on employers and employees alike, the focus is not exclusively on those companies with on-site services.
Also in this issue, hospitals take an interest in workplace health and employers rediscover direct contracting with a new twist - incentives for reductions in admissions. The Indianapolis example (below) gives direct contracting a whole new meaning.
Please read on. . . . |
| Towers Perrin Health Care Cost Survey Findings |
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This annual survey of primarily Fortune 1000 companies focuses on identifying trends in health care costs among employers, how those costs are shared between employers and their employees, and how they differ between "high" and "low" performing companies. There is no criteria that on-site services be offered. However, for those of you who are already engaged in on-site clinics, you will immediately recognize many of the characteristics of high performers cited in the study, including: ".. building connectivity across all their health-related programs and vendors"; ". . company views employee health as a critical component of superior business performance" (emphasis added); "company promotes a culture of shared responsibility and accountability"; and ". . . expand their use of incentives to engage employees in health and wellness initiatives." The list goes on - all features of an employer-managed healthcare program that includes an on-site service. What do these high performing companies reap as benefits? Average healthcare costs that are 16% lower than that of the "low" performing companies.
With the potential, through bills being considered in Congress right now, that an excise tax will be levied on so-called "Cadillac" health care plans, companies with on-site clinics can potentially postpone meeting the economic cap suggested ($21,000/employee) by as much as four or more years, thereby further reducing the impact on the bottom line just at a time when all businesses are facing critical economic decisions.
No matter what health benefit initiatives your company currently offers, you will want to read the summary of this study. |
| St. Vincent-Novia Clinic Partnership |
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Novia CareClinics, located in Indianapolis and with most of their business in Indiana (20 of their 23 clinics are located there), recently partnered with St. Vincent's Health System to open on-site clinics in four new locations: Hillenbrand, Inc.; Youth Opportunity; and the cities of Kokomo and Noblesville, Indiana. And the incentives are aligned to actually keep patients out of the hospital. Not something that would normally come up with contract negotiations between any insurance company and hospital, right? But, what many in healthcare might think are "strange" talking points become the norm in the employer-managed healthcare arena. Talk about "thinking outside of the box". Here you go. |
| For more on-site clinic news, visit our Web site at www.onsiteclinics.org . | |
Want to network with other colleagues involved in (or are you just interested in learning more about) on-site clinics? There are multiple opportunities coming up.
The 19th Annual Health Benefits Conference & Expo will be held January 25-26, 2010 in Clearwater Beach, Florida. This promises to provide multiple sessions of interest with presenters that include staff from Caterpillar, Rosen Hotels & Resorts, and numerous others with expertise in on-site care and related benefits issues.
The 3rd Annual On-Site Employee Health Clinic Summit will be held in Orlando, Florida on February 25-26, 2010. There are two tracks, one for large employers and one for small to mid-sized employers. Many of the presenters have first-hand experience at running an on-site clinic.
Also of note, Cerner Corporation's "Invitation Only" IT focused strategy session will be held in February in Kansas City. This session will highlight their efforts in community-based and workplace health. Many know that Cerner has initiated clinics on its own campus, as well as installations based at Cisco. Cerner information can be found at www.cerner.com.
All of the upcoming meetings are kept current on our Web site.
Sincerely,
Mike La Penna
The La Penna Group, Inc.
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ON-SITE CLINIC NEWSLETTER
