We all know an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. But even the most committed among us may put off scheduling health care appointments for various reasons - enter the option of an onsite employee health and wellness center.  

For starters, health care is expensive, and costs continue to go up. (PwC's Health Research Institute projected a 6.5% medical cost trend in 2022.) Health insurance is a complex process and can require tremendous patience to navigate. Even after you’re insured, can be weeks before a primary care physician has an opening in their schedule. After all that, you may only get a few minutes with a doctor already juggling multiple patients in a busy family clinic. 

Not an ideal set of circumstances, especially if you have a chronic condition like high blood pressure, diabetes or anxiety.

Stressors like these have some mid-size companies considering whether to build their own onsite clinic for employees. While that may seem like a huge undertaking, it’s more common - and easier- than one might think. Partners like NeoPath work closely with companies like yours to create a game plan that will help you tackle everything from benefits structure, ownership structure, culture, retention strategy, physical space, and more.

Is cost management one of the primary benefits of this approach? Sure. Companies need to manage costs to continue offering their employees comprehensive health coverage. But the benefits of an onsite employee health and wellness center don’t end with costs. Let’s look at how employees, providers, and employers all benefit from onsite care.

5 benefits of an onsite employee health and wellness center

Benefit #1: Employees have convenient access to the medical care they need

The most important consideration of all is your employees’ health and wellbeing. It’s just more convenient when they can schedule appointments and preventive screenings during the workday, and access onsite doctors more quickly without leaving the workplace, driving across town, and navigating complex medical facilities.

Benefit #2: Employees get more time with onsite providers and can build strong provider-patient relationships

Our medical staff can spend more time with your employees, getting to know them and building strong relationships. This can make it easier for providers to:

• Understand an employee’s comprehensive health profile
• Educate employees about managing their chronic conditions
• Catch employees’ health conditions or injuries earlier
• Support employees in making lifestyle changes that prevent future events
• Connect employees to other health resources if needed

Benefit #3: Employers can offer tailored wellness programming

The best onsite clinics are modeled and staffed to meet the unique needs of a company’s workforce. This means your clinic can evolve alongside your company. For example, say your annual survey indicates employees want more wellness programming. Your company is in a wonderful position to add programs tailored to your team’s needs, like comprehensive mental health services or culturally sensitive healthcare.

Benefit #4: Employers will have a healthier bottom line

Onsite clinics reduce medical costs in several ways, both direct and indirect. These could include fewer sick and absenteeism and better employee retention. Onsite clinics also:

• Help employees navigate the healthcare system.

 The medical team understands the importance of ‘in-network’ specialists and keeps both employer and employee costs in mind. If a diagnosis requires advanced levels of care, the onsite medical team can help in the search for and transition to a specialist. 

• Manage cost trends.

 When you can identify the potential for future large claims in advance, you have a better chance to lower the health plan’s cost trend.

• Mitigate high claims.

 When you identify repeated clinic use and prevalent chronic conditions, you can reduce large or complex claims through preventative care. This can also lead to fewer emergency room visits for non-emergency conditions – a huge expense for employers.

Benefit #5 Employers stand out in a competitive talent market

In a competitive talent market, your benefits package needs to stand out. When you offer an onsite health clinic, you demonstrate a solid commitment to your team’s health and wellbeing, which helps you attract and retain top talent.

Need help setting up an onsite employee health and wellness center?

At NeoPath Health, we believe there’s no substitute for the patient relationship. That’s why our clinics are fully staffed with physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals.

We create genuine relationships with our patients and provide diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and education all in one place. If you need help setting up an onsite health and wellness center, let’s connect.