Employer interest in worksite clinics on the rise
In 2017, 33 percent of those employers provided general medical clinics, compared to 24 percent in 2012.
A third of U.S. employers with 5,000 employees or more are offering general medical clinics at the worksite, according to a Mercer survey, and that’s a sizable increase from 2012.
Survey data reveal that while in 2017 33 percent of those employers provided general medical clinics, in 2012 just 24 percent did, while worksite clinics focused on occupational health were more common, at 38 percent.
Related: Manufacturers lead pack in offering onsite clinics
However, those occupational health clinics aren’t experiencing the growth rate that those offering general medical services are. The report says that while only 16 percent of organizations with 500–4,999 employees currently provide a general medical clinic, another 8 percent say they will add one by 2019.
“Employers of all sizes and industries are finding they can effectively address the wide variations in quality and cost from local providers by offering clinics that are easily accessible, low or no cost to employees, high quality medical services at or near the worksite, and that are not driven by the need to generate volume and fees,” says Larry Boress, executive director, National Association of Worksite Health Centers.
In fact, the report says that using a worksite medical clinic as a primary care provider and even as a “medical home” is another growth trend that fits in with many employers’ strategy of leveraging Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) and other network approaches. A patient-centered medical home, it says, “is a health care delivery model whereby patients (often very high risk or chronically ill) have their care coordinated by a primary care physician, a nurse practitioner or a physician assistant.”
And 35 percent of survey respondents with general medical clinics say their clinic serves as a patient-centered medical home. That’s risen from 26 percent in 2015. In addition, 67 percent allow employees to opt for the worksite clinic as their primary care provider; in 2015, just 49 percent allowed them to do so.
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