Pandemic didn't put a damper on the role of workplace health centers
In a recent survey, just 1% of large employers said they would decrease the number of health center locations as a result of the pandemic.
A new report by Mercer has found that employers continue to see workplace health centers as an important benefit, even during a pandemic that has increased work-from-home arrangements and caused other disruptions.
The report was based on a survey done in collaboration with the National Association of Worksite Health Centers (NAWHC), a trade association for employer-sponsored health centers. The two organizations surveyed companies of all sizes about their worksite health centers.
Related: How are employers’ onsite clinics faring amid COVID?
The study found that nearly one-third (31%) of all large employers (5,000+ employees) offer primary care worksite health centers, an increase from 20% in 2010. Despite the uncertainty and disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, employers appear to have remained committed to the concept: only 1% of respondents said they would decrease the number of health center locations as a result of the pandemic.
Officials with Mercer said the findings suggest that the lesson that employers have taken from the pandemic is that health benefits such as onsite clinics are more important than ever.
“When a company prioritizes taking care of its employees, everything else falls into place,” said David Keyt, Mercer’s Worksite Health Consulting Group Leader. “Employers can show support by offering a holistic approach to well-being and a gold standard for supporting employee health is access to onsite or near-site health centers. These findings show that rather than cutting back on this popular benefit during the pandemic, employers are instead embracing it as the foundation of their health, safety, and well-being strategy.”
The rise of primary care as the primary job of onsite clinics
The study also revealed an evolution in how larger employers use onsite clinics: over ten years, the percentage of companies with clinics focused on primary care rose (from 20% to 31%), while the percentage of companies with clinics that provided only occupational health services saw a decline (from 35% to 25%).
“Employers increasingly see worksite clinics as a way to provide convenient, quality, and cost-effective primary care, not just to employees but to their family members as well,” the report said. “Just 40% of sponsors with 5,000 or more employees limit the use of the clinic to employees only; the majority permit family members to use the clinic (59% allow spouses and domestic partners, and 49% allow children).”
Telehealth, COVID-related services on the rise
As with other areas of health care, the pandemic has caused some changes and is an area of focus for providers. A large majority of the clinics offered diagnostic testing (66%), with antibody testing offered in a quarter of clinics (25%). Daily COVID screening was administered by 39% of clinics, with 18% conducting contact tracing. Over two-fifths (42%) administered COVID-19 vaccines. The report noted that those number are likely to increase because of federal guidelines on vaccine mandates.
Telehealth also saw a big jump, with 78% of centers providing telehealth services in 2020, up from 21% in 2018.
The report concluded by outlining how employers can leverage workplace health centers to expand health benefits to employees.
“A worksite health center, whether it’s onsite, near-site, shared, mobile or virtual, can be the hub of all of an employer’s benefit and wellness programs, increasing engagement and integrating care to more fully support the health of employees and their family members,” said Larry Boress, executive director of NAWHC. “Access to convenient and quality care is a critical strategy to improve health and productivity for organizations given the workforce disruptions over the last 18 months and growing challenges to hire and retain workers.”
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