Many employers have found that by offering preventive health or urgent care services to their employees through onsite, near-site, mobile or virtual clinics, they can dramatically improve their workforce's access to care and boost their overall health and well-being. These facilities' proximity to the workplace also reduces employees' time away from work and increases their engagement with better health practices.
According to a recent survey by the National Association of Worksite Health Centers, more than 30% of employers of all sizes have some form of an onsite or near-site medical clinic. One such clinic system, built through a partnership between Vanderbilt Health and Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), has resulted in multiple, wide-ranging benefits for the employer and its workforce.
MNPS' Transformational Wellness Centers
In an effort to enhance employee health, MNPS Executive Director of Benefits David Hines reached out to Vanderbilt Health in 2009 to provide direct primary care for MNPS employees. MNPS established five onsite health clinics no more than 15 minutes from any workplace. These Nashville-area clinics are staffed with Vanderbilt family nurse practitioners who have a holistic focus, looking beyond patients' presenting condition to their overall health. For employees and dependents covered by the teachers' health plan, preventive and non-preventive care is provided at no cost. And pharmacy copays for common health conditions such as diabetes, asthma/COPD and cardiovascular disease have been removed.
These actions saved money. The MNPS average medical trend lowered from 6.6% to 3.9%, allowing the organization to increase its reserves and reinvest its savings. In 2017 MNPS opened a 26,000-square-foot wellness center for educators. The wellness center includes an exercise facility with fitness coaches, café, full pharmacy and a comprehensive health care clinic staffed with primary care providers, psychiatric nurse practitioners, chiropractors, acupuncturists, physical therapists and health coaches. The integrated health care approach has netted MNPS an average savings of $3 million annually. This figure has also been validated by the RAND Corporation, which confirmed that MNPS’ approach to health care and health benefits both lowered cost and improved health outcomes.
Learn More
To learn more about creating and/or expanding your own worksite health center, reach out to the Employer Solutions team at employersolutions@vumc.org. And consider attending the National Association of Worksite Health Centers' 10th Annual Conference Sept. 8-9 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Nashville. Check out the details and register at this link.