Growing Number of Companies Provide On-Site Health Care Services for Workers

A growing number of businesses are providing workers access to on-site health clinics "that potentially can save employees hundreds of dollars a year," the Wall Street Journal reports. According to a survey by Watson Wyatt and the not-for-profit National Business Group on Health, about 29% of large employers either had or were planning to open on-site clinics in 2008. The Journal reports that the "trend is gathering steam as more companies expect to reduce their overall health care spending by focusing more attention on" preventive health. Businesses "also expect employees will be more productive if they don't have to leave the workplace to seek medical treatment," according to the Journal.

Some companies -- including Intel, Walt Disney and Toyota Motor -- are providing services such as no-cost checkups and screenings at fully equipped on-site medical centers staffed by physicians and nurses. Treatments at these centers also cost less than a typical copayment for a physician visit. In addition, some companies provide insured employees with no-cost prescription drugs to help them manage chronic diseases. According to the Journal, some companies say the on-site clinics reduce overall health care expenses and, as a result, help contain employee costs. A spokesperson from Toyota said, "We've passed our health care savings on to team members with lower premiums, copays, deductibles, co-insurance and out-of-pocket maximums."

Physician groups "are concerned about the proliferation of alternative treatment centers" and "caution that such clinics should augment primary care physicians, not replace them," the Journal reports. Ted Epperly, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said, "I don't blame employers for looking at what might be most cost-effective for them to help their employees and keep health costs down. But they must take the extra step" to inform employees' primary care physicians. The academy says that its recommended guidelines for retail clinics also should apply to employer clinics. The guidelines request that employers post the scope of services that the clinic is meant to provide alongside a description of the qualifications and training of the staff (McQueen, Wall Street Journal, 11/17).