Starting April 1, the companies have allowed employees to use any of the QuadMed-run work site clinics for primary health care services. Previously, employees could use the clinics only at their respective companies. The clinics are run by QuadMed, the work site health care subsidiary of Quad/Graphics, the Sussex-based printing company.
In his medical practice, Peter Krause now allots a full hour for new patients and a half an hour for routine visits.
The additional time has changed the way he practices medicine.
“You have more time to think about each individual problem the patient has,” said Krause, a family-practice physician. “It allows you to slow down your whole thinking process, so that you are more thorough.”
Krause’s new practice is at Kohl’s Wellness Center, a family-practice clinic less than a half a mile from the company’s corporate headquarters in Menomonee Falls.
The clinic, which opened in July, is one of at least eight in Wisconsin run by companies. It also is part of a growing trend in which large companies try to rein in rising health care costs by providing the care themselves.
Many of those companies - including Quad/Graphics, one of the first to set up its own clinics - have shown that they can provide better care at a lower overall cost.
They’ve done that partly by focusing on primary care and prevention.
In an effort to contain health care costs, a growing number of businesses are establishing on-site clinics for employees and their families, as well as fitness centers and wellness programs.
The trend is being fueled by rising health care premiums. According to the 2006 Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health Benefits Survey, released in late September 2006, employer health premiums rose by 7.7 percent in 2006. Although that increase is less than those of recent years, it is still considered burdensome by many employers.
“There is no question that on-site health clinics can deliver significant cost savings to employers, particularly when they take an outsourced approach,” said Kelly Victory, M.D., chief medical officer of Whole Health Management of Cleveland, Ohio, a company that provides on-site health and fitness solutions for more than 29 client organizations nationwide.
“We are able to save our clients money on their direct health care spending, in addition to their indirect costs, such as lost work time, lost productivity, and employee turnover,” Victory said.
Determining Applicability
Whole Health Management President Jim Hummer said health care is usually provided after preventable illnesses and disabilities arise. Instead, he tells potential clients, “We can help you achieve a healthier workforce that consumes less health care services and is more productive.”
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