How worksite clinics enhance patient access

How worksite clinics enhance patient access January 9, 2018

Everyone wants convenience. If a store is not convenient, there’s a good chance we won’t shop there unless they have something really special that we want or need. Likewise, if healthcare is not convenient, we tend to decide it’s not worth the effort to go to the primary care physician’s office. The evolution of the worksite clinic makes healthcare convenient for employees, giving them the access they need to have their healthcare needs taken care of where they work.

Worksite clinics located on-site, at the employer’s facility, basically leave employees with no excuses to not seek healthcare. Employers recognize this fact as well. A 2015 Towers Watson Employer-Sponsored Health Care Centers Survey found that 66% of the employers who had on-site or near-site cited improved employee access to convenient health care services as one of their objectives in providing the services to their employees.

A Towers Watson senior consultant stated, when announcing the study’s finding, that “encouraged by their experience to date, many employers with these centers believe providing convenient access to health services increases employee productivity by reducing time away from work.” Convenience and access are the keys to employees taking advantage of the healthcare services provided by the clinics.

Many employers allow employees to visit worksite clinics for simple services such as immunizations, flu shots, or well checks without taking leave from their job. Often, these types of visits to the worksite clinic take little time or effort, as the clinic is located within steps of the employee’s work location.

In addition, the survey found that “Many centers offer employees access during extended hours: 55 percent are open before 8 a.m., 32 percent are open after 5 p.m., and 16 percent are open on weekends.”

Worksite clinics that take advantage of electronic health records (EHRs) also increase employees’ access to their medical information and to communication tools, so they can easily ask questions of their healthcare provider or seek out clarification on medications or care instructions.