What Kind Of Onsite Health Clinic Does Your Company Need?
Fri, Oct 2, 2009
What’s the best type of onsite health clinic for your company? It depends on what your company does, and what your onsite healthcare goals are.
If you’re a heavy manufacturer, you’re probably most concerned with occupational health issues, such as injury treatment and workers’ comp case management. If you’re a software developer, law firm or other “white collar” company, you’re more likely interested in group health issues such as primary care and employee wellness.
And some employers need to manage both occupational risks and rising costs and, therefore, provide occupational and group healthcare in their clinics. Municipal governments and school districts are good examples of employers with “dual” onsite healthcare goals.
So what’s the difference between occupational health and group health? Truth be told, the care provided is very similar. In either scenario, if you cut your hand or strain your back, the onsite health clinic treats your injury.
Occupational health and group health differ in their objectives, and in the number of people involved in meeting those objectives. In occupational health, there are four parties monitoring each stage of treatment – the employee (patient), healthcare provider (doctor), employer, and insurance carrier — and their goals often conflict.
While everyone wants the employee to fully recover, the doctor, employer, and insurance carrier want the employee to return to work as quickly as possible. The employee often prefers more time off, and resists the efforts to “compress” his recovery.
Thus, “occupational health” is both a medical system – ensuring proper emergency treatment and therapy are provided – and legal system – ensuring all parties’ interests are considered as disputes are resolved.
The goals of “group health” are simpler and less adversarial. An onsite doctor or nurse provides patients with any needed primary or emergency care, along with a range of employee wellness services.
The care is performed on a fixed cost basis, significantly reducing employer healthcare costs, and does not involve extensive participation by other parties. It’s purely a medical system centered on the doctor/patient relationship.
Yes, a professionally staffed clinic can meet any of your onsite health objectives, whether they involve occupational health, group health or a combination of both.
Related posts
Tags: group health, Occupational Health, Onsite Health Clinic
Scott is the VP, Sales and Marketing at Workplace Health Services. In this role Scott strives to integrate a complex group of service offerings into a simple to understand package for prospects and clients.
Leave a Reply