This Week's Herman Trend Alert Access to Healthcare Information Saves Lives

The Herman Trend Alert August 23, 2006 Onsite Clinics Reduce Healthcare Costs As employers look for ways to further reduce healthcare costs, one strategy that is growing in acceptance is the establishment of onsite medical clinics According to a study by the consulting firm Watson Wyatt, 33 percent of the 275 organizations that collectively employ more than 4.9 million workers have set up onsite medical clinics or plan to sometime this year. Implementing this concept afford benefits to both employers and their workers. First, onsite clinics deliver greater access to care at lower costs. Because the clinics are on site, they are accessible to the employees---they don't have to leave to go to the doctor; they are less likely to put off the doctor's visit that may detect a serious problem which may now be caught early. Second, onsite clinics address employees' overall health issues. Workers don't have to go to different doctors to receive basic medical care. In addition, onsite clinics provide the organization an opportunity to counsel high-risk employees on their vulnerability for disease and help them address their issues appropriately to minimize their discomfort and cost. Onsite clinics can provide risk management on workplace safety by reinforcing the messages delivered in safety training. Moreover, in the event of worksite accidents, having an onsite clinic means that the company can provide on-the-job treatment of injuries and assessment of illnesses. Lowe's, a Mooresville, NC-based home improvement retailer, covers 195,000 workers and their families with an annual expenditure of about $600 million per year on health insurance. By combining several strategies, Lowe's saved $16 million on health benefits. Some of the strategies they implemented included having no co-pay for generic medicines, installing four onsite health clinics, and giving workers an incentive to complete a health risk assessment. The company has significantly improved its bottom line without reducing benefit levels for workers. As a result of these initiatives, Lowe's has had premium increases of only 5 or 6 percent for the last three years, which was lower than the 8 to 9 percent national average for employers. Expect to see more onsite clinics popping up at employers' sites throughout North America. © Copyright 1998-2008 by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." DON'T GAMBLE WITH YOUR COMPANY'S FUTURE Many jobs have been open for months or even years, because some skilled workers have become impossible to find. Join us in Las Vegas and learn the low- and no-cost solutions to this workforce crisis. Help your company recruit and retain the talent it must have to survive. Recertification credit from HRCI. Next Employee Retention Specialist(TM) Program: September 9-10. Call Carol at 336-282-9370 or visit http://www.employeeretentionspecialist.com. LOOKING FOR A DYNAMIC KEYNOTE SPEAKER TO INSPIRE YOUR PEOPLE? Joyce Gioia (joy-yah) is an inspirational futurist who freely shares her knowledge and expertise about talent engagement and retention with business executives around the globe. Her understandings and insights will inform and fascinate you. For more information, call Carol McKinney at 336-282-9370 or visit the web site at http://www.hermangroup.com/joyce.html for more information on Joyce's calendar and her topics. WANT TO BE RECOGNIZED AS AN EMPLOYER OF CHOICE®? Our effective, onsite seminars, workshops, and consulting can help you get there. We can offer 1-, 2-, 3-hour, and full-day programs to help you communicate what it takes to become an Employer of Choice® and inspire your folks to get it done. We've helped others; let us help you. Call Joyce at 336-210-3548 to schedule a no-obligation conference call. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

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