Take Care: Patients that use workplace primary care, pharmacy services have higher adherence rates

NEW YORK The findings of the Take Care Health Systems’ survey are important as they undoubtedly underscore the importance of worksite clinics, which are growing increasingly common as U.S. employers look for ways to curb skyrocketing healthcare costs and bolster employee health and productivity.

The study highlights what clinic operators — like Take Care Health Systems with its 300-plus worksite clinics — have known for some time: investing in integrated workplace health and pharmacy programs can, in fact, help employers realize healthcare savings, while improving patient outcomes.

What is the cost savings? As reported in late 2008 by Drug Store News, an August 2008 report by human resources consulting and outsourcing services provider Hewitt Associates, dubbed “Trends in HR and Employee Benefits: Employers Implement On-Site Health Clinics to Manage Costs,” states that some studies suggest that worksite clinics lead to $2 in savings for every $1 invested, and some may even reach $3 to $6 in savings for every $1 invested. Citing data provided by On-Site Health Care, the Hewitt Associates report also states, “For prescription drugs, employers may see 11.9% in brand savings and 56.3% in generic savings.” Then, of course, there’s the issue of medication adherence, which the Take Care Health Systems’ survey clearly addresses. With an estimated price tag of $100 billion, non-adherence is a major drain on the U.S. healthcare system.

Given the results of this study and the trends that are already taking place throughout the convenient care industry, employer-based clinics are something the industry is bound to see on the upswing. In fact, industry sources have suggested that the market could bear as many as 5,000 worksite clinics as the ideal client is an employer with 1,000 or more employees at a site.