Educating employees about their healthcare options can lower costs while increasing productivity. This often starts by simply getting the right care at the right place.
Receiving the most cost-effective care benefits both the employee and the employer. The employee feels the immediate difference in costs with their copay, and usually thereafter with their coinsurance and/or reaching their deductible. The employer is impacted by the cost of the claim directly in the case of the self-funded, or driving up premiums in the case of the commercially insured.
The difference between receiving care at an urgent care (UC) facility vs. the emergency room (ER) paints a clear picture of how disparate the cost of care can be based on the location of its delivery (debt.org, 2014).
- Upper Respiratory Infection – $111 (UC) vs. $486 (ER)
- Urinary Tract Infection – $112 (UC) vs. $665 (ER)
- Strep Throat – $111 (UC) vs. $531 (ER)
- Sinusitis – $112 (UC) vs. $617 (ER)
- Pink Eye – $102 (UC) vs. $370 (ER)
- Allergies – $97 (UC) vs. $97 (ER)
- Acute Bronchitis – $127 (UC) vs. $595 (ER)
- Earache – $110 (UC) vs. $400 (ER)
Cost efficient care delivery often translates to expediency of care making it a more appropriate and pleasant experience for the patient. There are now a wealth of 24/7 care solutions that exist to treat common ailments with a physician diagnosing, treating and prescribing to treat an illness remotely. Most common are the telehealth models such as Teladoc and One Medical’s concierge services complimented by their virtual care.
Healthiest You is a great example of a telehealth provider integrating cost comparison and tracking tools into their platform to provide the most accessible, affordable and appropriate care to patients. Healthier employees are happier employees!
