A trip to the family physician has long been a part of traditional medical care in the U.S. Yet, many Americans are opting to rely more on emergency health resources, leaving themselves open to unfortunate health and financial outcomes. Now is a good time to remind employees why they should take advantage of employer-covered primary care.
In a recent study by membership-based primary care practice One Medical, 89% of employees and 91% of HR said it's important to receive regular primary care, citing benefits like better health, increased productivity, and long-term healthcare savings. However, they found that only one in five workers have a
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But prioritizing these services benefits both employers and their workforce: a primary care physician can help prevent disease or help employees manage chronic conditions, improving health outcomes and also reducing costs associated with related absenteeism.
"There's been communication for a long time about getting recommended screenings, but that tends to be the kind of healthcare message that falls flat," says Josh Dunsby, VP of client advocacy and consultant relations at One Medical. "People acknowledge it, but they don't necessarily know how to act on it."
Rethinking methods of communication is a way to promote what benefits are available to employees and who to seek out for guidance. Just 50% of employees said they're aware of "all" or "most" of their employer's healthcare offerings, according to One Medical's research. Recognizing that this is an issue, HR leaders said that improving awareness and communication was a top strategic priority for 2023.
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Even higher on the priority list, they said, is improving their employees' healthcare experience through care navigation solutions. This is where a combination of in-person, digital and virtual care options plays a strong role, as employees can access a preliminary level of care immediately and seek out additional levels of care if needed.
"Virtual care has been very powerful because it's given people a starting point," says Dunsby. "It is essential for providing all-around care, but it's not the way to build a humanistic and emotional relationship with an individual — that is done through in-person access. After initial relationships between primary care providers and employees [are formed], it becomes helpful to have digital care for things like specialists."
With all the available health and wellness offerings available to employees, a
"The primary care provider provides an intentional plan, they create the treatment plan," he says. "The digital solutions have been terrific at enhancing access and additional resources. But typically, they point back to the treating provider to confirm progress and to confirm the appropriateness of clinical treatment. So digital solutions without the relationship to a primary care provider is not best practice."
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Beyond physical well-being, primary care is a beneficial link to finding the correct care for mental health issues, too. Amid unprecedented need for these services, One Medical's survey found that while 64% of workers are struggling with
"A lot of members, but particularly even HR leaders, don't necessarily recognize that primary care is an appropriate place to start mental health screening, treatment and diagnosis," says Dunsby. "Mental health is part of primary care; they're not separate things."
