The next onsite health benefit could be chiropractic care

More employers are offering on-site corporate health clinics. Twenty-nine percent of companies with 5,000 or more workers offered an on-site or nearby health clinic in 2014, up from 24 percent in 2012, according to a national workplace study by Mercer. Benefits of on-site health clinics include reduced absenteeism, improved productivity as well as lower medical costs.

Many businesses are seeing the benefits of offering wellness programs, including chiropractic care, as part of their on-site corporate clinic. Although worksite wellness programs are traditionally offered by large corporations with abundant resources to invest in employee health, small companies are consistently adding wellness to their benefits programs. According to a new study conducted by the National Association of Worksite Health Centers, the majority of surveyed employers said their employees have expressed interest in chiropractic services at their clinics.

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Financial benefits
Lower back pain, severe headache, migraine and neck pain all contribute to lost productivity among workers by as much as 4.6 hours a week, according to American Productivity Audit.

Eighty percent of NAWHC study respondents indicated that musculoskeletal issues are among their top cost drivers, a primary reason for considering or offering chiropractic services. In addition, employers who have doctors of chiropractic (DC) on staff have found that the visits and costs are significantly lower for DCs than for other health providers who treat the same condition.

Clinical benefits
Chiropractic is defined as a healthcare profession that focuses on disorders of the neuro-musculoskeletal, and the effects of these disorders on general health. DCs are well-trained and positioned as the first option for drug-free, non-invasive, evidenced-based and effective back and general neuro-musculoskeletal pain management. While spinal manipulation is a sizable portion of chiropractic, doctors of chiropractic also provide other care and counsel to patients including therapeutic exercises and fitness recommendations and advice about nutrition, vitamins, weight loss, smoking cessation and relaxation techniques.

Employees receiving chiropractic care typically have a lower utilization of physical therapy, radiology, outpatient and emergency services.

Patient satisfaction
Patient satisfaction with chiropractic care is based on many factors, foremost among these the judgment by patients that their therapeutic goals — particularly relief of pain and restoration of function — have been met or exceeded. The NAWHC survey found that patient satisfaction with chiropractic care offered at worksite clinics is high. Patient satisfaction is an important consideration for on-site corporate health clinics because a primary goal is to meet employee expectations for care that will enable a more rapid return to work.

On-site corporate health clinics are evolving to meet the specific needs of employees. Today, a well-rounded healthcare team consists of a medical doctor, an optometrist, a dentist, a nutrition and fitness coach, and a doctor of chiropractic. As such a growing number of employers are adding chiropractic care to their wellness programs. In doing so, they will strengthen the opportunity for cost savings, improved outcomes and increased worker productivity.