The Doctor Will See You Now

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Benefits specialists who don’t present creative ideas to save their clients money will end up losing business to those who do, said one of the presenters at the National Association of Health Underwriters annual convention.

One creative way of saving clients money is by changing the primary health care delivery model, said Christopher Yarn, CEO of Walk On Clinic. Instead of having employees go a local hospital or clinic when they need care, brokers can help their clients control costs by having the doctor come to them. Think of it as a house call, but at the workplace.

“Not everybody has the capital to build an on-site clinic but everybody can have an on-site physician visit their group once a month, once every two weeks,” Yarn said.

Yarn’s company delivers primary care doctors on site in mobile units. “Think telemedicine, but we can bring a physician in to do all the things that a telemedicine company can’t bill for or do,” he said. “And then we develop the relationships with the patients that way first.”

The benefit to the employer is giving them direct control over what is being billed, Yarn said. “Because if we go out there just to do annual wellness exams, all that will be billed is annual wellness exams. The employer doesn’t have to worry about an employee going in for an annual wellness exam and then getting billed for a $280 sick visit because they discussed something else.”

Not only do employer save money by providing their workers with access to health care at work, but the workers benefit by not having to take time off from their jobs when they need to see a doctor, Yarn said.

“It might evolve into something different in the future but for now the broker really doesn’t have to do anything but go to a client who is trying to save money and offer their employees a benefit and say,  ‘Hey, I’ve got this relationship with a walk-on clinic company and here’s what we’re doing.’”

Offering services such as access to an on-site physician is just one way that brokers can add value to their clients in an environment where health insurance costs continue to escalate.

“There are a lot of options out there that brokers need to bring to the table for their clients so they can help clients control their supply side costs,” Yarn said. “Brokers who want to do the right thing by their clients will have to start doing these things if they are going to succeed over the next 10 to 15 years.”

Providing an on-site physician is only one thing that benefits brokers can offer their clients to help them control their employee health care costs, Yarn said.

“There are other ideas out there – on-site and near-site clinics, pharmacy benefit manager programs, things in the supply chain," he said. "Brokers need to start paying attention to these ideas. It’s about helping your clients drive down their supply side health care costs and what power you have as a broker or as a vendor.

“Look at your products –are they lowering your clients’ costs or increasing their overall costs? We try to provide solutions that lower the cost for the client and that in turn enables the broker to do a better job for them.”

Susan Rupe is managing editor for InsuranceNewsNet. She formerly served as communications director for an insurance agents' association and was an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @INNsusan.

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