School’s In for Occ Med Providers

Urgent care operators who offer occupational medicine services have gotten very adept at making their case for blue collar worksites, as well as corporate offices. Now public schools are catching on to its benefits—as in the Appleton WI area, where employee health clinics are saving districts big money while providing efficient care when and where it’s needed most. The Kimberly, Appleton, and Neenah public schools are among the districts that have opened clinics run by ThedaCare and Prevea, and if usage is any indication they’re a hit. The HR director for the Appleton district says they’re also filling a gap for some staffers who don’t have a primary care provider. In Kimberly, the Health and Wellness Center has already saved the district over a quarter of a million dollars in medical costs and nearly half a million in insurance costs, just in its first year. Appleton’s Connecting Care Clinic opened just 4 months ago, but district officials say utilization has exceeded expectations. Costs there are divided between the district (71% of the cost) and the city (29%). In Neenah, it’s estimated that Prevea has helped save nearly $40,000 in medical costs.