Take Care study: Adherence better in worksite patients
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. —Worksite health clinics are not exactly a new concept, but there’s no doubt that their prevalence has skyrocketed in recent years as employers look to curb rising healthcare costs and bolster employee productivity. Further underscoring the importance of this growing clinic model is a new study by Take Care Health Systems, which found that those patients using workplace primary care and pharmacy services have higher adherence rates to medications for chronic conditions—nearly 10% higher—compared with patients treated in the community.
The findings are significant in that they suggest that investing in integrated workplace health and pharmacy programs can help employers realize healthcare savings, while improving patient outcomes.
It is estimated by Fuld & Company that there are some 1,200 firms currently operating on-site clinics, which, taking into account their multiple campuses and multiple clinics, results in an estimated 2,200 on-site clinics. That number could reach 7,000 by 2015.
“This study truly demonstrates the value of the workplace healthcare model in addressing medication adherence—one of the most challenging and costly obstacles faced by providers and payers of health care,” stated Sharon Frazee, an author of the study and VP health research for Take Care Health Systems, which is owned by Walgreens. “Having care accessibly located at the worksite allows employees to build a trusted, face-to-face relationship with both their clinicians and pharmacists, providing an opportunity to engage in a dialogue about their condition and treatment plan, and ultimately, promote patient adherence through education and communication.”
With an estimated price tag of $177 billion a year, nonadherence is a major drain on the U.S. healthcare system. That is a significant financial burden especially when Congress is in the midst of weighing the pluses and minuses of ObamaCare, particularly the question of how to pay for the $1 trillion cost of reform.
While employer-sponsored workplace health programs have been in existence for several decades, initially focusing on occupational and health safety, the study was the first of its kind to examine the relationship between the use of employer health offerings at the worksite and adherence to medications, according to Take Care Health Systems, which manages about 380 worksite clinics. Medications used to treat diabetes, heart arrhythmia, hypertension, heart disease and thyroid disorders were included in the study.
The findings, published in the American Journal of Managed Care, show that overall adherence to medication was 9.72% higher among patients treated in the workplace than those treated in the community.
Added Allan Khoury, chief medical officer for Take Care Health Systems, “The increased use of generic medications, along with increased adherence, decreases overall medication expense. This leads to better health at a lower cost. This approach is an important lesson for all of American health care.”
Truly validating the strength and growth potential of the industry was Walgreens’ acquisition of workplace-based healthcare providers I-trax/CHD Meridian Healthcare and Whole Health Management in spring 2008. The acquisitions instantly catapulted Take Care into the largest operator of worksite clinics.
The study was the second portion of a two-part series on the value of integrated workplace primary care and pharmacy services. Take Care Health Systems previously authored a study published in the April 2007 Journal for Health and Productivity illustrating that when doctors and pharmacists work together in a workplace primary care health center, prescribing practices favor older, first-line antibiotics that produce significant savings and provide important therapeutic benefits. The approach, studied at four onsite facilities of an existing Take Care Health Systems client, translated into an estimated potential $1.5 million in savings on antibiotic prescriptions for the host company over three years.