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Monday, 19 December 2016 17:54

Make a New Year’s Resolution to Reduce Your Healthcare Costs!

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One of the root causes of rising healthcare costs is that services are often delivered in more costly locations than needed.  Anyone who has attended a Fall River enrollment meeting knows that we continually educate employees about how accessing care in the right place can save time and money.  
 
One way to do this is to become more familiar with Convenience Care Clinics, or Retail Health Clinics. These walk-in clinics in some grocery stores and pharmacies allow you to access care immediately, without waiting for a doctor’s appointment or visiting a more expensive Urgent Care center. 
 
These clinics are able to treat minor illnesses such as:
  • Allergies
  • Common colds, sore throats, and flu
  • Sinus infections
  • Urinary tract infections
  • Pink eye, 
  • Headaches
  • Head lice
  • Minor sprains and strains
  • Bronchitis
  • Ear infections
  • Laryngitis
  • Burns, rashes, and other skin issues
  • And minor injuries
You may also be able to get some common vaccines, such as the flu shot, DTap, Hepatitis A and B, and pneumonia.  Convenience Care Clinics are usually open for extended hours into the evenings and even on weekends for some locations.

Every insurance carrier, with the exception of the Kaiser HMO, contracts with certain Convenience Clinics, with the most common ones in Colorado being the Little Clinics in certain King Soopers stores and the Take Care clinics in some Walgreens locations.  There are also others that are contracted with only certain carriers, such as Minute Clinic (CVS Stores).  Most of the time, the cost to the member is a doctor copay.  The actual total cost, however, might be in the $60-$90 range rather than the typical $150-$200 total cost of an urgent care visit, saving your plan money as well as the employee.  HDHP/HSA plan members will likely have to pay the full cost of the visit, but it will still save the member money versus the more expensive urgent care visit.

Not only are these clinics convenient, but they also help reduce employee absenteeism by offering flexible hours and the ability to walk in without an appointment.  In addition, the clinics help control rising health care costs, since they are less expensive than Urgent Care Centers and Emergency Rooms.

It pays to educate your employees about the availability of these clinics.  Contact us if you would like more information specific to your company and insurance carrier.

Read 2455 times Last modified on Monday, 14 September 2020 19:28
Tonya Young

Tonya is our Senior Account Manager and brings eleven years of prior insurance company expertise to Fall River, having worked at Anthem Blue Cross and Great-West Healthcare (now part of CIGNA). Tonya holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Texas A&M University. Originally from Minnesota, she loves the Colorado outdoors and enjoys family time with her young daughter.