Tag: employee wellness

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3 Ways Worksite Care Works

Several states are estimating double-digit percentage hikes for insurance premiums in 2019 under the Affordable Care Act.  America’s saga has included these annual increases along with rising healthcare claims under traditional insurance plans. In response, many employers are innovating change to regain control of healthcare dollars.

School districts, government agencies, sheriff’s offices, corporations, and small businesses alike have reduced costs by transitioning to self-funded health plans and launching worksite care for employees, dependents, and retirees.

For those considering this money-saving switch, here are three ways employers and plan members mutually benefit from health and wellness centers at or near the worksite:

  • Added Convenience: Utilization of onsite and near-site health centers is high because plan members embrace convenient access to an array of medical services. Primary care, first aid, occupational services, pharmacy, disease management, and wellness services are within easy reach through worksite care. Plan members simply visit the health center during a lunch break, as opposed to taking time off to travel across town for check-ups.
  • Increased Productivity: Keeping employees in peak working condition is a benefit to any organization as a whole. Plan members are often incentivized to access free health-risk assessments with lab work for evaluation of cholesterol, blood sugar, liver function, blood pressure, and other bio-metric panels. Screenings and onsite wellness initiatives help catch any health issues early and support efforts for optimal health.
  • Decreased Costs: In addition to providing preventative care to mitigate risks and avoid high-claim costs, onsite health and wellness centers help decrease specialty-care needs and help avoid expensive ER visits. Wholesale costs on generic drugs also reduce pharmacy costs, while providing access to free prescriptions for plan members. Best of all, plan members pay zero deductibles and no copays for worksite care.

“Worksite care provides a win-win situation for employers and plan members,” said Ray Tomlinson, president Crowne Consulting Group, which is engaged in operating over 30 onsite and near-site health centers across Florida. “Services are tailored for each employee population to eliminate unnecessary spending and to optimize benefits for health and productivity.”

Crowne Consulting Group has built a solid reputation in helping employers implement an onsite-healthcare model with customized services for plan members. Healthcare centers, including operations and administration, are costing approximately 30 to 70 percent less than what employers are paying under the fee-for-service model.

Crowne Consulting Group and its affiliates serve school districts, city government, county government, sheriff’s offices, and private organizations.  Call 407.654.5414 for information.

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Employers Turn to More Sophisticated Health Benefits and Wellness Incentives

Crowne Consulting Group Keeps Pace with National Trends Toward Screenings, Health Risk Assessments, and Customized Wellness Programs.

Employee-HealthcareOct. 24, 2017 (Ocoee, Fla.) – As health literacy and risk management become critical components of employer-sponsored health coverage, Crowne Consulting Group meets the demand by launching onsite healthcare with measurable wellness solutions for employees, retirees, and dependents.

Crowne’s benefits planning experts have spent years touting the rewards of preventive medicine through the operation of onsite and near-site health and wellness centers. A growing number of large and small employers agree the onsite-care model uniquely positions them to incentivize plan members to participate in life-saving biometric health screenings, health risk assessments, and reward-based wellness programs including smoking cessation, exercise, nutrition, and disease management.

“Free lab work and primary care coupled with incentives for medical action far surpass the outdated standards of wellness programs triggered by large claims,” said Ray Tomlinson, president of Crowne Consulting Group. “Onsite care and proactive programs achieve success by saving employers millions of dollars in medical costs – while also saving countless lives.”

According to a study discussed in the September AEM Journal from the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine, patients with limited health literacy were twice as likely to have preventable emergency department visits resulting in a hospital admission. Employers are recognizing costly health-literacy issues and are taking action through wellness initiatives.

The 2017 Employer Health Benefits Survey by Kaiser Family Foundation reports 58 percent of small firms and 85 percent of large firms offer at least one key wellness program.  Additionally, 38 percent of small firms and 62 percent of large firms offer workers health risk assessments. Notable incentives for participation include gift cards, merchandise, and financial rewards such as payroll-fee avoidance or lower premiums.

About Crowne Consulting Group:  Crowne Consulting Group, Inc., founded in 1986, provides administrative oversight services for worksite health and wellness centers and is a related company with The Crowne Group, an employee benefits consulting firm specializing in employer solutions and personal lines of insurance.  Crowne serves public sector employers such as school boards, city and county government, sheriff offices, as well as private organizations.  Solutions for consumer-driven plans include health reimbursement arrangements, self-funded plans, onsite health centers, as well as risk management and human resources consulting.

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Media Contact: Ray Tomlinson, President, 321.221.0665, rtomlinson@crowneinc.com

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PRESS RELEASE

Cost-Cutting Solutions to Enhance Employee Care

Crowne Consulting Group Defines Three Healthcare Solutions Proven to Save Employers Money.

July 20, 2017 (Ocoee, Fla.) – As the future of healthcare lingers in a national debate, Crowne Consulting Group, Inc. delivers achievable ways for employers to decrease medical expenses while enhancing care for employees.

An employee benefits consulting firm specializing in the operation of onsite health and wellness centers, Crowne Consulting Group has helped employers ranging from 170 to over 8,000 employees. HR departments and administrators have trusted Crowne’s experts to save millions of dollars in healthcare budgets by implementing three key solutions.

  1. Self-Funding: Employers self-fund to achieve the greatest return from their healthcare investments. Success is achieved by strategically transitioning from fully insured to self-funded or partially self-funded through a guaranteed program with a rate-cap for at least three years. Private organizations, school districts, cities, counties, and sheriff offices have worked with Crowne’s experts and affiliates to control expenses through self-funding.
  1. Onsite Healthcare: Implementing onsite or near-site employee health and wellness centers has helped reduce the cost of healthcare claims 30% to 70% less than what employers were paying under a fee-for-service model. Employers control costs, while employees, retirees, and dependents enjoy cost-free access to primary care, clinic services, chronic care, screenings, lab work, X-rays, EKG, generic prescriptions, and wellness programs.
  1. Disease Management: Employers flatten cost-trends and reduce expenses by assessing risks early and having a healthier, more productive workforce. Free screenings and workplace wellness programs enhance care for plan members and help employers prevent high-dollar claims by mitigating risks associated with chronic diseases.

“Regardless of politics and health reform, America’s budget-minded employers can access today’s most effective cost-containment solutions – from self-funding, to onsite care, to specialty pharmacy programs,” said Ray Tomlinson, president of Crowne Consulting Group.

About Crowne Consulting Group:  Crowne Consulting Group, Inc., founded in 1986, provides administrative oversight services for worksite health and wellness centers and is a related company with The Crowne Group, an employee benefits consulting firm specializing in employer solutions and personal lines of insurance.  Crowne serves public sector employers such as school boards, city and county government, sheriff offices, as well as private organizations.  Solutions for consumer-driven plans include health reimbursement arrangements, self-funded plans, onsite health centers, as well as risk management and human resources consulting.  Call 321-221-0665 for more information.

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How Schools are Saving Money and Lives
Preventive Care Simultaneously Helps Patients and Employers

Doctor and Employee, Onsite ClinicToday’s healthcare system provides an array of screenings for detecting everything from cancer to cholesterol issues. Screenings have become an essential component of preventive healthcare. Detecting health issues early can be the key to avoiding costly and complicated illnesses in the future.

In step with the movement towards consumer education, well-informed employer groups and school districts are launching onsite and near-site health and wellness centers to incentivize employees, dependents, and retirees to keep up-to-date on disease management and preventive health screenings.
Employers are discovering these value-added benefits of the onsite and near-site health model:

  • As a first line of defense, the onsite-care model ensures health screenings are free, easy, and conveniently accessible.
  • Unlike outdated wellness programs that are triggered by large claims or passive educational material, the onsite-care model includes an active approach based on extensive lab work and Health Risk Assessments (HRA).
  • The medical team can offer recommendations for when a patient should be tested and can provide customized care to meet each individual’s unique needs.
  • Physicians can proactively bring medical concerns to the attention of patients as well as create a potentially life-saving plan-of-action for patients to avoid future health problems.

A national Health and Productivity Survey from 2015 indicated that HRA and biometric screenings remain popular components of worksite wellness programs, with 57% of 700 surveyed employer organizations offering an HRA. Through easy accessibility, onsite and near-site health centers offer a solution for increasing utilization of HRAs.

Florida-based Crowne Consulting Group and its affiliates are helping dozens of employer organizations to operate onsite healthcare centers, in which high percentages of members utilize HRAs and screening programs, helping clients prevent high-dollar claims for chronic diseases including diabetes and congestive heart failure. Pasco schools’ first-year results included a 34 percent decrease in diabetes claims costs.

Increased screenings, HRAs, and easy access to preventative care are helping employers achieve millions of dollars in financial savings for taxpayers and reallocating those dollars for other school resources. Additionally, by shifting from disease management to disease prevention, health centers are providing a positive impact on members’ health and their wallets.

Contact Crowne Consulting Group for more information about onsite care.

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ANNOUNCEMENT

Florida Tobacco Cessation Alliance Awards Pasco Schools with Worksite Wellness Silver Award

Pasco-FTCA-Award1Crowne Consulting Group, an employee benefits consulting firm specializing in onsite health and wellness centers, is proud to announce that our client, The District School Board of Pasco County, has been awarded the Worksite Wellness Silver Award from the Florida Tobacco Cessation Alliance (FTCA) for comprehensive cessation benefits for employees.

Crowne Consulting Group collaborates with CareHere LLC in operating five Employee Health & Wellness Centers for Pasco schools’ employees, dependents, and retirees.  Below are excerpts from a recent Press Release issued on October 6, 2015, by FTCA:

[The Florida Tobacco Cessation Alliance (FTCA) will present a Silver Level Award to Pasco County Schools for their commitment and dedication to their employees’ health and wellness. The school system has an aggressive plan in place to help their employees quit using tobacco products.

“Employee wellness is one of the district’s measured goals, and our comprehensive tobacco cessation program and no-cost, FDA-approved tobacco cessation medications are factors that will help us achieve that goal,” said Kurt Browning, superintendent of, Pasco County Schools.

The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County and The American Lung Association in Florida, both Alliance members, have been working with the school system to get their paperwork in order to be eligible for the award. “We are extremely proud of Pasco County Schools for recognizing the role tobacco use plays in not only overall health but productivity and absenteeism, and the steps they have taken to ensure employees have access to proven-successful services and pharmacotherapy to assist with their cessation efforts” says Kurt Goerke with the Florida Tobacco Cessation Alliance. ]

Visit www.FTCAlliance.com for more information about FTCA.  Contact Crowne Consulting Group for employee benefits, wellness, and onsite healthcare solutions for your employees.  Crowne’s team looks forward to telling you about the unique solutions that have helped Pasco Schools achieve wellness successes.

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Districts Save Millions with Onsite Care
Employee Health Centers Pop Up to Push Down Costs

By Ray Tomlinson, President of Crowne Consulting Group
Sept. 2014

The Affordable Care Act has prompted an increase in healthcare-system changes for employers.  In the effort to produce better patient outcomes, the importance has shifted to quality of care and increased access to care.  An increasing number of school districts, specifically, are implementing the onsite-healthcare model to create a culture of health for employees.

Crowne Consulting Group, an employee benefits consulting firm operating worksite health and wellness centers across Florida, has seen its client list triple in the past five years.  Mitigating risks early and keeping employees healthy have prompted positive financial results for employers, including reductions in plan costs, decreases in prescription costs, and drastic reductions in sick time.

“Employees visiting onsite health and wellness centers enjoy increased access to low-cost preventative care, which is helping employers to lower average healthcare costs,” said Ray Tomlinson, president of Crowne Consulting Group, which collaborates with CareHere, LLC to operate nearly 30 worksite health and wellness centers throughout Florida, including centers for several school districts.

Crowne’s client Pasco County Schools, which offers four health and wellness centers for its employees, recently reported about $14 Million in savings over the past three years. Pasco School Board member Cynthia Armstrong called onsite care “a win-win” for administrators and staff.  Due to a high-demand for services, the district is looking to expand the program.

School district employees across the state are embracing the idea of onsite care.  Utilization proves to be high for the following reasons:

  • Health and wellness centers offer onsite or near-site access to primary care, occupational services, pharmacy, disease management, and wellness services.
  • Services are provided at no charge to plan members and dependents, including  zero deductibles and no copays.
  • Members have access to free health-risk assessments with lab work for evaluation of cholesterol, blood sugar, liver function, blood pressure, and other bio-metric panels.
  • Onsite health and wellness centers provide easy access to low-cost primary and preventive care while decreasing specialty care needs and ER visits.

Crowne Consulting Group’s costs for the health centers, including operations and administration, are approximately 30 to 70 percent less than what employers are paying under the fee-for-service model.

Contact Crowne Consulting Group’s team at 407.654.5414 to learn about their years of expertise in serving school districts, governments, and private clients.

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Updated Media Buzz & News Reports
Pasco Schools, Fall 2014:

The local news media is talking about major successes in onsite healthcare.  CareHere and Crowne Consulting Group’s client, Pasco County School District, has reported that the district has saved millions of dollars.  Tampa Bay Times notes $9.2 Million saved, while the Tampa Tribune references over $14 Million saved over the past three years of Pasco Schools having employee health and wellness centers onsite.  Article quotes include:

~ “I’ve been on the board for six years, and I think this is one of the most significant decisions the board has made,” board member Joanne Hurley said of the clinics. “It’s a feather in our cap.”

~ Board member Cynthia Armstrong called the clinics “a win-win” for administrators and staff.

~ “Employees actually said ‘Wow, you’re helping us save money’ and we said ‘Wow, you’re helping us save money.’ “

“I think this is one of the most significant decisions this board has made in terms of employee well-being and containing costs,” board member Joanne Hurley said at a recent board workshop….

Read the full articles:  

UPDATED LIST 10-26-14: Expansion Approved

-Clinic for County Workers to Expand
Tampa Tribune, Ronnie Blair, Oct. 26, 2014

-School District Clinics Thrive
Tampa Tribune, Ronnie Blair, August 24, 2014

-Pasco School Board considers expanding employee health clinic
Tampa Bay Times, Lisa Buie, August 12, 2014

-Pasco School Board considers expanding employee clinic
BayNews9, News Brief, August 13, 2014

Read more news stories and see TV reports about Crowne Consulting Group.

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Earning an A+ in Healthcare
How schools are making the grade in employee benefits
By Ray Tomlinson, President of Crowne Consulting Group

Healthcare expenses are ballooning nationwide, but forward-thinking school districts have taken matters into their own hands to push down costs.  Districts across Florida are finding value in providing primary-care services for employees at or near the worksite.  Employees visiting onsite health and wellness centers enjoy increased access to low-cost preventative care, which is helping employers to lower average healthcare costs.

Florida-based Crowne Consulting Group has become the state’s one-stop-shop for implementing and maintaining onsite care programs.  Crowne collaborates with the medical experts at Tennessee-based CareHere, LLC to operate nearly 30 on- or near-site health and wellness centers throughout Florida, including centers for several school districts.

In addition to physicians, the staff typically includes nurses, dieticians, exercise physiologists, and other medical staff.  Patients access a wide range of services, including x-rays and physicals, as well as comprehensive treatment for conditions like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Patients make their own appointments online or by phone for a 20-minute visit with a doctor. They can reserve additional time with the physician if needed, and they never have to pay a copay.  What’s more, patients can walk out of their appointment with a free generic prescription in hand.  This ease of use and cost-free care keeps utilization high.  Diverting a large portion of doctor visits to the controlled-cost centers keeps outside health claims cost significantly lower.

“Our costs for the health centers, including operations and administration, are approximately 30 to 70 percent less than what employers are paying under the fee-for-service model,” according to Ray Tomlinson, president of Crowne Consulting Group.

Crowne’s client Pasco County Schools offers four Employee Health & Wellness Centers for over 8,000 employees, retirees, and dependents.  Within the first year of opening its first center, the district reduced health costs 5 percent, saving over $2 Million.  The district was also able to flatten prescription drug expenses and reduce workers’ compensation costs by 50 percent.

In addition to Pasco County Schools, Crowne has helped Citrus County Schools, Lake County Schools, and St. Johns County Schools to save millions of dollars in healthcare costs, while enhancing care for employees.  Newcomers Levy County Schools, which opened earlier this year, and Indian River Schools, slated to open in September, are poised for similar results.

Remember that when considering the launch of any cost-saving healthcare solution, experience is most important.  Visit owd.dev/PCHP/CrowneGroup/wp and contact Crowne Consulting Group’s team at 407.654.5414 to learn about their years of expertise in serving school districts.

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Crowne Client Awarded Top 100
Healthiest Workplaces in America

Jan. 16, 2014 – Healthiest Employers, the leader in employee health best practices and benchmark data, has announced the induction of The District School Board of Pasco County into the 2014 Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America.  The District was named #35 on the Top 100 list, which honors the “best of the best” employers, those who blaze the path to a healthy workplace for their peers. Representing employers of all sizes, all regions and all industries, the District is among organizations that have comprehensively incorporated the most vital corporate wellness practices.  The District was recognized for moving beyond healthy living sound bites to the development of a practical, effective, and continuously improving framework for creating a sustainably healthy workplace.

Consulting Group collaborates with CareHere LLC in operating four onsite Health & Wellness Centers for Pasco schools’ employees, dependents, and retirees.  For zero deductibles and no costs, the District’s health-plan members have free access to primary medical, screenings, lab work, X-rays, EKG, occupational health, wellness programs, disease management, and generic prescriptions.  Watch a news report highlighting the District’s successes with onsite healthcare.

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Enhanced Employee Benefits and Onsite Care Bring Lower Healthcare Costs

City of Leesburg’s Employee Wellness Center, operated by Crowne Consulting Group
and CareHere, has had high utilization of medical services and has decreased
employee healthcare costs.
Crowne-Leesburg Press Release-11-14-13

Nov. 14, 2013 (Ocoee, Fla.) – Crowne Consulting Group, an employee benefits consulting firm specializing in onsite health and wellness centers in Florida, reports that the City of Leesburg has saved millions of dollars by adding a worksite health center for employees, retirees, and dependents covered under its healthcare plan.

The City of Leesburg’s Employee Wellness Center saved the city $1.3 million within the first year of opening in January 2011.  The trend continued in 2012 with $459,000 in savings, and this year pushing $600,000 saved dollars back into the general fund.

Dann Herrin, Leesburg’s Assistant Director, Human Services, says these savings will increase because the city has recently added workers’ compensation, triage, and occupational health services through the employee wellness center, which is co-operated by Crowne Consulting Group and Tennessee-based CareHere, LLC.

“I think CareHere’s onsite care model has been outstanding, and the Crowne folks have been a wonderful resource – they’re always there when we need them,” said Herrin.  “At first, I was skeptical if our employees would switch doctors and use the center, but the medical service providers were outstanding at keeping employees very comfortable.”

Approximately 86 percent of the city’s 1100 eligible members eagerly visited the center in the first year for primary care, screenings, and chronic disease management.  A reputation of quality service and no out-of-pocket costs drove utilization up to 96 percent this year.

“It’s a win-win-win,” added Herrin.  “Taxpayers save money, the city can reallocate savings for more resources, and the employees see outstanding financial savings while easily accessing care.”

About Crowne Consulting Group, Inc:
Crowne Consulting Group, Inc., founded in 1986, consults and provides administrative oversight services for onsite health and wellness centers to employers and is a related company with The Crowne Group, an employee benefits consulting firm, specializing in employer solutions and personal lines of insurance.  Crowne’s experts have experience in serving public sector employers such as school boards, city and county government, as well as private organizations.  Solutions for consumer-driven plans include health reimbursement arrangements, self-funded plans, onsite health and wellness centers, as well as risk management and human resources consulting.