Tag: employee

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How Employers Battle Absenteeism, The Flu, Colds, and other Illnesses

The flu outbreak has sickened thousands across our nation in 2018.  It viciously spread across the state of Florida causing some school districts and organizations to close in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.

With flu diagnoses this year beating previous records, a large number of hospitals, medical providers, and pharmacies across the state became overwhelmed by the severity. The widespread epidemic led to supplies running low for antiviral medications and added difficulty for scheduling patient care during the peak of flu season.

“It’s times like this that employers truly appreciate the high value of onsite or near-site health and wellness centers for employee populations,” said Ray Tomlinson, president Crowne Consulting Group.  “Convenient access to vaccines, screenings, continuous preventative care, prompt primary care, and onsite pharmacies ensure patients get the best possible care and organizations stay productive.”

Avoidable sick days taken off for the flu, colds, and other preventable conditions could be days setting students and teachers behind.  In addition to discovering multi-million-dollar savings through the implementation of onsite care, many school districts are finding onsite care to be a priceless tool for promoting productivity and preventing teacher absences due to illness.

Several Florida school districts are benefiting from health and wellness centers at or near the worksite.  Engaged in operating over 30 centers across Florida, Crowne Consulting Group specializes in helping school districts implement an onsite-healthcare model with customized services to meet the needs of employees, dependents, and retirees.

Unlike outdated wellness programs that are triggered by large claims or passive educational material, the onsite-care model includes an active approach based on extensive lab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, Health Risk Assessments (HRA), and health education through customized wellness programs.

The ease of use and cost-free care keeps utilization high.  Teachers, for example, can access the center quickly and return to the classroom in the same day.  Patients visiting onsite health and wellness centers enjoy free access to primary medical, screenings, lab work, X-rays, EKG, occupational health, wellness programs, generic prescriptions, as well as comprehensive treatment and health education for managing conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.

“Preventative care like flu shots and screenings coupled with a broad range of medical services helps our onsite-care clients stay productive, while other organizations may fall behind due to absenteeism and uncontrolled expenses,” added Tomlinson.

In addition to serving school districts across Florida, Crowne Consulting Group and its affiliates also serve city government, county government, sheriff’s offices, and private organizations.  Visit www.crowneinc.com  or call 407.654.5414 for information.

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PRESS RELEASE

Employers Take Control of Medical Costs
With Self-Funded Health Plans

Nov. 16, 2016 (Ocoee, Fla.) – Healthcare cost control and risk management are critical reasons why Crowne Consulting Group and its benefits-planning partners are helping employers to self-fund their health plans.

While Crowne’s solutions have supported corporations, school districts, sheriff’s offices, and municipalities spanning Florida, the self-funding trend is spreading nationwide. Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, published a July report on trends in self-insured health plans between 1996 and 2015.  A rise from 28.5 to 39 percent was reported for private employers offering self-funded plans.

For decades, a majority of large employers and government agencies have benefited from self-funded plans, but EBRI’s report notes an increasing percentage of small and mid-sized businesses self-funding. Additionally, October’s Market Realities report by Willis Towers Watson forecasts lower rate increases for self-insured plans compared to fully insured plans in 2017.

“Whether a decision to self-fund is for lowering insurance expenses or for managing government provisions, employers are achieving greater control of costs,” said Ray Tomlinson, president of Crowne Consulting Group, which is aligned with partners offering special programs with rate-caps from one of the nation’s largest stop-loss carriers for those risks who qualify.  “Reinsurance or external insurance for catastrophic events is essential in managing long-term risk and avoiding losses through high-cost claims.”

Crowne and its partners are also helping self-funded employers mitigate risks and lower expenses through the operation of onsite and near-site health and wellness centers.  In contrast to the typically expensive fee-for-service model of filing insurance claims, a self-funded employer can launch an onsite-care model and pay significantly less for medical services for employees, retirees, and their dependents. No-cost primary and chronic care, screenings, x-rays, wellness programs, and onsite pharmacies are among the benefits to patients of worksite healthcare.

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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Accessibility Churns Success

Employers are making healthcare more effective by offering medical services at or nearby the worksite. By handling all administration and operations, onsite care experts can help shift attention from disease management to disease prevention.  Over 30 employee health and wellness centers in Florida are drastically reducing health costs through the help of Crowne Consulting Group, Inc. and medical partnerships.

Onsite care extends benefits of free office visits, screenings, and increased physician face-time for employees.  Employers can stick with their current healthcare plan and benefits provider.  The only difference is that the employees now have the option to handle medical appointments and wellness visits at the worksite rather than at more costly outside providers.

“Costs for operating an onsite health center can be 60 percent less than paying for a fee-for-service model,” said Ray Tomlinson, president of Crowne Consulting Group. “And it’s not just employers seeing the savings – the employees are also reaping the benefits through the increased accessibility to care.”

Utilization proves to be high because employee health centers offer on-demand medical service for employees, their dependents, and the retiree population for no out-of-pocket costs.

  • With a free and reliable health center nearby, employees are more likely to keep chronic issues, such as hypertension and diabetes, in check.
  • Workers are equipped to take better care of themselves, while also taking less time off and requiring fewer serious medical procedures.
  • Quality healthcare in a convenient location reduces costs to employees, and, by extension, taxpayers.

Employers can experience additional savings and services when the workers’ compensation program is integrated with an onsite-health-center model.  One Florida school district slashed their Worker’s Compensation costs by 50 percent in one year.  Crowne and their medical partners have also teamed with top-rated firms to bring insurance products and management services for fully-insured and self-insured school districts.

When considering onsite care, it’s important to ask the right questions to ensure your operators are able to meet and exceed your needs for lowering health costs while making quality care more accessible to your employees.  With expertise in serving public sector employers such as school boards, city and county government, as well as private organizations – Crowne specializes in making healthcare more accessible and more affordable.

Contact Crowne’s Expert Now.

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Crowne Consulting Group was recently featured in American City & County Magazine for its expertise for serving governments and municipalities.  See the excerpt below and visit the magazine link to read this entire article.

Bankrolling benefits

Local governments’ varied responses to the Affordable Care Act
http://americancityandcounty.com/health-reform/bankrolling-benefits
By Derek Prall, American City and County Magazine, Feb. 2015

Excerpt:Onsite Care “…Regardless of the number of employees affected, the ACA has created numerous challenges for Human Resources departments – especially those with constrained budgets. Ray Tomlinson, president of Crowne Consulting Group, an organization helping business and governments set up health clinics, says in this way, local governments are no different than their private sector counterparts. “[Because of the ACA,] employers are experiencing additional oversight, restrictions and costs,” he says. From a local government standpoint, there is now less management discretion at designing benefits packages that would help keep costs low, Tomlinson says.

However, municipalities are increasingly looking to an outside-the-box solution, Tomlinson says, opening onsite or near-site health clinics. These facilities cut down on costs by lowering the number of claims made by covered employees and thus lowering expenses across the board.

“The Affordable Care Act has actually created – even if unintentionally – an opportunity for employers to take a look at the onsite or near-site clinic or heath center as an option to run alongside of their health plan,” says Tomlinson.

Several municipalities have opened health clinics in the past few years, including ….”

Read this full article at: http://americancityandcounty.com/health-reform/bankrolling-benefits.  Contact Crowne Consulting Group at 407-654-5414 for more information about onsite health and wellness centers.

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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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1/27/2014 news report by GTN News discusses the reason why Levy County Schools is opening an Employee Healthcare Center with the help of CareHere and Crowne Consulting Group. The Levy County School Board is looking to keep employee health care costs from climbing too much through the act of increasing employee wellness and enhancing affordable access to quality care.

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Quality Makes the Difference:
Accessibility and Service Quality are Keys to Onsite Care

Health cost trends continue to skyrocket at a national rate due to chronic disease.  Failure to conduct health screenings and delaying to seek help for minor health issues can escalate to serious conditions resulting in expensive health claims.  When quality care is easily accessible, however, health costs can rapidly decrease.

Early detection, prompt treatment, and consistent follow-ups are key components of the onsite healthcare model.  By supplying onsite or nearby medical care for employees, employers are mitigating risks and cutting costs, all while increasing employee benefits.  In addition to a healthier bottom line, this translates to improved productivity and fewer sick days with less time away for physician appointments.

The Crowne Consulting Group and its partner, CareHere LLC, have created a cost-saving model for self-funded employers, extending benefits of free office visits, screenings, and increased physician face-time.  When considering onsite care, it’s important to ask the right questions to ensure your operators are able to meet and exceed your needs for lowering health costs while enhancing care.

1)     Will the employees have easy access to the health center?
 In addition to building the center at the worksite or a nearby location, availability is essential.  The CareHere-Crowne model allows employees to simply call a toll-free number or go on-line to schedule an appointment.  Patients are typically in front of a doctor before the end of the workday.

2)     Will the employees be able to fill prescriptions via the health center?
Through CareHere, employers pay wholesale costs for prescription drugs, which have helped employers save millions of dollars.  Importantly, patients appreciate that they can conveniently walk away from the appointment with a free or low-priced prescription in about an hour.

3)     Will the range of services meet the employee’s medical needs?
Without having to leave the worksite, employees may seek treatment for acute conditions such as a cold or infection, in addition to chronic conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes.  The full list of services typically includes primary and family care, occupational services, workers’ compensation matters, x-rays, pharmacy, disease management, and wellness services.

4)     Will there be incentives for employees to utilize the center?
Visits to the health centers are voluntary, but incentives for employees to use them include zero co-pays and no deductibles.  CareHere and Crowne Consulting Group also take a client-centric approach to boost success.  Among the list of perks are a grand opening to announce and promote awareness for the new center, reward-based programs with prizes to increase utilization, and employee incentives tied to wellness programs and health risk assessments for identifying risks early and controlling costs.
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When considering the launch of any healthcare service, experience is most important.  Crowne Consulting Group’s team has expertise in serving public sector employers such as school boards, city and county government, as well as private organizations.  Crowne’s team strategically collaborates with CareHere LLC to help employers hire medical staff and operate health centers.  CareHere operates more than 100 health centers nationwide, specializing in providing onsite healthcare through employers by making healthcare easier, better and more affordable.

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Scoring an A+ in Employee Care

How onsite care and data-driven
programs save millions.

Jan. 30, 2013 — Crowne Consulting Group and CareHere joined the nation’s top benefits experts this week at the Health Benefits Conference & Expo (HBCE) in Clearwater, Florida.   In addition to being featured exhibitors at the conference, CareHere’s Director of Strategic Development, John Watson, joined Pasco Schools and Med-Vision LLC in offering a dynamic presentation on how to save money through onsite care and data-driven programs. Rather than passing rising health costs on to employees, CareHere and Med-Vision helped Pasco County schools discover an innovative approach to cut costs by enhancing healthcare for its more than 8,000 employees.  By coupling onsite health and wellness centers with customized wellness programs to engage employees, Pasco County schools flattened prescription drug costs and reduced health costs nearly 5 percent, saving more than $2 million in 2011. Mary Tillman, Pasco Schools’ Director of Employee Benefits, discussed the financial value of boosting employee health.  Med-Vision’s Vice President, Connie Gee, explained how health data analytics and wellness planning is crucial to controlling costs, and John Watson of CareHere highlighted the implementation and long-term benefits of Pasco Schools’ CareHere health centers. For more information about Health & Wellness Centers, e-mail jwatson@carehere.com.

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ABC – WFTV, Channel 9 Eyewitness News, 12/24/2012
Reporter: Steve Barrett

Central Fla. Cities Push for Health Clinics

CENTRAL FLORIDA — In an effort to save taxpayer money, mayors and council members across central Florida are asking to start their own health care clinics.

CareHere is a company that’s helped local cities, counties and school districts open their own health care centers for employees, retirees and their families.

“The average cost for a regular visit — the difference is about 50 percent less to have it done at our health center here,” said Jim Carnicella of CareHere in Ocoee. In addition to Ocoee, there are CareHere clinics in Sanford, Lake Mary, Apopka and one coming soon in Kissimmee. They are all free to employees of those cities and their families.

“Every service that we have here, all the primary care that you would receive at a regular physician’s office, we do here and it’s free to the employee and their dependents,” Carnicella said.

He said when the clinic opened in 2008, health care costs for Ocoee were projected to skyrocket from $3.5 million to nearly $6 million. Instead, health care costs for the city haven’t increased at all.

“The doctors and the staff get paid an hourly rate to see as many patients as they can,” Carnicella said.

Doctors at CareHere clinics get more time to talk to patients. They’re allotted 20 minutes with each person. Most clinics offer about five minutes with the doctor. Most clinics are paid by insurance companies, but at CareHere clinics doctors, nurses, X-ray technicians and other workers only work for their municipality.

“It’s really brought me back to why I went into medicine — to just focus on patient care and not think about insurance and getting authorizations and doing what I think is right for the patient,” said Ocoee city physician Dr. Roberta Chung.

Municipal CareHere clinics are also one-stop shopping – X-rays, blood work, rehabilitation and a pharmacy are available right in the clinic.

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