Tag: Health

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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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Screenings Save Dollars for School Districts

screenings-xrays-medicalEarly detection of potential health issues is essential to avoiding costly and complex conditions.  Most district health-plans cover screenings for detecting anything from high blood pressure to cancer, but preventative coverage only pays off financially when plan members actually utilize screening services.

The benefits planning experts and onsite care operators at Crowne Consulting Group report that a high percentage of employees, retirees, and dependents with access to an onsite or near-site health center utilize screening services and complete Health Risk Assessments (HRA).

“Our onsite-care model ensures health screenings, exams, and X-rays are free and conveniently accessible for plan members,” said Ray Tomlinson, president of Crowne Consulting Group, which has helped dozens of Florida employers to implement onsite care to mitigate risks and prevent high-dollar claims due to unchecked conditions.

Unlike outdated wellness programs triggered by large claims, onsite healthcare services provide a proactive approach based on extensive lab work and assessments. This allows medical staff to proactively bring medical concerns to the attention of patients as well as create a unique plan of action and accountability for preventing more extensive health problems.

If any condition requires screenings for early detection along with a customized plan upon diagnosis – it is cancer.  According to the National Institutes of Health, cancer costs will reach $158 Billion by 2020. Crowne Consulting Group has worked with RN Cancer Guides Solutions to help school districts deliver an individualized approach to cancer care.

Florida-based RN Cancer Guides Solutions is the nation’s first-ever team of oncology nurse specialists reviewing claims and attending patient appointments to make real-time improvements in healthcare. Through its Employee Cancer Assistance Program (ECAP), school districts leverage value-based care and guided support for plan members to achieve the best possible outcomes, which result in reduced claims costs.

“Through special partnerships and an individualized approach to prevention, onsite health and wellness centers are coordinating solutions to make a tremendous impact on member’s health and their wallets,” added Tomlinson.

In addition to discussing medical concerns with a qualified physician, savvy healthcare consumers may research official websites like American Cancer Society, AACC’s Lab Tests Online, American Heart Association, and Mayo Clinic for guidance in maintaining health and keeping up-to-date on recommended health screenings.

Crowne Consulting Group’s clients have included school districts, cities, counties, sheriff’s offices, and private organizations.  Visit www.crowneinc.com  or call 407.654.5414 for information and employer solutions.

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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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Schools Clearing Health Care Hurdles

District Administration Magazine
December 2014
Feature Story, Posted 11/14/2014
By Alison DeNisco

Crowne Consulting Group and our client, Pasco County Schools, are featured in the December 2014 Issue of District Administration Magazine.  Here’s an excerpt:

“Pasco County Schools in Florida, a district of 10,000 employees, has been self-insured with Blue Cross Blue Shield since 2009. The district was fully insured for many years, but insurance carriers were increasing rates between 9 and 12 percent, says Kevin Shibley, executive director for administration at the District School Board of Pasco County.

Administrators determined that they could save those extra costs if they took on the risk of self-insuring, he says. “We have a long history of being stable, so we made the decision to go self-insured,” Shibley adds.

Since then, the district has not had an annual increase to its insurance plan exceeding 5 percent, Shibley says. It also worked with Crowne Consulting Group to open on-site employee health care centers, and saved $14 million over three years as a result.“

Visit District Administration to read the full article:
http://www.districtadministration.com/article/schools-clearing-health-care-hurdles

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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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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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Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pasco School District to Open 4th Health Center

Land O’Lakes, FL – (September 24, 2013) – The District School Board of Pasco County will hold a ribbon cutting and tours for its newest CareHere Health & Wellness Center at Hudson Middle School on Friday, September 27, at 10 a.m.

Superintendent Kurt Browning, School Board chairman Cynthia Armstrong, and School Board member Steve Luikart will be joined by Crowne Consulting Group/CareHere representatives and district Employee Benefits staff for the short program that will precede the ribbon cutting.  The Center will be open the rest of the day for staff and family members to tour.

Employees, retirees, and dependents covered by the District School Board of Pasco County’s group health plan (Florida Blue, formerly Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida) can receive medical services including treatment for primary care, lab work, medication, x-rays, and more at no out-of-pocket cost at any onsite CareHere Health Center.  Other centers are located near Gulf High School, Land O’ Lakes High School, and Centennial Middle School.

Crowne Consulting Group, an employee benefits consulting firm, is co-administrator of more than 25 health centers throughout Florida, helping Tennessee-based partners CareHere surpass a milestone of 100 centers nationwide.

District employees and retirees can schedule appointments at any of the District’s four CareHere Health & Wellness Centers by calling 1.877.423.1330, or logging on to www.CareHere.com.  The new CareHere Health & Wellness Center is located at 14730 Cobra Way, Hudson; however, Google Maps does not have that address in the proper location.  See the map below for the exact location, and if you plan to use GPS, use the middle school address, 14540 Cobra Way.

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Pasco Schools Media Contact: Linda Cobbe, Director Communications & Government Relations, (813)794-2717 / (727)774-2717 / (352)524-2717.

Visit Crowne’s “In the News” page for more information about Health and Wellness Centers across the state of Florida.  See Event Photos below.

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Onsite and In Demand:
Helping Large and Small Employers to Lower Health Costs

With the various provisions in the Affordable Care Act and opt-out-only requirements for employee health coverage, it’s clear that Healthcare Reform will push many smaller employers to opt for self-funding.

As a positive, self-insured plans are exempt from medical loss ratio requirements and aren’t subject to risk-adjustment.

Onsite healthcare for employees attracts self-funded groups because visits are paid directly by the employer.  No claim is filed.  Group health insurance typically is conducted in a fee-for-services model.  The more physician services, the higher the bill.  With an onsite health center, however, the employer controls spending by paying a flat fee and pass-through costs without any markup.

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.  As a result, the costs for operating an onsite health center are 30-70 percent less than paying for a fee-for-service model.

Dozens of onsite health centers popping up across Florida have succeeded with the help of Crowne Consulting Group, Inc. , which partners with Tennessee-based CareHere to handle administration and operations of the onsite health center.

While many private companies have opened their onsite health centers, public entities including cities, counties, and school districts, have led the charge in recent years.

Importantly, the Crowne-CareHere model is completely scalable, which means it can work for employers from small to large.  Crowne Consulting Group has helped self-funded employers in Florida ranging from 175 employees to 8,500 employees.  Employers have managed to save millions of dollars in healthcare costs and decrease their prescription drug expenditures.

See video about Onsite Care Sweeping Florida https://crowneinc.com/2012/10/.

What’s more is that it’s not just the employer seeing the savings – the employees are also reaping the benefits.  Employee utilization remains high because employee health centers offer on-demand medical service for employees, their dependents, and the retiree population for no out-of-pocket costs.