Tag: schools

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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Unlike outdated wellness programs that are triggered by large claims or passive educational material, the onsite-care model includes an active approach based on extensive lab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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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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PRESS RELEASE:

Governor Signs New Law Helping Schools Save Money
through Electronic Procurement Processes

Crowne Procurement Services applauds new law to improve purchasing for school districts.

March 10, 2016 (Ocoee, Fla.) – This week Florida’s governor has signed into law Senate Bill 350, which allows the use of online procurement tools for school districts and state colleges.

“Along with the citizens of Florida, I give a big thank you to Gov. Rick Scott for signing the bill to support electronic procurement,” said Neil McDonald, Director of Crowne Procurement Services and The Crowne Group’s affiliates focused on helping school districts cut costs and reduce risks.  “Also, congratulations to Sen. Bill Montford and Rep. Brad Drake for effectively and efficiently shepherding SB 350 through the legislative process.”

The measure reforms the statewide process for electronic procurement for school districts and promotes access to competitively priced, high-quality goods.  Each year parents and teachers look for ways to ensure their dollars are spent wisely.  SB 350 authorizes school boards to use an electronic procurement process similar to common online procurement tools like eBay.

“SB 350 ensures schools receive the most competitive prices and can therefore spend more money in the classrooms,” said Sen. Montford.  “When it comes to taxpayer dollars and student education we need to give school districts the most effective tools, and this bill adds another tool to the tool box.”

The legislature places performance metrics on school districts to show they are getting their goods at the lowest price while not sacrificing on quality.

“We see this as a step forward in making sure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and ensuring Florida’s teachers also have the best tools available,” said Rep. Drake.  “The online procurement tool has handy reporting tools with minimum time required, allowing the schools to focus on providing the best teaching environment for our children.”

About Crowne Procurement Services: Crowne Procurement Services is part of The Crowne Group, a diversified consulting firm offering employer solutions and serving school districts, cities, counties, government entities, and private companies. Crowne Procurement Services prides itself on having decades of procurement and supplier-side experience along with an extensive knowledge of procurement requirements and processes. In partnership with EASi, Electronic Auction Services, Inc., Crowne’s experts are making the most of a proprietary technology platform to help organizations procure everything from A-to-Z while helping to save money.

For more information, contact: Neil McDonald, (321) 221-0674, ndmcdonald@crowneinc.com

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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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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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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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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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