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Posted
July 31, 2008

More employers providing onsite medical clinics

Companies such as Toyota, Harrah Entertainment and Disney are joining a growing list of large businesses that are building on-site medical centers as a way to save employee health-care costs (Source: “Health-Care Reform, Corporate-Style,” Business Week, July 29, 2008). In fact, a study from Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a benefits-consulting firm, found that 32 percent of all employers with more than 1,000 workers have an on-site medical center or plan to build one by 2009.

Hal Rosenbluth, president of Walgreen's health and wellness division, says every dollar invested in setting up a clinic will return $3 to $5, with the biggest savings coming from reduced referrals to specialists and visits to emergency rooms. The clinic offer so much cost savings that many companies are offering drastically reduced co-pays and some even offer donations to an employee's health savings account if they chose to go to the company clinic.

However, some critics are calling for more regulation of company-run centers to ensure that patient care takes precedence over companies' bottom-line.

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