Three Ways We Save You Money with Care Redirection

The cost of healthcare is rising at an alarming rate.

 The latest data suggests the cost to employers will top $15,000 per employee in 2020. As more employees than ever enroll in high-deductible health plans (HDHP’s), a portion of the cost is passed to them, as well.

We’ll need to tackle the rising costs of healthcare together. Yet finding high-quality care at a fair price is tough. So at HealthJoy, one of our core service offerings is unlimited member access to healthcare concierge support. Our highly trained team works hard to redirect our members to lower-cost, high-quality care whenever possible.

What is Care Redirection?

One of the biggest issues driving the rising cost of healthcare is the lack of price transparency. Prices can vary wildly between one provider and the next, and it can be difficult to discern which option provides both lower costs and the quality of care employees need.

Care redirection lowers costs for employees and employers by recommending providers that represent a balance of cost and quality. This might mean helping members choose between an ER and urgent care, a doctor’s appointment or a telemedicine visit, or even between a hospital MRI procedure and an independent facility.

Most importantly, HealthJoy’s concierge team provides care redirection at the times employees need it most. Instead of relying on employees to make decisions in the moment—when stress makes it tough to weigh our options—concierges offer guidance by phone or chat.

Three Ways We Save You Money with Care Redirection

1. Driving to telemed

Telemedicine is a powerful cost-containment tool that often goes unused. In 2019, 72% of employees surveyed by SHRM offered a telemedicine benefit, yet utilization among employees is low. Our clients average around 22-24% utilization—nearly ten times the industry standard. Much of that is thanks to our concierge team’s redirection efforts.

Telemedicine is both more accessible and less expensive for employers. An unnecessary trip to the ER could cost the employee, and the employer, thousands of dollars. With a telemedicine benefit, the same employee could get 24/7 answers to their questions for no or minimal copay; HealthJoy members can often access telemedicine for no cost. For employers, the cost is lower relative not just to ER and urgent care, but to many primary care providers, too.

Explore our Telemedicine Benefits Guide to learn more about helping employees make the most of this benefit.

Employees are typically delighted by their telemedicine experiences, but they might not know this benefit exists. So our concierge team is trained to redirect customers to telemedicine whenever possible. For instance, a member might submit a provider request for treatment of a UTI. While performing the request, the concierge will remind them that, instead of scheduling an appointment miles away, they can access a free telemedicine consult in about 10 minutes from the comfort of their home.

Ultimately it’s up to the member to choose, but it’s our job to make sure they’re aware of this convenient option.

2. Urgent care over ER

When your employees are sick and scared, the emergency room sounds like the only option. During true medical emergencies, that’s undoubtedly the case.

Yet many people visit ER’s each year simply because they or their children are sick outside of normal business hours. They may not realize that an urgent care facility the same distance from their home has 24-hour care for minor emergencies with a much lower price tag.

It’s easy to confuse an ER with urgent care. Yet the price tag difference is astounding. Emergency rooms can charge hundreds to thousands of dollars in facility fees just for walking through their doors. That doesn’t take into account the cost of drugs administered there, access to out-of-network doctors, or charges for procedures. In contrast, an urgent care visit typically costs patients a couple hundred dollars.

With differences this shocking, you can see why our policy of redirecting to urgent care helps companies and their employees contain costs.

For minor yet alarming issues like a painful ear infection or the flu, urgent care can offer the same care at a much lower price. We know that our members are often scared when they reach out to clarify their coverage during a medical crisis. By redirecting to urgent care—and giving specific details on when and where to go—we can help employees navigate scary situations without adding the additional stress of an over-the-top bill.

3. Provider and facility recommendations

Finally, HealthJoy helps to make thoughtful provider recommendations that always take into account quality scores and pricing information. We’re constantly on the lookout for ways to help your employees lower their healthcare spend, and provider recommendations are one of the biggest areas where we provide savings through guidance.

That might mean completing a provider search that results in a less-expensive consultation with a specialist, or leading them to an inexpensive facility for their knee replacement. Our concierge team typically completes these requests within 24 hours, and the results can save thousands for you and your employees. We’ve seen prices for specific procedures vary by as much as 10 times in many markets.

As part of this ongoing effort, we also use JOY campaign journeys to promote our provider recommendation service (see What Are HealthJoy’s JOY Campaign Journeys?). These messages go straight to their phones and can serve as a reminder of our services.

Care redirection helps tackle rising costs

Care redirection should be an essential part of every company’s ongoing fight against the rising cost of healthcare. To combat the lack of employee awareness, your team will need to devote time to education. You’ll also need a partner that meets employees in the times they’re most likely to make costly decisions. With HealthJoy’s concierge team by their side, it’s easier for employees to choose the best care at the right price.

Schedule a demo today to see how HealthJoy’s care redirection can minimize spend for your company and your employees.