SOUTH BEND, IND. (Oct. 16, 2009) - While the nation's leaders debate healthcare reform, St. Joseph County is reducing its healthcare costs through an on-site medical clinic administered by Care ATC.
"After doing the research, opening an on-site medical clinic just made sense," said St. Joseph County Commissioner Andy Kostielney, R-Ind. "We expect to see significant savings while the health of county employees and their families improves. It's a win-win."
Commissioner Kostielney led the initiative while Troy Scott of Clinicare USA facilitated it. "Once we started working with Troy, who essentially drove the project, it was a seamless, simple process," Kostielney said.
The clinic opened Oct. 5 and is free to the county's 1,311 full-time employees and their dependents. Time lost in the waiting room, co-pays and other out-of-pocket expenses will be a thing of the past for these families.
Open 28 hours a week and staffed by board-certified physician Dr Lillian Jardine, the Care ATC clinic provides services similar to those offered in a primary care physician's office. Visits include same-day doctor's appointments for annual exams, illnesses and injuries, as well as preventative care and screenings including annual personal health assessments.
Last year, St. Joseph County spent $10 million of its $67 million budget on healthcare for its employees and dependents. With the on-site medical clinic administered by Care ATC, the county will begin to experience healthcare savings as early as the first year.
"In a group health plan, 10 percent of the people in the group are responsible for 90 percent of the claims," said Paul Keeling, Care ATC's director of sales. "By focusing on prevention and making doctor's visits easy and free to employees and their families, we can address the conditions that cause catastrophic claims while reducing the overall number of claims."
Care ATC, a national provider of on-site medical clinics, Care ATC has more than 40 clinics in 10 states. The St. Joseph County clinic is its first in Indiana.
In the most recent survey by Watson Wyatt/National Business Group on Health research, 29 percent of large companies already have or plan to have an onsite clinic by the year end, up from 27 percent in 2006.
About Care ATC
The focus of Tulsa-based Care ATC is to help employers take control of healthcare by giving their employees and dependents a shorter path to care. All services provided by Care ATC are 100 percent confidential and protected by HIPAA privacy regulations. Visit www.careatc.com for more.