An increasing number of employers in the US intends to provide their workforce with better access to high-quality and cost-effective health care by embracing a myriad of solutions such as high-performance networks, centers of excellence, onsite or near-site health centers, and accountable care organizations. Nearly one-half (45%) of employers say they intend to adopt these types of solutions by 2021, compared to just 32% that have already done so, according to research from leading global advisory company Willis Towers Watson.

The survey also uncovered employers’ top concerns around delivering high-quality, comprehensive health care to their workforce and found they’re most concerned about inadequate access to mental health services (54%) and substance abuse treatment (47%).

"Employers understand the key to better care and a healthier workforce is to focus squarely on quality and better patient experience, supported by provider contracting that aligns with financial incentives,” said Mark Hope, national health plan relations leader at Willis Towers Watson. 

Top of mind for many employers is to ensure their workforce can weed through the historically broad set of network providers to identify quality practitioners. To address this barrier, more companies are expanding the use of high-performance networks (HPNs) and centers of excellence (COEs). These solutions offer a narrower set of health care providers and facilities with proven track records of offering high-quality care at a competitive cost. 

By 2020, 80% of respondents plan to include COEs within a health plan — up from 51% in 2018. While nearly two-thirds (65%) of respondents plan to include HPNs — more than double the number of employers (28%) that had HPNs incorporated into their plan last year. 

Making care accessible

In many cases, employers are taking matters into their own hands by offering onsite and near-site health centers as a solution not only to improve employee access to quality, convenient health care services but also to boost workplace productivity. Nearly four in 10 employers (38%) are considering opening a health center at their workplace location to provide preventive, primary and urgent care by 2020 — a jump from the 26% that offer this today. Further, just over one in four employers (26%) plan to offer near-site health centers by 2020 — an even greater jump from the 8% that offer this today. 

Employers are also expanding the types of care offered at health centers, adding mental health services, such as behavioral health counseling, in the next few years. Roughly half indicate they will offer onsite or near-site mental health services through the vendor managing the health center or through a community provider by 2020.

This desire to bring health care services directly to employees is paying off. Of the employers that offer an onsite or near-site health center, 87% indicated they had succeeded in improving employee access to convenient health care services, while 81% touted enhancing employee productivity and bringing absenteeism under control.