With our Fitness & Wellness Works WeCare Program we bring medical care directly to employees and their dependents at their workplace. WeCare's physicians and nurse practitioners provide primary care and monitor employees' health conditions at on-site clinics. They conduct lab tests to identify risk factors and diseases and serve as a readily accessible medical resource for employees. Through the WeCare systems, the health of individual employees is monitored while confidentiality is maintained as required by federal and state laws.

Employees enjoy waived co-pays at on-site clinics as well as greater convenience. Bringing the doctor to the workplace can be especially helpful for workers who delay seeking preventive health care for various reasons, including cost, lack of transportation or too much time spent in doctors' waiting rooms. Using the on-site physician is not mandatory and employees are allowed to maintain choices in their primary care.

Employers benefit from the savings generated by promoting health and wellness, decreased claims (health and worker's compensation) as well as decreased absenteeism.

It has been shown that physicians appreciate the opportunity to simply "practice medicine" without the complication of insurance forms and receivables. Depending on the employer's size, a combination of physicians and nurse practitioners may be recommended. The providers are recruited from the local community and are subject to the approval of the employer.

WeCare will assist in setting up the clinic for the employer Clinic set up includes recruitment of the physicians, nurses, medical assistants and any other personnel needed to provide care at the employer's work site.

This includes credentialing and obtaining liability insurance coverage for staff. Since WeCare contracts the physicians, the employer liability should be minimized or eliminated.

Clinic set up also includes establishing vendor relationships for clinic supplies, laboratory, hazardous waste disposal, pharmaceuticals, as well as obtaining the required local and state permits, and CLIA Certificate of Waiver. WeCare also assists in ongoing clinic operations by tracking inventory, medical records system, and a system for scheduling appointments.

Providing good employee orientation and responding to specific questions are keys to the success of the workplace on-site clinic. Depending on the number of employees at the work site, clinics can be open from four hours a week up to five days a week. It is recommended that dependents also be encouraged to participate to increase the effectiveness of the clinic. Employers are free to open the clinic to all employees and dependents or limit use to those in the health plan depending on their individual needs provided there is a Cost to Benefit ratio that meets the employer's requirements.

Many employers elect to provide selected generic medications for the on-site physician to dispense during the clinic visit. The employer's pharmacy claims are analyzed to identify the most frequently prescribed medications. They can then be dispensed without charge at the on-site clinic.

Employees are encouraged to begin using this voluntary program by completing a personalized health risk assessment and undergoing initial lab tests. To stimulate participation some employers kick off the program with health fairs and some offer incentives for participation, such as gift certificates for local retailers. Through the on-site clinic screening process, WeCare has identified people in the early stages of diabetes, hypertension and other diseases and conditions.

Employee surveys have shown that employees have been very pleased to have access to an on-site clinic and that it has been good for employee morale as well as resulting in considerable ROI cost savings.