How can our organization reduce high-cost, non-emergency care utilization among our plan members while preserving coverage levels?
USI’s analytics team evaluates opportunities for cost savings opportunity by redirecting plan members to a telemedicine solution and away from high-cost alternatives. We then partner with you to implement the appropriate telemedicine solution and communicate the benefit.
Offering telemedicine for non-emergency health care can yield an estimated 50% savings in eligible charges or a 1% reduction in total claims.
We’ve estimated the financial impact for you. Feel free to update the assumptions.
- Increased employee productivity by eliminating one sick day per employee per year, on average
- Increased employee satisfaction by improving the flexibility of your benefit plan
- Includes USI-aided communications strategy to increase employee understanding and utilization of telemedicine
USI’s communication practice offers a variety of different options that can be customized to your organization’s needs.
A USI client was facing a relatively large premium increase due to poor claims experience, particularly higher-than-normal emergency care use. USI identified increases to office visits and emergency room copays that, if corrected, would reduce the carrier’s requested premium increase from 22% to 16%. USI implemented a telemedicine solution with $0 copay as an alternative for members needing basic primary care. The client enjoyed initial premium savings of 6% due to the plan changes. Utilization of outpatient professional emergency room visits decreased by 38.5% and outpatient physician office visits decreased by 1.1%. These utilization reductions and lowered net services cost generated savings of more than $140,000 and a requested premium increase of only 5% the following year.
Offering telemedicine services typically costs employers $1 to $2 per employee, per month. However, the cost can be offset by making strategic plan design changes, such as increasing office visit and emergency room copays. A thoughtful communication strategy is key, so that members know how and when to access the type of care they need.
I’d like to explore further how telemedicine services can help our organization reduce high-cost care utilization among our plan members while preserving coverage levels.
To get started, we will need just a few pieces of information, including a copy of claims and utilization reporting by types of service (if available), a listing of employee home zip codes, and current plan design(s).