by Sidney Marr
When it comes to managing chronic disease, the future of employer-sponsored benefits has never been more comprehensive. Yet they still hinge on the open communication and trust between the customers/employees and their care providers. With more demand for meeting employees where they are, progressive employers are tapping into a combination of care that delivers at the work site, telephonically, and with the continuous inclusion of primary care providers.
Why does this matter?
Particularly among the hourly wage-earning population, there is a risk of foregoing annual visits, which contributes to a lack of chronic disease management. The reality is that many individuals who have a progressive chronic disease have too many barriers, such as costly healthcare, to engage in professional care. This is the reason employers like Quicken Loans turn to solution providers like National Diagnostic Services. By deploying the NDS Wellness platform, mobile units are brought onsite temporarily to assist employees with their individual health. Adherence rates go up when employees can remain on the job site while seeing to their health. Of course, these visits are just the start.
By combining the in-person visit with a tele-solution, a continuum of care is delivered to a person without the team being always physically present. Michael Ketslakh, president of National Diagnostic Services, shares “we have effectively diverted individuals from going to the Emergency Room for acute care and diverted them into over-the-counter management or to primary care/urgent care where the cost of the plan is a fraction of what it is in the hospital system.” Specifically, for NDS, another layer has been added to this continuum involving a primary care physician, and assisting in finding one if the employee is currently without.
Not like drawing blood from a turnip.
Individualized comprehensive bloodwork is also on the rise, But it’s not just about the needles; education is a huge factor in the process, most efficiently conducted for many via a follow up tele-visit.
Michael adds that “by offering a direct care program, we are doing additional outreach, we are doing additional events onsite, but we’re limiting the provider interaction to telemedicine, which enables us to bring the price point down quite a bit.” Many symptoms of diseases can be similar to or associated with high cost management diseases, such as hyperlipidemia. NDS Care helps take individuals out of that diagnosis and converts them back to the normal risk category, reducing the cost significantly. That reduction is a welcome change from providers who are trying to squeeze blood from the turnip of profits employers are trying to hang on to.
When tele solutions aren’t the answer – especially for children.
No doubt, organizations have seen a rise in mental health solutions amid the past two years. But, it’s not just adult employees seeking them. These services have been significantly beneficial, especially to high school students that are more susceptible to mental health issues. This is evidenced in the adoption of services for a variety of New Jersey schools being served by NDS. Michael shared, ”This year we have about 15,000 students in three different school districts in New Jersey who have access to the mental health solutions we offer.” Under this model, students can directly engage in these programs themselves, or have their parents or school counselors involved. The program begins with a tele-visit, and then quickly engages in a face-to-face interaction between the individual and a counselor. This transfer and adoption of the services confirms what many employers/employees are already seeing as an offshoot of their mental health programs, in that people are struggling to adapt to the world around them, and many find it lonely without direct human interaction.
Teamwork makes the dream work.
When it comes to successfully moving between virtual, in person and primary care, not only does the delivery of services require impeccable teamwork, but it also important on the employer’s end. “Programs like ours work best in an environment that is very team oriented. The best employers are the ones that are trying to have a closer relationship with their employees, Michael shares. At the end of the day, the delivery of precision medicine to combat mental health issues and the physical burdens of chronic conditions requires the input and execution of multiple touch points working together for the good of the individual.
NDS Wellness is proud to be featured on The Granite List.
To learn more about the work we do, find us here.