When your decision-making team begins to iron out the details of your on-site clinic, you’ll begin to experience the true power of partnership with your on-site clinic vendor.

Organizations that treat their on-site clinic vendor like an extension of their own organization experience the most success during this phase of the process.

Take an inside look at the third chapter of our recent eBook:  A Strategic Guide to Planning & Launching An On-Site Clinic, to learn the most important elements of the contracting phase.

Chapter 3: What services, incentives, utilization, accountability, data-sharing policies, and performance guarantees are right for me?

 

Understanding the Importance of Incentives

Offering the right incentive to drive employee engagement can be the difference between success and failure.


Most people aren’t used to a healthcare model that encourages them to use healthcare to stay healthy. They’re familiar with a model that simply treats them when they’re sick. And while an excellent clinical experience should be the driver of repeat visits, incentives help get patients into their clinic for the first time.

You can tie your incentives to basic visits or encourage a specific behavior. At Vera we incentivize patients to complete four steps that introduce them to all the potential services available, while giving their care team the foundation necessary to build a personalized care plan. These steps include a health risk assessment, biometric screening, provider wellness visit, and coaching connection.

Getting your incentives right from the beginning is crucial to the successful launch of your clinic. Your clinic vendor should work with you to help you determine what incentive levels make sense for your employees.

Utilization Is a Good Thing

Population data and claims history help predict utilization and determine what services will best serve your employees. For example, an organization with an aging population will want to seek providers who specialize in chronic disease management.

If at this point your vendor is telling you that you can save a lot of money by only paying for the people who use the clinic, buyer beware. In order for the clinic to have an impact on your organization's health, as many people as possible need to use it. Never forget that reducing cost and achieving a return on investment are the natural result of your employees getting healthier.

It’s OK that not everyone will use your clinic in the same way. Utilization can shift over time and the need for additional services comes into focus.

Privacy & Data-Sharing

Employee privacy is the law. But it’s also about trust and handling employee data securely and responsibly.

Like any healthcare organization, your clinic must comply with HIPAA regulations and federal standards when it comes to handling employee data.

It’s natural for concerns about employee privacy to arise at this point. Your vendor will work with your legal and HR teams to share resources that detail patient privacy practices. They’ll also work closely with your marketing and communications teams to make sure that your employees understand how their data is protected.

Accountability: Who Does What?


Clear accountability guidelines means everyone understands their responsibilities. Accountability includes everything from day-to-day clinic operations to marketing and maintenance.

For example:

  • How is patient satisfaction measured?
  • How are patient complaints or concerns dealt with?
  • Who handles employee communication?
  • How are the clinic staff managed?

All of these questions and more should be answered during the accountability sections of the contracting phase.

Performance Guarantees

Every Vera on-site clinic comes with a 100% performance guarantee.

What does that mean? It means that if you check off all the best practices boxes and we don’t generate the agreed return on your investment — we’ll refund you 100% of our fees.


You should push your vendor, whomever you choose, to do the same. During contracting discuss how performance is reported, measured, and optimized during the life of your clinic so there are no surprises down the road.

Beyond these key items, every contract should include:

  • Basic economic terms (including up-front fees and start-up costs)
  • Build schedule
  • Clinic services detail
  • Data-sharing details
  • Staffing requirements
  • Additional fees or charges for adding capacity or services
  • HIPAA and privacy protections
  • Facilities details, including lease information
  • Eligibility parameters for employees
  • Roles and responsibilities between clinic provider and employer
  • Agreements on hours of operation and clinic logistics
  • Guidelines for making decisions during build-out and ongoing clinic operation

The contracting and legal process can feel daunting. You can start to forget the motivations for your decision in the process. But you're not the first to tread this path. Keeping your goals top of mind: better health for employees and substantial long-term cost savings will help you make decisions that seem small, but add up. By focusing on a friendly, collaborative partnership, you can provide great solutions for your employees and your business.

Ready to dive in? Download your copy: A Strategic Guide to Planning & Launching An On-Site Clinic.

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