It’s a fact that health care costs have escalated considerably. From a business perspective, controlling and reducing your company’s health care-related costs can significantly impact overall financial success. Yet, this strategy is often overlooked.
Your employees can generate unnecessary costs to your business without even knowing it. The tradition of “heading to the emergency department” isn’t always the best choice, but people often don’t know where else to turn when they need medical assistance (or think they do). These ED visits are the costliest option for your employees and your company, and may be unnecessary.
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, an estimated 13% to 27% of ED visits in the United States could be managed in physician offices, clinics and urgent care centers, saving $4.4 billion annually.1
Is it a True “ED Emergency?”
There are thousands of reasons people seek immediate medical care. A minor accident, such as a deep cut, possible sprain or simple fall, can cause stress and panic, especially for those who rarely experience minor medical emergencies. Ongoing symptoms such as a rash or unexplained swelling may — or may not — indicate a serious underlying issue. However, an impulsive trip to the nearest ED may just generate unnecessary expenses for the patient and your business.
How Nurse Triage Services Can Help Reduce Employer Costs
A nurse access line for employees and their family provides immediate access to a Registered Nurse who can help callers who have questions and concerns and can help them access appropriate care and expedite care when necessary. Nurse triage helps to rein in excessive ED use, helping employers reduce health care costs and save employee time by not waiting in an ED. It allows your staff to directly and confidentially call a clinical professional at any time, day or night. With a proper assessment of symptoms and injuries, a nurse can recommend the appropriate level of care.
A compassionate, high-performing nurse triage service does even more than that. Triage nurses reassure overwhelmed patients, establish trust and set realistic expectations to reduce a caller’s stress, anxiety, confusion and health risk.
Triage nurses also help patients identify the closest and least-crowded location to get help for a serious matter. A provider visit is often the best choice for treatment. Sometimes, all a person really needs is rest and over-the-counter medication. For a more serious condition, the ED could be the best choice. Seeking the appropriate care benefits everyone. It can reduce unnecessary costs while relieving backlogs and frustrating, long waits in the ED.
Why Conduit Health Partners?
When your employees have 24/7 access to the right resources 365 days a year, they can make more informed health care decisions that translate to savings for your organization and less frustration for your employees.
Conduit Health Partners provides nurse triage services through a URAC-accredited contact center that meets the highest quality standards. Our patient-centered care model connects callers directly with an experienced Registered Nurse rather than a clerical person, thereby eliminating the “middle-man” and delay in care. With excellent call response times and a low call abandonment rate, callers receive timely interaction and assessment to support their needs for immediate treatment guidance.
We also can offer convenient access to nurses from a virtual kiosk, which can be helpful in quickly assessing and diagnosing an employee’s injury or condition visually.
Work with Conduit Health Partners to learn more about how our nurse access line can help you support your employees and improve financial results at the same time.
Sources
1 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Accessed. August 3, 2022. Page last reviewed June 2018.