CAPP Physician Group: AUSTIN REGIONAL MEDICAL CLINICS
Project: EMPLOYEE HEALTH SERVICE CENTER PROJECT

Summary: The first year of Austin Regional Medical Clinic’s on-site Employee Health Service Center pilot with the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality shows success for all—patients, employer, and medical group—through fast diagnosis and prompt treatment, which leads to reduction in absenteeism and presenteeism.

Since March 16, 2006, state employees at the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) have been able to receive health care at work at their new on-site Employee Health Service Center in Austin. Working closely with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX), the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) contracted with Austin Regional Clinic (ARC), a multispecialty medical group, to implement this innovative pilot program that offers on-site health services to state employees at TCEQ headquarters. The two-year pilot program has three basic goals: to provide basic medical care to state employees who choose to make use of the service, to reduce the cost of state employee health care, and to increase the wellness and productivity of state employees.
The Employee Health Service Center is staffed by an ARC nurse practitioner who sees patients for such health issues as cold and flu, fever, blood pressure checks, minor sprains and strains, while also educating patients on wellness and prevention. The center also provides information on such health issues as heart disease, diabetes, and women’s health screenings, and distributes health information to TCEQ employees. An ARC family practice physician provides physician oversight, and all services are free of charge to the employee.

After 12+ months in operation, this pilot project has proven to be a win-win for everyone. The patients have easy access to medical care—both walk-ins and appointments are accepted. Patients without a regular doctor are also referred to a primary care physician. This means that illnesses and conditions that may have otherwise gone untreated can be diagnosed and/or treated more quickly.

In addition, employees who show symptoms of the flu can be sent to the nurse right away, which reduces chances of other employees falling ill. This controls absentee rates and medical costs. Health education and wellness tips from the clinician should also have longer-term beneficial results. Because the pilot project is still in its infancy, the hard-dollar cost-benefit analysis cannot yet be quantified. However, the benefits to TCEQ, the employer, seem obvious—preventing and treating illnesses early should reduce absenteeism, presenteeism, and prevent the catastrophic costs associated with undiagnosed or untreated chronic life-threatening diseases.

For the physician group, Austin Regional Clinic, the Employee Health Center serves as an extension of the medical group’s physicians’ practice for their established patients who are also TCEQ employees, while providing prompt, quality care to ARC and non-ARC patients alike. In addition, the pilot allows ARC to test this new model of health care for potential growth and expansion of its business.

For more information about this project or an interview with Norman Chenven, M.D. of Austin Regional Clinic, please contact Heidi Shalev at (512) 421-4811.

“Obama Visits Clinic Known for Quality Care, Controlling Costs,” by David Brown, The Washington Post, July 23, 2009

The Post takes a more in-depth look at The Cleveland Clinic, a CAPP medical group, that was touted by President Obama as a model of health care efficiency and quality.

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“Yes, models for cost-efficient health care do exist,” by Jim Landers, The Dallas Morning News, July 28, 2009

CAPP group Scott & White is featured in this article that reviews some of the Dartmouth findings on organizations that can curb health care costs.

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“Atul Gawande: The Cost Conundrum Redux,” by Atul Gawande, The New Yorker, June 23, 2009.

Gawande responds to the skeptics of his highly publicized New Yorker article.

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“The Cost Conundrum: What a Texas town can teach us about health care,” by Atul Gawande, The New Yorker, June 01, 2009

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