February 2, 2009

Some Old, Some New – Methods for Cost-Saving Care

Wayne Glowac & Dean Halverson

I came across this article at businessinurance.com today about Microsoft Corp.’s next step to save on healthcare costs for its employees. The company will now send doctors in its “Mobile Medicine” unit to check out ill patients before they go to a clinic or the ER. Each visit saves Microsoft and its employees hundreds of dollars in healthcare costs.

It’s not much different from the old days when doctors would make house calls. The difference, and most important part about it, is that it is an employer-initiated idea. This is just one of many instances where employers are stepping in and taking charge to combat healthcare costs themselves. You can bet more will be acting on it soon too.

As the industry looks for new ways to save money, expect to see old tried-and-true methods return, just as much as new innovative business-oriented approaches take hold. Just don’t forget about a key player that often flies under the radar – employers.

http://www.businessinsurance.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?articleId=27019

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