How Better Health Can Save You Money

Haley Bass

Employers have a great opportunity to influence their employees’ health. On average, Americans working full-time spend more than one-third of their day, five days per week at work. Implementing effective work health strategies and programs can not only reduce workers’ health risks, they can also lower direct costs, like insurance premiums and workers’ compensation claims, and indirect costs, like absenteeism and productivity.

Along with a spectrum of services, a comprehensive occupational health program includes drug screenings, injury prevention strategies, urgent care services, and vaccinations. With a variety of health- and safety-focused services for the workforce, you can expect improved productivity and morale while reducing work injuries and employee absences.

Customizable Drug Screens to Improve Workplace Safety

Creating a baseline is a good place to start on improving employee health. Start with screenings for your business, including collection, lab testing, reports, results, consolidated billing, and a Medical Review Officer (MRO) to keep your employees safe. Drug testing structures are customizable depending on the needs of your workforce. Whether it’s pre-employment drug testing, random drug testing, or regulatory drug testing, an employer’s specific drug tests should comply with all state and federal regulations, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Reduce Injury Risk with Injury Prevention Strategies

In a labor-intensive job, employees are at a higher risk for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), or injuries that affect the body’s movement and are often caused by repetition or stress. Even employees who spend all day at a desk are at risk of MSDs for issues such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Physical therapists (PTs) and certified athletic trainers (ATCs) who are familiar with an employer’s workplace and the hazards of the environment can help reduce this risk and improve employee health through a variety of injury prevention strategies.

Injury prevention strategies can lead to fewer work injuries, less repetitive stress injuries, and less missed days from work. Strategies include classes on proper stretching routines, tips on the best lifting techniques to avoid back strain, and ergonomic evaluations to optimize the work environment and help employees safely complete their jobs. These injury prevention tools make the workplace more productive by reducing muscle fatigue, therefore reducing the risk of MSDs and other injuries.

Urgent Care Services Keep Employees Healthy

When one of your employees comes down with a cold or sprains their ankle outside of work, they need quick, convenient treatment to return them to health and to work. By seeking prompt care treatment at an urgent care center, your employees can avoid the appointment constraints of their primary care physicians and the long wait times and high costs of emergency rooms (ERs). In fact, research shows that about 50% of everything seen in an ER could be seen at an urgent care instead.

Urgent care centers can treat cold and flu, sprains and strains, minor cuts, and more. Concentra operates more than 300 centers in 40 states, so we likely have a convenient location near your employees.

Flu Shots, Travel Vaccines, and More

Better health sometimes hurts, but it can give your employees’ health a boost. Even as adults, employees should stay up-to-date on vaccines. These can include the influenza vaccine, school or work specific vaccines, travel shots, immigration exam-required injections, and more. Vaccination services must adhere to the best practices and guidelines issued by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other regulatory agencies. When employees keep up with recommended and required vaccines, they’re less likely to miss work from illness.

 

Concentra has more than 35 years of occupational health experience, and we treat thousands of workers every day at more than 300 centers nationwide. You can ensure that your employees are healthy and safe, on and off the job, with an effective occupational health program. Contact a Concentra work health expert to learn more about our service options.