What exactly is a near-site clinic?

Employers are offering the healthcare services of an on-site or near-site clinic in increasing numbers as benefits for their employees. Both employer and employee are realizing returns from these benefits in terms of cost savings and improved healthcare outcomes. An on-site clinic is typically employer-sponsored and physically located on the grounds of the business itself. What, though, is a near-site clinic?

Smaller businesses may not have the resources to host a clinic on-site at their physical location. A quality alternative is a near-site clinic, an established healthcare clinic that is often used by multiple employers to provide healthcare benefits to their employees. As CareATC explains it, the near-site clinic is “generally located near the employer, still providing easy access to employees and their families.”

Convenience and access are key factors in employees’ use of a worksite clinic. While an employer may not be able to host an on-site clinic, perhaps due to financial or logistics reasons, providing the benefit of a healthcare clinic that is nearby may prove just as beneficial for improving employee health and for saving the employer money.

An alternative that may be offered with the benefit of the near-site clinic, as suggested by CareATC, is providing employees with access to a number of networked clinics, so that convenience extends to their home base. Family members entitled to the use of the clinic may actually find access easier when they have a choice of clinics located either near the employee’s workplace or near their home or school.

Services provided at a near-site clinic are typically covered by the employer’s plan. The near-site clinic may provide treatment for injuries or illnesses, immunizations and preventative care, as well as primary care services. Providers at the near-site clinic will then coordinate with the employee’s healthcare provider to share medical information regarding follow-up or ongoing treatment plans.