Cleveland Clinic sees growth in programs for employers

The Cleveland Clinic is finding more success with programs for employers looking to enhance their healthcare coverage.

Since the launch 15 years ago, the Cleveland Clinic Employer Solutions program has worked with companies to provide better care for employees and access to services they may otherwise not receive.

The Cleveland Clinic has worked with more than 2,000 employers in all 50 states. Meghan Cassidy, senior director of sales and product development for network and payment strategies at Cleveland Clinic, says she sees more opportunities for growth in serving more employers.

“I see only growth,” she tells Chief Healthcare Executive®. “We'll continue to give good service, but I think we could have 10 times the amount of coverage that we have.”

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Cleveland Clinic offers a host of different services to employers, including its Centers of Excellence program. The program began in 2010 with non-emergency heart surgeries, but has expanded in recent years to musculoskeletal services and bariatric services.

This year, the program launched its Cancer Center of Excellence.

Cassidy says the employer services program is designed to give companies the ability to offer a different level of health services for their employees. More than 60,000 patients have been served in the program.

“What we do is think about where and how Cleveland Clinic can provide more world-class care to people who need that access,” Cassidy says.

“Your employer could offer a program where you come to the Cleveland Clinic if you have a heart valve issue or need surgery,” she explains. “We'll review it. We'll make sure that's an appropriate use of time and travel and health care dollars spent. And if we do think you should be at the Cleveland Clinic, then we'll help you get there.”

For some patients needing services who may not be near a Cleveland Clinic location, the program will fly individuals needing surgery, along with a spouse or partner, to Cleveland for the procedure.

“You find out that your employer will put you, your wife, your husband, your mom, whoever it is on a plane, and fly you to Cleveland,” Cassidy says. “They will meet you at the airport. You will have a nurse that will be there and a care coordinator, who literally will hold your hand if you're upset, they hold your spouse's hands.”

The Cleveland Clinic’s program is appealing to employers who are looking to retain good workers and help them get back on the job.

“It's all about getting folks back to work,” she says. “It's about making sure they can live the best life that they can.”

The employer services program can also assist in the transition of care when patients return to their home markets.

The program also now includes Cleveland Clinic’s virtual second opinion service, where patients can connect with a top physician to get more guidance on a diagnosis or recommended course of treatment.

The virtual second opinions can lead to changes in treatment plans that could be more effective and less expensive. Employers utilizing the virtual second opinion service have saved, on average, about $8,000, Cassidy says.

“That's real money,” Cassidy says,

And she adds, “It can provide such peace of mind to patients. It can be very stressful and scary to not know if you're doing the right thing, and to have an expert from the Cleveland Clinic look at it and either say, yeah, you're on the right track, or you might want to make a modification, is life-changing.”

The Cleveland Clinic program also is designed to save employers money by bundling surgery, pre-operative and post-op services, eventually offering a lower total cost of care than in the home market, Cassidy says.

Cleveland Clinic touts $55 million in total savings to employers since launching the program 15 years ago, including $25 million by avoiding surgeries.

The employer services program also received a Net Promoter Score of 96, surpassing most scores in the tracking of consumer satisfaction.

The patient experience in the program is a differentiator, Cassidy says. She points to stories of patients who have received life-saving treatment, and those resonate with employers.

“They're tear jerkers, and they really make a big difference,” Cassidy says. “And so that, to me, I think, is the most rewarding part of all of it. And I think, yes, employers are always going to look at the bottom line, but when you have that kind of human story behind it, it just transforms your benefit package.”