Seattle, WA. An hour with the doctor? Given that the average time a doctor spends with a patient is 10 minutes, an hour seems almost indulgent. But, Vera Whole Health is dedicated to providing as much time as it takes, offering ½ hour and even hour-long appointments. Their philosophy is that by focusing on the whole patient and working to change unhealthy behaviors that overall health will improve.
And, they’ve found a way to deliver this level of care while offering savings. They work with corporate customers to provide employer-based clinics that are on or near the work site (think: The Living Well on Microsoft’s campus).
“This renewed interest in employer-based clinics comes at a time when more and more companies are providing their employees with high-deductible health insurance that is linked to health savings accounts. As employees feel the pinch of paying out of pocket for healthcare services (at least until the high deductible of their company-provided insurance is met) they are becoming a lot more receptive to new models of care.” –Bill Crounse, MD
This model seems to be a win-win.
For employers, the savings are impressive. Vera reports “10 to 25 percent net savings for self-funded employers; 7 to 13 percent premium reductions for fully insured employers; a 100 to 268 percent return on investment; and up to 60 percent savings on workers compensation.”
For employees, it’s not only the exam room experience that’s improved. Providers offer telemedicine and forward-leaning tech integration of EMR and patient satisfaction data, which is also linked to performance metrics on outcomes and costs.
About the Author:
As Managing Director of Innovation and Insights for Syneos Health Communications, Leigh is responsible for building and scaling a global team of healthcare experts who together help life science leaders better understand the complex lives, influences and expectations of their customers. Specifically, they uncover actionable insights that fuel empathy and creativity; lead co-creation events that let marketers learn from peers, trends, and new possibilities; and help clients identify the most valuable and useful new customer experiences to create.
Leigh has worked with Fortune 1000 companies to craft their digital, mobile, social and CRM strategies for nearly 20 years.She’s worked for category-leading agencies in retail, public affairs, B2B technology, and higher education. Prior to moving to Syneos Health Communications, she held several leadership roles at our largest agency, GSW. There, she founded an innovation practice fueled by the zeitgeist and spearheaded digital and innovation thinking across the business.
Leigh has taken a special interest in complex healthcare products that can change lives in meaningful ways. She was recently a strategic lead on the 3rd largest launch in pharmaceutical history: Tecfidera. Before that she had keys roles with Eli Lilly Oncology, Abbott Nutrition, Amgen Cardiovascular, and Eli Lilly Diabetes.
A critical part of Leigh’s work is trends and new ideas. Every year, she convenes a group of trend watchers from across our global network to identify the shifts most critical to healthcare marketers. This year, she led over 250 experts to experts to focus on the most important changes in the commercial, consumer, marketing, digital and healthcare landscapes. (See reports at trends.health)
Leigh is a sought-after writer and speaker. Recognized as one of the most inspiring people in the pharmaceutical industry by PharmaVoice and Top 10 Innovation Catalysts of 2017 by MM&M, Leigh also was recognized as a Rising Star by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) for her overt passion, industry thought leadership and significant contributions in new business, strategy and mentoring.
