The COVID-19 pandemic has not only disrupted how employees work but also transformed the manner in which they seek and get healthcare.
Besides a focus on flexible work hours and positive work culture, employees are keen on receiving healthcare that prioritizes their mental well-being. To keep pace with these shifting expectations, employers and benefits consultants need to have a clear understanding of the game-changing trends around employee healthcare.
HR Technology News: What Does AI and Machine Learning Offer the Healthcare Industry in 2021?
The latest annual Employee Health Trends report by Springbuk, which analyzed data from more than 4,000 employers, highlighted the following four trends and their potential impact on employee healthcare costs and workforce productivity worldwide. They are:
-
- Telehealth
- Non-Emergent/Low-Acuity ER Visits
- Elective Procedures
- Mental Health Services and Tools
Telehealth Becomes Popular in 2020
The lockdown and mandatory social distancing forced many healthcare providers to quickly upscale their telehealth options. As a result, the number of telehealth visits among employees and their covered family members shot up. The study noted a growing average of 81.20 visits per 1,000 covered lives in 2020 from 4.96 visits per 1,000 in 2019.
The use of telemedicine increased across all age group in 2020. The biggest increase was however seen in newborns to 17-year-olds (2,166%) and those over 65 (2,004%).
Source: Springbuk
This is because while young patients are the largest proportional cohort, the older ones were among the most vulnerable populations.
Mental, behavioral, and neur odevelopmental disorders emerged as one of the top two reasons for telehealth visits in 2020. The study noted that such visits, which were just 16% of all telemedicine check-ins in 2019, comprised over 44% of all telemedicine visits in 2020. As a result, the costs for telemedicine skyrocketed in 2020 at $6.70 per member per month (PMPM) compared with mere 22 cents PMPM in 2019. So, mental health services seemed to be a major cost driver in 2020.
Falling Demand for Low-Acuity and Non-Emergent ER Visits/Care Services
The study also found that the percentage of patients who used emergency rooms (ER) for low-acuity services and non-emergent services dropped in 2020 to 67% and 57%, respectively as compared to 2019. Experts believe that those who previously visited the emergency department (an expensive affair) for low-acuity conditions may be using more appropriate sites (online) of services. This could be linked to lockdowns, remote working and social distancing and seen as providing an opportunity for cost-savings.
The number of elective procedures too dropped amid the pandemic, with the largest drop noted in ENT, GI, and cardiac procedures. “The overall drop in the first nine months of 2020 resulted in a significant decrease in spending— our data showed a $16.82 PMPM decrease,†revealed the study.
Focus on Mental Health Services and Toolsets
As the global workforce adopted remote working, many complained of loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Thus nowadays employees expect assistance from employers to take care of their mental health. The Springbuk study revealed that members seeking mental health and substance abuse help dropped slightly at the onset of the pandemic, but soon began to increase.
Source: Springbuk
Both adults and children suffered from anxiety, depression, and adjustment disorders, while alcohol and substance abuse afflicted the older segment of people. Women were treated for mental health and substance abuse conditions over 50% more than men in 2020.
HR Technology News: 4 Vital Steps To Ensure Workplace Health and Safety
In Closing
The key workforce health trends noted by the current study hold considerable implications for employers in creating useful benefits and healthcare strategies in 2021. Leveraging health care data can help companies stay ahead of these trends and create healthier workforce and growing businesses.