Officials at two Jacksonville companies said the key to controlling health care costs is in wellness and disease management. They have different approaches to a common goal, with at least two other things in common: They both claim that their methods can produce significant savings, and neither subscribes to health care as usual to get there.

If you think even a magic pill couldn’t turn an overweight, undermotivated staff into a lean, productive, healthy work force for the benefit of your balance sheet, consider a little Preventive Medicine and TLC.

Officials at both WeCare TLC, a workplace clinic management firm, and U.S. Preventive Medicine Inc., which developed a chronic disease prevention and management tool, said you can improve retention and recruitment, enjoy efficiency and productivity and have happier employees — all while cutting costs.
The TLC cubicle

Jacksonville health care consultant and reform advocate Brian Klepper said the model for WeCare TLC is anything but grandpa’s company doctor.

The clinic is free, for starters. Patients pay nothing for visits, prescription drugs and lab work. Because no money changes hands and doctors are not paid per visit, but on a salary that’s 30 percent to 50 percent higher than that of community primary care doctors, the physicians can focus on patient care rather than administration.

That change has an immediate patient benefit. Clinic doctors spend an average of 20 minutes with a patient — more than double the U.S. average, Klepper said.

But perhaps the most unique aspect of the program is the continuation of care. There is a major focus on continually correcting major health risks with a medical team, rather than a fragmented group of doctors who frequently don’t work cooperatively.

Once the doctor identifies patients at risk for chronic disease and acute events, which are the most costly, a full-time nurse is assigned to coach patients and help them make adjustments in routine face-to-face disease management and lifestyle counseling.

If a patient needs to see a specialist, the company uses software to analyze data on local care providers to determine which doctors reach the treatment outcome the most efficiently. Then, the clinic doctor, specialist and coach work together on a treatment plan.

The clinic model using comprehensive information technology, physician empowerment and incentives for quality care and on-site management was created by husband-wife team Lynn Jennings and Judy Garber, who serve as CEO and president of the company, respectively. WeCare has distribution agreements through Jacksonville firms Medcom and Montoya Brower, and Klepper serves as a consultant.

“We have gone after a McDonald’s profit margin to make a little on each one rather than a lot. As a result, I believe we have the best model in the industry,” Klepper said.

It may be McDonald’s margins, but the care model is pure Toyota production. The automobile manufacturer is credited with creating lean manufacturing, which focuses only on what’s needed and eliminating waste.

Scholars and reform advocates have been looking to Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. and lean processes to find applications in health care. Not surprisingly, Toyota was an early convert to the worksite clinic, which has since attracted fresh fans such as The Walt Disney Co.

That doesn’t mean a worksite clinic isn’t viable for companies with a small staff of a few dozen employees.

Will Montoya, principal owner of Ponte Vedra Beach-based Montoya Brower & Associates and an employee benefits broker, has been working with WeCare to pool together small employers to share a rotating doctor.

“What I’m trying to do is get it down to a smaller-scale employer because the smaller employers are running out of affordable solutions,” said Montoya, who works with businesses that have 10 to 2,500 employees. “These clinics are brilliant. If we can’t bring people together for the purpose of coinsurance, then we certainly can for the clinics.”