Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Employee Health Center topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Shawnee Mission reports higher use, cost-avoidance from Priority 1 employee health center
Summary
District administrators told the board the Priority 1 Health Center saw a 16% increase in visits in its seventh year, with expanded behavioral-health hours and an estimated return on investment of about 6.9:1 for 2024.
The Shawnee Mission School District on Tuesday reported rising use of its Priority 1 Health Center and presented data the district said shows cost avoidance and improved employee health outcomes.
The annual review, presented by Dr. Higgins and Erin Eason of CBIZ, said the center recorded 6,860 visits in the most recent reporting year — a 16% increase over the prior year — and 1,060 mental-health visits. Board members were told employee engagement with the center rose to 65 percent and that employees who were engaged and had high-risk or chronic conditions increased their engagement by 13 percentage points.
District leaders argued those numbers support the center’s role in recruitment and retention. “By being fully engaged with the health center, we see a 24% decrease in health-related costs,” Erin Eason, national director of clinical consulting practice for CBIZ, told the board. Eason said the average medical appointment at the center lasts 31 minutes versus a national primary-care average of roughly 18 minutes.
Eason and Dr. Higgins also discussed recent staffing and service changes: in September the board approved an addition of 24 behavioral-health hours (bringing counseling capacity to 54 hours), and an additional eight hours of primary-care provider time was added before the school year to improve same-day and next-day access. Presenters said these changes helped increase behavioral-health utilization and primary-care visits.
On cost metrics, the district’s analysis used medical- and pharmacy-trend assumptions to estimate cost avoidance. For year 7 the presenters estimated roughly $11.5 million in cumulative cost avoidance and a projected return on investment of about 6.9 to 1 for the year; since the clinic opened they reported an approximate 4.8:1 ROI. Presenters cautioned those are avoidance estimates rather than cash reserves, since avoided costs can be realized differently depending on future claims patterns.
Board members asked how the clinic integrates data from outside providers. CBIZ said biometric screening events and the district’s vendor analytics (Marathon) combine claims and screening data so the center can track outcomes for engaged versus non-engaged employees without examining individual-level claims data publicly. Members also asked whether colocating physical and behavioral health reduces stigma; presenters said anecdotally it appears to increase referrals and uptake, and the district’s experience with integrated visits supports that conclusion.
Presenters pointed to staff survey comments and patient feedback as qualitative evidence of value: “I can schedule appointments quickly, and I’m seeing quickly — love it,” one written comment read; another said, “I love this place and couldn’t imagine leaving Shawnee Mission and not having the same opportunity.”
District staff said the center’s cost this year was just under $1.8 million and that behavioral-health access and primary-care capacity remain priorities for the coming year. The board did not take a separate vote on the annual review; presenters stood for questions and the meeting moved on to other agenda items.
