For those of you in the corporate work force—or for those of you who keep track of the changing trends in the healthcare—you may have heard about wellness benefits and wellness management companies.
What are wellness benefits and the companies that manage them?
Let us explain! Wellness benefits are employer-sponsored benefits provided to employees as a preventative measure to improve and maintain the general health of employees.
Many large companies are now teaming up with wellness or surgery benefits management programs to help give their plan members access to the tools and resources they need to make the most informed decision when considering an elective surgery.
Companies are looking to these wellness management partners to improve healthcare quality and results for their members while also keeping the overall program costs contained.
The employee avoids unnecessary surgery.
The employer reduces their costs.
It’s a win win.
To put that in real-life terms, let’s take a look at an example: an employee who is considering spinal fusion surgery. One of the wellness benefits the employee may receive is the option to get a second opinion before undergoing surgery. Since nearly 30% of all spinal surgeries are deemed medically unnecessary, there’s a size-able chance that the employee will learn that they don’t, in fact, need the surgery and that less invasive option may alleviate their condition.
As a result of these wellness benefits, the employee avoids unnecessary surgery. And the employer has reduced their costs. It’s a win win.
This model makes sense for everyone involved and is the likely future of healthcare insurance.
Before we sign off on this post, I’ll address one question you may still have:
Why would a surgeon recommend surgery that’s unnecessary?
Sadly, it could be for their own potential gain. If they perform the surgery, they will receive greater compensation. A second opinion ensures there is no such bias—which is the very reason we started Second Opinion Spine.
Of course, the initial recommendation may also be well intentioned, but misguided. If a surgeon is familiar with one, specific type of surgery, they may be quick to recommend it and, subsequently, overlook other—less invasive—options.
If you are considering spinal surgery…
If you or a loved one are considering spinal surgery, please contact Second Opinion Spine today. Simply fill out the form on the right side of this page or call us at 855-377-4767.
Even if your company doesn’t provide wellness benefits, we strive to keep our costs affordable so you can receive quality advice and peace of mind.
