Penn Medicine HealthWorks: not your typical primary care

Travel back in time to 2017—even though it wasn’t that long ago, the world of health care looked different than it does today. This was the year Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health debuted the first Penn Medicine HealthWorks clinic to offer convenient care for employees of Clair Global, a live performance production company in Lititz, PA that produces some of the largest shows in the world, including this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. In what was then a pilot program, Penn Medicine offered an on-site health care clinic to provide high-quality primary care conveniently located to employees’ work location; and to collaborate with a local, south-central Pennsylvania business to provide a new health care benefit to their employees.

Since then, the desire for more Penn Medicine HealthWorks clinics has grown—there are now nine clinic locations serving South-Central Pennsylvania workers. By the end of 2024, there will be at least 11 HealthWorks sites, with a 12th location scheduled to open in spring 2025.

How the HealthWorks employer-based health clinics work

Simply put, HealthWorks locations are Penn Medicine-staffed clinics that partner with local employers to provide care at on-site or near-site membership-based practices. The term “membership based" typically involves a patient paying a membership fee in exchange for on-demand and personalized health care services. The difference with HealthWorks is that usually all or a majority of the fee is covered by that patient’s employer as part of their benefits package. 

Employees benefit from the model because it provides them with health care at or near their workplace (or at any other HealthWorks location) and saves the employer money by lessening their amount of insurance claims.

With the employer-paid benefit, employees/patients can have an appointment with their primary care provider, take advantage of additional services like an on-site pharmacy and lab, and HealthWorks rarely bills your insurance.

A few different models exist under the umbrella of HealthWorks—depending on the needs of that employer and their staff. Some locations will have primary care, equipped with a full provider and nursing team. Others have added pre-employment services including physicals, as well as counseling services and health coaching to care for their employees’ overall well-being. 

As well as different models, employers can choose if they pay the whole cost of care, or cost share the fee with the employee. Most companies who have a HealthWorks membership pay 100 percent of the costs for the employees on their health plan. There is also an option for employers to pay for the employees’ dependents, so the whole family can be seen at a HealthWorks location.

Above and beyond a typical student health clinic 

The newest type of Penn Medicine HealthWorks clinic cares for both students and staff on college campuses. 

Alvernia University’s HealthWorks clinic opened in August 2023 and the Elizabethtown College clinic is set to open in August 2024.

With the collegiate model, the Penn Medicine HealthWorks team operates the university’s health clinic with separate waiting rooms for university staff and students. “We feel they are the experts in education, we are experts in health care, so each institution can focus on our own specialties,” said Keith Fox, director of employee relations and strategic growth for Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, who originated the model, and has led and developed the business plans for HealthWorks since the start.  

The HealthWorks patient experience

Even before the appointment, patients have access to text directly and securely with their provider through an app to discuss concerns and if they should book a telemedicine or in-person appointment. And since HealthWorks clinics have a smaller patient population to care for, timeliness is a top priority. 

Fox says that 95 percent of text messages are answered within 15 minutes or less during business hours.

Another benefit of having a small patient population is more one on one time for the provider and patient. Typically, HealthWorks locations provide 30 minutes for a sick visit and up to 90 minutes for an annual wellness visit. Visits are tailored around factors that may be affecting that employee’s health, and the specific needs of that workforce.  

Penn Medicine can also refer patients to specialty care if they need treatment that cannot be provided at a HealthWorks clinic. "We focus on what's best for the employee and employer, and when needed we coordinate for the patient specialty services like screenings, diagnostic testing, cardiology and oncology,” Fox said.

One employee who used the clinic at Messick's, a farm and construction equipment provider in Lancaster, shared via a survey, “This is the best thing Messick’s has ever done for their employees!”

Sending value back to local businesses and the people who power them

Fox says that when HealthWorks first began they thought they would have to show an immediate return on investment or “ROI” to the businesses investing in HealthWorks membership for their employees. The team continues to be pleasantly surprised by companies' willingness to invest in the health and well-being of their employees, without as much focus on the costs.

“The majority of the companies care most about their employees' experience and engagement with the service versus the financial cost to the company," Fox said. “It ends up being a recruitment and retention benefit.”

For patients, having a convenient and affordable primary care practice makes it easy to be proactive with their health rather than reactive once problems persist and they are in hospital or emergency room. The goal of Penn Medicine HealthWorks is for patients to live a happy and healthy life, regardless of if the patient works in farming or construction, a retirement home, or live event production—Penn Medicine HealthWorks is caring for a growing swath of the workforce that powers Lancaster County and the broader South-Central Pennsylvania area.