By tradition, outpatient physical therapy has always taken place at a clinic or in a similar setting. But there’s a growing interest from employers in on-site physical therapy. Treatment sessions that take place at work save money. This format offers several other benefits for your company, too.

Outpatient physical therapy performed on-site, at work, fits smoothly within any industry. It offers benefits to all size companies, whether you have one small facility or hundreds of locations across the country. Eli Lilly says on-site PT has saved them 22% overall, thanks to fewer therapy visits. What kind of savings could your company realize?

Actual Employer Experience

When you look at real-life examples, it’s easy to see why there is so much interest in on-site physical therapy. Check out these stats for companies that switched to PT at work:

Example #1 (healthcare)

• Number of treatment visits dropped 45% in one year
• Cost savings totaled 49.3%

Example #2 (hospitality)

• Average number of treatment visits dropped from 16.1 to 8.9
• PT costs/claim are now 59% below the national average

This employer planned a 1-year pilot program in a single location. They were so impressed with the results, they expanded to 120 locations after just 6 months.

Example #3 (large not-for-profit)

• 60% reduction in workers’ comp premiums
• PT costs now 65% below national average
• Number of visits/claim now 53% below national average

PhysNet’s Experience

Here at PhysNet, we track and collage results from all our clients. Here’s what we’ve found, compared to a 16-state average:

• 5 average visits/claim vs 17.1
• 95% RTW rate vs 70%
• 3% future claims vs 18%

Clients report employee satisfaction is up, total claim costs are down. Way down.

You Get Direct and Indirect Savings

Outpatient physical therapy at work is more efficient. It’s easier to schedule treatment sessions at each injured worker’s jobsite. That improves compliance. Without delays and missed appointments, recovery progresses faster. Recovery also progresses faster because it is tailored specifically for each worker, their job and working environment. Physical therapists devote 100% of their attention to one person for the entire session.

Even communication is more efficient. It’s easy to stay in contact with your on-site therapist. Frequent reporting means case managers, adjusters and others are never out of the information loop. The Harvard Business Review stated that, "Employers should take the lead in securing better health for local populations and lowering costs." Tweet this quote.

On-site physical therapy at work protects your company’s productivity. Injured workers return to work sooner. Fewer days off work means lower workers’ comp claims costs. It also reduces the hassle and frustration associated with re-scheduling, finding replacement workers, etc. Maintaining productivity is critical. In industries like hospitality and manufacturing, you cannot simply slow your pace. You have to meet guest and customer expectations.

On-site physical therapy also keeps people on the job by dramatically reducing re-injuries.

What Your Colleagues Are Saying

On-site physical therapy increases satisfaction among line workers, managers and top leadership. One hospitality industry executive says, “Our savings have been realized by getting employees trained properly so they do not re-injure themselves. This treatment model trains the employee for their specific tasks in their natural job environment, rather than a clinic where everything is simulated.”

And another exec in the healthcare company had this to say about switching to physical therapy at work: “Having PT done at the same community where the employee works has been transformational. The worker is happier, we find them more efficient overall and the savings are clearly there.”