Case Study: City of Fort Worth

See how a direct-to-employer partnership between Southwestern Health Resources and the city of Fort Worth enables a customized health plan, healthier workforce and lower total cost of care.

Partnering With Employers to Lower the Cost of Healthcare

 

Like many employers and municipalities nationwide, Fort Worth, Texas, was challenged by continually rising healthcare costs. A rapidly growing city, Fort Worth has a municipal workforce of 7,000, and the cost of their healthcare benefits was quickly becoming unsustainable. A direct-to-employer partnership with Southwestern Health Resources (SWHR) enabled a customized health plan, healthier workforce and a lower total cost of care.

 

The problem

With claim amounts exceeding the city’s fixed budget for two years running, healthcare costs were devouring funds needed for essential services and salaries. And higher expenses did not translate to better healthcare.

 

The opportunity

Fort Worth needed to rethink how it provided health benefits to its employees. With closer management of employees’ health, the city believed it could control the total cost of care for the entire workforce and, ultimately, increase employee retention. The city could also reduce the administrative burden of managing their employees’ care.

 

The solution

Fort Worth entered a direct-to-employer partnership with SWHR to provide employees access to a clinically integrated network. The network includes physicians from two of the region’s premier health systems, convenient access to primary care and in-network referrals. By investing in preventive care, a pillar of SWHR’s approach to reducing the total cost of care, Fort Worth could focus on keeping employees healthy, circumventing high-cost treatments and hospital stays.

 

The results

Following the launch of their partnership with SWHR, Fort Worth’s healthcare costs were $5 million under budget in 2018 and $6 million under budget in 2019, with no increases in premiums.

The SWHR approach achieves quality outcomes and lowers the total cost of care through innovative models for improving population health.

We’re available to answer questions, whether you’re curious about plan options or looking to change your approach to employee healthcare.