Almost 80% of employers have added or expanded virtual care services during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to
The report also found a majority of employers have kept their onsite or near-site health centers open to in-person care throughout the coronavirus outbreak. Half of the respondents that planned on expanding a center or adding a new one delayed or canceled plans due to the pandemic, while 10% accelerated expansion plans.
Among employers that closed health centers, more than a quarter have reopened at least one facility, nearly 20% have closed them temporarily, and 2% have closed them permanently.
"With employees’ health care needs shifting amid the pandemic, health centers are looking for ways to reinvent themselves," Kara Speer, national practice leader of employer-sponsored health centers at WTW, said in a statement. "Most centers no longer view themselves as a facility to provide merely in-person primary and acute care and now offer additional services, including enhanced virtual care, to complement in-person visits."