Why it pays to play the long game on advanced primary care

Urgent care spending among people with employer-sponsored insurance increased by more than 50% between 2018 and 2022, as more individuals turned to these settings for care, according to a recent report by the Health Care Cost Institute. This is one key example of an alarming shift in employer-sponsored insurance: Employees are seeking care in fragmented and quick care settings rather than building relationships with primary care providers.

Luckily, in recent years, advanced primary care has gained traction, as more employers implement strategies focused on prevention, chronic disease management, coordinated services and strong patient-provider relationships. It's a significant shift in how companies are thinking about employee health benefits, with a renewed focus on removing the traditional barriers to care like time and out-of-pocket costs. The business case is clear: Healthier employees are more productive workers, with fewer sick days, better focus and higher retention rates.

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But here's what many benefits teams and researchers across the industry are seeing: Advanced primary care initiatives will not yield immediate outcome improvements or cost savings. In absence of a clearly aligned and realistic measurement strategy, expectations may be skewed.

As someone who has spent time researching advanced primary care strategies and collaborating with benefits teams including ours at JPMorganChase to make the most of these programs, we need to move away from the "quick fix" mentality so many of us desire. Significant improvements in health outcomes and cost savings can take several years to achieve — but it would be incredibly shortsighted to walk away from advanced primary care investments too early. 

Making it worth the wait

Advanced primary care — a comprehensive, team-based approach to care — represents a fundamentally different model than traditional fee-for-service primary care and urgent care. The advanced primary care model allows employees to build relationships with their care team, with the goal of keeping people healthy rather than just treating them when they're sick.

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This represents a transformational approach in patient engagement — and like all promises to improve health care delivery, it takes time. Employees build trust with their providers gradually. Care teams work to identify and address underlying health issues over multiple visits. Chronic conditions come under control through sustained engagement. All of this happens incrementally, and the timeline is influenced by factors like employee turnover, varying health needs, vendor capabilities and different program designs. 

So how do benefits leaders justify continued investment when the payoff is years away? There are often early signals in the first year that can indicate benefits teams are headed in the right direction, including increased engagement, improved access to care and higher employee satisfaction.

For example, rather than waiting years to see if emergency department visits decline or diabetes outcomes improve, employers like JPMorganChase are monitoring metrics that indicate whether programs are on the right trajectory. Are employees returning for follow-up care? Are they transitioning from one-off acute visits to comprehensive primary care relationships? Are they participating in chronic condition screenings and health coaching sessions? 

These metrics matter because they provide almost real-time insight and, more importantly, they're predictive. An employee who returns for a second visit is more likely to build a lasting relationship with their care team. An employee who completes a diabetes screening is more likely to get their condition under control before it leads to complications.

By consistently tracking these leading indicators, benefits teams can make informed decisions about programs, vendors and resources and adjust strategies along the way.

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Advice for benefits teams

While that "quick fix" mentality doesn't work here, we've found several strategies benefits teams may consider to accelerate better health outcomes and maximize ROI. 

Set clear goals up front. What does success look like for your organization? Is it improved employee health? Higher satisfaction? Cost savings? Your goals will guide everything from vendor selection to program design.

• Commit to the long term, but don't lose sight of early signals. Track leading indicators that give you insight needed to power ahead or course-correct.
• Demand transparency. Use independent data sources and build in performance guarantees so your vendors are aligned and accountable for delivering results.
• Build models around employee engagement. Financial incentives, convenient access through on-site or virtual care, and targeted employee communications all drive participation, and participation drives outcomes.

Advanced primary care represents a real opportunity to improve employee health and bend the cost curve. But realizing that potential requires patience, tracking and a willingness to invest in long-term outcomes. For benefits leaders willing to play the long game, the payoff in healthier employees, lower costs and stronger retention may be worth the wait.