Economic Evaluations of Worksite Health Centers: A Systematic Review.

Abstract

Objective: To systematically review the cost-effectiveness or return on investment (ROI) from worksite health centers (WHCs) in the US.

Methods: We searched four databases and the grey literature for studies that conducted economic evaluation and provided economic outcomes of US-based WHCs. The quality and risk of bias were assessed using JBI Critical Appraisal Tools of Economic Evaluations.

Results: Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. Nine reported WHCs were cost-effective or yielded positive ROI for employers, with annual cost savings per WHC ranging from $35,479 to $2,124,723 and ROI from $1.09 to $15.88 per $1 of investment. Key contributors to higher ROI included company size, utilization, and duration of operations.

Conclusion: WHCs may provide economic savings for large employers. Future studies should consider clinical effectiveness and service quality and investigate the specific mechanisms driving employer cost savings.Protocol Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42024506086).