Beyond Convenience: The Business Case for Employer-Provided Telemedicine
Cut Employee Absenteeism by 30% Without Increasing Benefits Costs
TruMD is the new age technology that connects your employees with a medical professional 24/7 from the comfort of their living room.
But that's not the best part.
The best thing is the reduction in absenteeism and increase in productivity because your employees never have to visit a clinic again.
Most business leaders think employee healthcare is just a necessary expense – a box to tick for compliance or to match competitors' benefits packages. They're dead wrong.
What if I told you that the right approach to employee healthcare could be one of your most powerful productivity tools? I'm not talking about expensive medical aid schemes or building fancy on-site clinics that nobody uses. I'm talking about something far more effective.
The Hidden Cost of Traditional Healthcare Access
Let's be brutally honest about what happens when your employees need to see a doctor:
They feel unwell but wait until they're really sick because getting to a doctor is a mission.
They take half a day off (at minimum) to travel to the doctor, sit in a waiting room for hours with other sick people, and then wait again at a pharmacy.
If they're in a lower income bracket, it might involve multiple taxis and even more time away from work.
Or worse – they don't go at all, come to work sick, infect others, and their condition worsens until they need serious medical attention.
This isn't just inconvenient. It's killing your business productivity.
The Real Numbers Behind Employee Healthcare
When I worked with Harmony Gold mining years ago, we noticed something remarkable after implementing more accessible healthcare. The mining CEO told me, "We reduced hospital admissions by half."
Why? When people can easily access healthcare early, they don't end up in hospital beds.
Another mining executive confirmed, "The doctors stopped them. Now they see the doctors, and they don't end up in the hospital."
This isn't just anecdotal. It's a proven pattern:
Companies with easy healthcare access see 30-40% reductions in absenteeism.
Every Rand spent on accessible preventative care saves approximately 4-5 Rand in lost productivity.
Employees with chronic conditions manage them better, leading to fewer complications and emergencies.
What Makes Telemedicine Different from Other Wellness Programs
Let's face it – most corporate wellness programs are a joke. Companies spend thousands sending employees to "wellness days" at fancy resorts where they listen to a speaker, get a massage, and come back with... a hangover. Nobody gets anything out of it except a day off.
Telemedicine is different. It's:
Immediate: Access to doctors 24/7, no waiting.
Practical: Consultations, scripts, sick notes, referrals – all the things employees need.
Private: No one sees them walking into the wellness centre or clinic.
Affordable: At R50 per employee per month for unlimited consultations, it's a fraction of what you're spending on other wellness initiatives.
Our model at TruMD is particularly effective because we employ our doctors directly. They are not contractors who fit in a few hours between private practice patients. They are dedicated professionals who are explicitly trained in telehealth consultation.
The Mental Health Connection Nobody Talks About
Here's something crucial that most employers miss: physical and mental health are connected. Many employees suffering from mental health issues never speak to anyone because the barrier to access is too high.
In one case at Workshop 17, an employee with social anxiety had never sought medical help – until TruMD. Now, he gets regular consultations and proper medication management, all because he can do it from his own private space.
Would he have used your fancy on-site clinic with glass walls where everyone can see him walking in? Not a chance.
How to Implement This in Your Business
Implementation couldn't be more straightforward:
We provide every employee with secure access to the TruMD platform.
We conduct a brief orientation session (in person or virtual) to help employees understand how to use the service.
Employees get immediate access to doctors, clinical associates, and, when needed, specialists.
We provide you with anonymised usage reports to demonstrate ROI.
Unlike other "wellness" solutions, there's no complex infrastructure, no need to book through HR (revealing private health concerns), and no waiting periods.
See It Working at Work
We recently implemented TruMD across a new network, and the results have been remarkable. Employees are healthier, productivity is up, and the dreaded Monday absenteeism has plummeted.
As one HR director put it: "It's a no-brainer. For the cost of a couple of coffees per month per employee, we've drastically reduced sick days and improved overall team wellbeing."
Worth Noting
If you're still running an outdated wellness program or considering building an on-site clinic, ask yourself: Are you doing it because it works or just to tick a box?
The most successful companies are shifting to telemedicine as a supplementary benefit and the cornerstone of their employee healthcare strategy.
Let's discuss how TruMD can transform your workforce health and productivity.
To your health,
Sam Sader
Founder, TruMD
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