Economic Evaluations of Worksite Health Centers: A Systematic Review.

Abstract

The aim of the study was to systematically review the cost-effectiveness or return on investment (ROI) from worksite health centers (WHCs) in the US. We searched four databases and the gray 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. 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. 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. PROSPERO (CRD42024506086).