Case Study: Brunswick Veterinary Clinic

The challenge

A common challenge for vet clinics trying to offer a health benefit is controlling costs. Finding a benefit that is both affordable and provides a diverse group of employees with both the flexibility and level of coverage they need is no easy task.

It was no different for Brunswick Veterinary Clinic’s new owner Dr. Erica Parthum, but she believed in the power of offering a health benefit to help employees stay happy and healthy. She also knew it was necessary to compete for talent in the industry. After salary, applicants believe health benefits to be a top consideration when assessing a job offer.

The previous owner offered a group health insurance plan but Dr. Parthum knew it wasn’t right for her clinic. It was very expensive and didn’t provide enough useful coverage to her employees. Several employees were going uninsured because they simply couldn’t afford coverage. She had to find something else that would better suit the various needs of employees while still being affordable for the business.

“For me, group insurance just wasn’t feasible.”

The solution

Dr. Parthum found PeopleKeep through a recommendation from her CPA. She discovered how the QSEHRA benefit could help her business. She could set allowance caps based on her budget to ensure cost stability and employees could purchase their own individual health plans that best suited them and receive tax-free reimbursements.

In addition to insurance premiums, employees could also use their allowance for out-of-pocket expenses like copays, prescriptions, dental services, and vision care. Flexibility and choice were now fully back in her employees’ hands.

“They can pick the insurance they want. I can offer it to the employees, and I can offer it to their families. It’s really tailored to them.”

If they ever had any issues with their benefit, PeopleKeep’s customer service team was available by phone, chat, or email to help. This freed up a lot of time for Dr. Parthum to focus on running the clinic instead of having to become a health benefits expert herself.

The results

Since the clinic began to offer a QSEHRA with PeopleKeep, Dr. Parthum has noticed more employees getting health care when they need to because they can afford to do so. Employees who never had insurance before have bought affordable individual policies. Those that were previously covered under the group health insurance plan were able to find new plans that worked for them and were now able to get their out-of-pocket expenses reimbursed as well.

As an added bonus, using PeopleKeep, the clinic is now saving $9,469 a year in taxes compared to other options like a taxable stipend. However, savings in costs were not the only benefit. Dr. Parthum only spends about 10 minutes per month administrating the benefit and scheduling reimbursements which saves her time. Quick and easy benefit administration while PeopleKeep’s team handles the heavy items like documentation review, form management, and verification, keeps Dr. Parthum’s focus on her staff and their patients.

The company

Dr. Parthum took over as owner of the Brunswick Veterinary Clinic in January of 2019. Located in Brunswick, Maine, the clinic has four doctors and is one of the only clinics around with a board-certified animal physical therapist. They also have a number of certified animal nurses and great support staff. Together, the team at Brunswick cares for small animals through checkups, surgery, radiology, ultrasound, physical therapy, dental care, and more.