When it comes to the employee-employer relationship, success doesn’t happen in a vacuum. If the employees are thriving, the company is probably doing well. If the company is doing well, the employees are likely thriving.

The opposite holds true as well. When employees make bad choices, it affects the company they work for - and not just in the abstract. In the case of healthcare, poor employee choices can have a very real financial impact. Employers need to involve themselves in this healthcare conversation, both for the good of the company and the people who work there.

Here are three of the most common bad healthcare choices employees make, and how to steer them in a healthier direction.

1. Going to the emergency room for minor injuries and illnesses

 According to data from 2016, the average cost of visiting an ER was $2,259 while the average cost for an urgent-care visit was only $176. The worst part of that stat? Many people who visited an ER did so unnecessarily. If you don’t have severe bleeding or trauma, an urgent care location is your best bet.

What your benefits team can do about it:

• Show your employees that going to an ER is 10x more expensive than an urgent care facility, and explain that physicians at an urgent care clinic will be able to handle most of their problems. If they can’t, they’ll refer them to a specialist or suggest that they visit a hospital.
• Explain to employees that urgent care clinics also have shorter wait times, whereas patients may be stuck in a hospital for hours. Once employees see the convenience in visiting an urgent care clinic, they may be convinced to steer clear of ERs.
• Offer resources and tools that guide employees to urgent care centers when they're searching for care.

2. Going to out-of-network doctors

 Every day, people go to a doctor’s appointment unaware that their provider isn’t covered by their insurance plan. Then, they’re confused why the bill is so expensive and how they didn’t know about it ahead of time.

Using out-of-network doctors is one of the most expensive things an employee can do. When they visit a doctor who’s outside of their insurance policy, they’ll often pay hundreds or thousands more.

What your benefits team can do about it:

• If employees are confused about finding an in-network doctor, show them the resources and tools on how to locate a doctor within the network. Sometimes a friend or family member will recommend a physician and tell them that it should be covered by their insurance. In that case, educate them on how to figure out if the doctor is in network before they book an appointment.

3. Getting too much imaging

 Sometimes, an MRI or CT scan is the only thing that can diagnose an issue. But sometimes, the scan doesn’t solve the problem. Research done between 2000 and 2010 showed that doctors were ordering more and more scans for head pain that didn’t lead to meaningful diagnoses.

What your benefits team can do about it:

• Explain to your employees that imaging work doesn’t necessarily mean your doctor will find what’s going wrong. If their doctor wants to get you a scan, tell them to ask for a second opinion before agreeing to it. Unnecessary imaging can lead to exorbitant fees and needless anxiety. Imaging isn’t always entirely conclusive and can rarely lead to cancer or other complications.

If you approach your employees’ medical care from the standpoint of how much it’ll cost them, they might be more receptive to finding more affordable options. Show them that they won’t be sacrificing the quality of care if they choose an urgent care clinic instead of an ER or an in-network doctor instead of an out-of-network one. Most people want to save money on healthcare and showing that you want them to save money will help your bottom line as well.