CASE STUDY

Protecting those who protect the community

Firefighters and police officers do dangerous, physically demanding work. Their annual physicals deserve more than a checkbox.

QuadMed Occupational Health turns required physicals into an integrated readiness strategy: earlier risk detection, lower costs, and a workforce that’s ready when the call comes.

THE RISK

Public safety physicals need a different model

Public safety roles carry concentrated, largely modifiable health risk. The question is whether your program is built to catch it.

45%

Sudden cardiac death is the most common firefighter line-of-duty death

Share of duty-related fatalities · NIOSH

1 in 4

1 in 4 officers fall into a high-risk profile: LDL, hypertension & diabetes

National probability-based study

$176.5B

Cost of work injuries in 2023: comp, overtime, backfill, disability

National Safety Council

THE PROOF

A municipal workforce like yours

An onsite partnership opened in 2020. Four years in, engagement and prevention more than doubled.

+128%

increase in annual visits

2,064 > 4,709

+300%

increase in unique patients

500 > 1,446

+2.4x

increase in chronic care management patients

413 > 1000+

1.5x ROI

sustained across the partnership

using the same integrated model fire and police physicals plug into

Care that understands the job

Firefighters

One of the most musculoskeletally and cardiovascularly demanding jobs in any workforce.

Firefighter physicals connect members to:

Cardiovascular risk detection and primary care
follow-up
Respiratory clearance and spirometry
Cancer and exposure-related screening pathways
Immunizations and infectious disease prevention
Return-to-work and fitness-for-duty support

Onsite PT: The direct evidence

41%

Lower MSK costs
$3,116 vs. $5,236

<1 wk

To a PT appt vs. 30+ day wait

99%

Would recommend the program

Plus 21% fewer visits to recovery. PT-first care also cuts opioid prescribing 89%, advanced imaging 28%, and ER visits 15%, protecting firefighter careers and municipal budgets.

MSK-intensive manufacturing client (~7,000 employees), third-party verified PT-first: Frogner et al., Health Services Research, 2018

Police Officers

A different mix: long sedentary patrols, sudden exertion, cumulative stress and rotating schedules.

Police Officer physicals connect members to:

BP, cholesterol, diabetes and cardiovascular risk management
Sleep apnea screening
MSK evaluation and integrated PT
Behavioral health appointments in days, not weeks
Fitness-for-duty evaluations and coordinated return-to-work after injury or illness

Chronic condition care that works

86%

Diabetics maintained a healthy A1c

64%

Lower cost/member
$9,153 vs. $25,446

$4,685

PMPY savings overall

Plus cost trend held to 2.6% vs. an 8.5% national average.

Rural employer client with integrated chronic care delivery.

THE BOTTOM LINE

For municipalities and public safety employers, QuadMed Occupational Health delivers:

Stronger cost stewardship

$4,685

PMPY savings and a 2.6% cost trend at an employer client

Better workforce readiness

2x

Doubled engagement at a municipal partner

Ready to learn more?

Sources: QuadMed published case studies — Municipality, Rural Manufacturer, Onsite PT, MyChart Preventive Care Outreach, and Opioid Stewardship.
Outcomes reflect specific client engagements and broader QuadMed book-of-business results. Individual employer results vary based on workforce profile, plan design, and starting state.