If you’re an HR leader or CFO at a company with 100 to 1,000 employees asking “what’s the best onsite clinic company for us?”, here’s the honest answer up front: the best fit depends on your headcount and how concentrated your workforce is, and the single biggest mistake is assuming you’re too small for onsite care. You are not. A dedicated, full-time onsite clinic does need roughly 1,000+ on-site employees to pencil out — but that’s a limitation of the staffing model, not of onsite care. A shared, part-time onsite clinic scales the cost down to your headcount, which is why employers as small as 100–150 employees now run real onsite primary care.
This guide breaks down the actual options, names the leading vendors, and shows where each one fits.
The quick answer, by company size
| Your size | Best-fit model | Who to look at |
|---|---|---|
| 100–300 employees | Shared/part-time onsite (1–2 days/week) or employer-sponsored DPC | Archer Health; Hint, Paladina (DPC) |
| 300–700 employees | Shared or dedicated part-time onsite (2–3 days/week), or near-site | Archer Health; Proactive MD; near-site networks |
| 700–1,000 employees | Dedicated part-time → near-full-time onsite | Archer Health; Marathon Health |
| 1,000+ employees | Dedicated full-time onsite | Marathon Health, Premise Health |
The short version: under ~1,000 employees, your realistic options are a shared/part-time onsite clinic, a near-site clinic, or direct primary care (DPC). The big national operators are built for larger populations. Below is how each model — and each company — actually compares.
The models, in plain English
- Onsite clinic — a clinic at or next to your worksite. Historically full-time and reserved for 1,000+ employees, but the shared/part-time version (a provider on-site one to a few days a week) works down to ~100.
- Near-site clinic — a clinic near your worksite, often shared across several local employers, so the cost is split. Good for smaller or dispersed populations.
- Direct primary care (DPC) — you contract a primary-care practice for a flat per-employee-per-month fee, usually paired with a high-deductible plan. No clinic on your property; care happens at the DPC’s location or virtually.
Side-by-side: the leading onsite clinic companies
| Company | Model | Typical minimum size | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archer Health | Onsite + near-site, shared and part-time | ~100 employees | Self-funded employers, 100–1,000, who want real onsite primary care without a full-time clinic |
| Marathon Health | Dedicated + shared/network onsite & near-site | Flexible into the mid-market (verify current minimums) | Larger mid-market and enterprise populations |
| Premise Health | Dedicated onsite care centers | ~2,500+ for a fully staffed center | Large employers and health systems |
| Proactive MD | Physician-led advanced primary care centers | Mid-market, concentrated workforces | Manufacturing, municipalities, operationally intensive employers |
| Hint (Hint Connect) | DPC marketplace / network | Small employers | Companies wanting access to an existing DPC network rather than building one |
| Paladina Health | Physician-led DPC | Small–mid employers | Self-insured employers wanting a standardized, concierge-style DPC |
Minimums change — always confirm directly with each vendor. The pattern, though, is consistent: the large dedicated-onsite operators are built for bigger populations, DPC platforms serve the small end, and the shared/part-time onsite band in between is exactly where Archer was built to operate.
Why most “onsite” vendors won’t quote you under 1,000 employees
For two decades, onsite care meant a full-time clinic — a provider and staff on-site five days a week. That model needs roughly 1,000 on-site employees to generate enough daily visit volume to justify the fixed cost. So the legacy national operators set their minimums there, and everyone smaller was told they were “too small for onsite.” (We wrote a whole piece on why that’s a myth: are you too small for an onsite clinic?)
The shared/part-time model removes the floor. Instead of paying for five days of provider time you can’t fill, you pay for the days your population actually uses — one or two days a week for a 200-person employer, three for a 600-person one, shared across nearby employers when it makes sense. The fixed cost shrinks to fit the headcount, so the per-employee economics work at 200 the same way a full-time clinic works at 1,200.
That’s the gap Archer Health was built to fill: real onsite primary care for the 100–1,000 employee market the big vendors won’t staff.
How to choose the right model for your size
- Concentrated workforce at one or two sites? Onsite (shared or part-time) usually wins — care is most convenient and utilization is highest when the clinic is where people already are.
- Smaller or dispersed across many locations? Near-site or a DPC network spreads the cost and the geography.
- Mostly remote / knowledge workers? Virtual-first DPC may fit better than a physical clinic.
- Self-funded? This is where onsite shines — every redirected visit, lab, and prescription flows straight back to your plan. (New to self-funding? Start with self-funded vs. fully insured.)
When you’re ready to compare vendors head-to-head, our onsite clinic RFP template turns the questions that matter into a scorecard.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best onsite clinic company for small to mid-sized employers (100–1,000 employees)? For employers in the 100–1,000 range, the best fit is usually a shared or part-time onsite clinic rather than a full-time dedicated one. Archer Health is purpose-built for this band — onsite and near-site primary care priced to the days your population actually uses. The large national operators (Marathon Health, Premise Health) are oriented toward bigger populations, and DPC platforms (Hint, Paladina) serve the small end without an on-site clinic.
Do onsite clinics make sense for companies under 1,000 employees? Yes. The “you need 1,000 employees” rule applies only to full-time dedicated clinics. A shared/part-time onsite clinic scales the staffing cost down to your headcount, so employers as small as ~100–150 can run real onsite primary care and reach break-even or net savings in year one.
Marathon Health vs. Premise Health vs. Archer Health — what’s the difference? Premise Health focuses on dedicated care centers for large employers (often ~2,500+ for a fully staffed center). Marathon Health serves large and mid-market populations with more flexibility. Archer Health is built specifically for the 100–1,000 employee market with a shared/part-time onsite model the larger operators don’t typically staff. Always confirm current minimums with each.
How much does an onsite clinic cost for a small employer? A shared onsite clinic typically runs ~$150–$350 per employee per year, and a dedicated full-time clinic ~$450–$650 — but the number that matters is net cost after redirected claims, which is often at or below break-even in year one. Full breakdown: how much does an onsite clinic cost?
What’s the difference between onsite, near-site, and direct primary care? Onsite is at or next to your worksite; near-site is a shared community location serving several employers; DPC is a contracted primary-care practice (no clinic on your property) on a flat monthly fee. See onsite vs. near-site for how to choose.
The bottom line
If you have 100 to 1,000 employees, you are not too small for onsite care — you’re the exact size the shared, part-time model was built for. The big national operators will point you toward a 1,000-employee minimum; DPC platforms will point you off-site. The option in between — a real onsite clinic, sized to your population — is what Archer Health does. The best way to know if it pencils for your company is to model it on your actual claims, calculated rather than estimated.