Articles
JANUARY 23, 2013 | PROGRESS ILLINOIS: Pluses and Minuses of Retail Clinics Still Being Debated
Retail medical clinics in stores such as CVS and Walgreens can be a cheaper and more convenient option for patients seeking relief from minor ailments. But just how these clinics fit in to the country’s health care system, and how much they fragment an already disjointed system, is being debated by primary care physicians and retail clinic representatives.
JANUARY 8, 2013 | HEALTHDAY: Popularity of 'Walk-In' Retail Health Clinics Growing: Poll
The popularity of "walk-in" medical clinics located in pharmacies, superstores and workplaces nationwide is increasing rapidly, according to a new Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll.
DECEMBER 31, 2012 | AMERICAN MEDICAL NEWS: Retail Clinics Position Themselves in Bid for Rapid Expansion
A report says retail clinics may be poised for strong growth, despite the number of openings being weaker in 2012 than the previous year.
There are two reasons for this. One is that operators believe that, in their efforts to add more primary care services and ally with local health systems, patients will keep them in mind beyond the fall and winter, when flu vaccinations and seasonal illnesses result in their highest traffic. The other is that with an increasing physician shortage and more patients set to gain insurance because of the Affordable Care Act, patients will find retail clinics a viable alternative when they can’t find physicians with open appointment slots.
JANUARY 3, 2013 | PHARMACY TIMES: Patients Find Quality Care at Pharmacy and Retail Clinics
Patients are not only open to pharmacy-based health clinics but tend to like them, according to the results of a NPR-Truven Health Analytics Health Poll detailed on NPR.com on November 5, 2012. This was true even of many respondents who have a regular primary care physician or health insurance.
DECEMBER 17, 2012 | DRUG STORE NEWS: NYT Board: Pharmacists, Retail Clinics, NPs Can Address Gaps in Care
NEW YORK — What pharmacy lobbying groups and Drug Store News have been saying for a while has reached the mainstream.
The New York Times published an editorial over the weekend recommending that the country address its shortage of primary care doctors by relying more on other healthcare actors — such as pharmacists, nurse practitioners and patients themselves — as well as physician assistants and members of the community.