Retail Clinics

Abstract

This chapter addresses the poster-child of convenient care models, namely retail clinics. Retail clinics are walk-in clinics located in grocery stores, drugstores, and general merchandise retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, etc. They offer a limited scope of diagnostic and treatment services for common medical conditions, as well as preventative and wellness services. Most retail clinic visits are for simple conditions and services such as upper respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, immunizations, and tests. Care is delivered by a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, and many clinics have up-front menu-style pricing, a feature that is unparalleled in the American healthcare system. The clinics operate on a walk-in basis with no appointments needed and very short wait times, and are open on evenings and weekends when most physician offices are closed. The chapter discusses the evolution, operations, and stakeholders of retail clinics, and highlights the research related to their outcomes, such as cost, quality, continuity of care, and patient satisfaction. The author describes how some operators are expanding the scope of services to include management and treatment of chronic conditions and conclude that the future of retail clinics in terms of numbers and usage rates looks very bright.