Retail Healthcare News

It was late in the afternoon, and she was flying to Canada the next day.

in Smyrna, near Laney’s home, so she drove there. “I was in and out very quickly,” said Laney, who was tested for strep throat by a nurse practitioner. “I was very impressed.” And she was on the plane the next day.

The MinuteClinic site that Laney visited is one of more than 50 such medical facilities within retail stores in the Atlanta area. The walk-in clinics — open through the early evening and on weekends, when doctors offices typically aren’t — provide care for minor illnesses and offer vaccinations, physicals and other testing.

The Atlanta area is the leading market for in-store clinics, with sites at Walgreens, Publix and Wal-Mart locations as well as CVS, according to the trade group Convenient Care Association. This marriage of retail with medical treatment has spread rapidly since 2000 — especially during the past two years — with a total of about 1,000 in operation across the country. And while the trend may have stalled in some markets, not so in Atlanta. The number of area Publix stores that offer walk-in medical sites, for example, is projected to jump from nine to 18 this year.

Michael Howe, CEO of industry leader MinuteClinic, said when searching for possible locations, “You’re really looking for families with children — consumers who are typically time-constrained.” Atlanta’s demographics fit that target audience, he said.

Facing Herculean drive times, many metro Atlantans prefer a medical site close to home or work, especially with those with later hours, experts say.

“People don’t want to travel more than 10 minutes,” said Lisa Loscalzo of The Little Clinic, which has sites in the Publix stores. “With rising gas prices, people are definitely looking for one-stop shopping.”

Laney, a genetic counselor at Emory University School of Medicine’s Department of Human Genetics, cited those extended hours as a reason she decided to give the clinic a try.

“This is a very convenient option for folks with minor ailments who work standard business hours,” she said.

The retail clinics generally are staffed by nurse practitioners — registered nurses who have advanced education and clinical training.

With average prices well under $100 — and often accepting an insurance co-pay — in-store clinics represent an emerging option within the patchwork health care system for treatment of minor ailments.

But doctors’ organizations have expressed concern, cautioning that nurse practitioners must adhere to strict practice guidelines, and emphasizing clinics should not replace the doctor/patient relationship.

“They simply cannot compete with the comprehensive services and long-term peace of mind offered by a primary-care physician who is acquainted with the patient,” the Medical Association of Georgia said in a statement.

The American Medical Association last year called for investigations into possible conflicts of interest in business ventures between in-store clinics and pharmacy chains.

Nurse practitioners, meanwhile, assert they’re not replacing the doctor, but instead offer an easy portal into the health system. There are some doctor-staffed urgent care centers with extended hours, and nurse practitioners can refer patients there.

In addition, nurse practitioners can help the drop-in patients find a permanent doctor. “If a patient needs a health care home, we can refer them to a local physician,” said Lillian Williams of Take Care Health Systems, which runs clinics at Walgreens.

Ivy Spencer of The Little Clinic added, “We always refer [patients] back to the primary care physician.” And sometimes doctors refer people to the clinics, nurse practitioners say.

Diane Kniffin, a teacher, left her Smyrna school last week to seek care for her poison ivy at a nearby Walgreens clinic. After getting an examination, a prescription and over-the-counter medication, Kniffin said she was able to return to her class within an hour. She appreciated that convenience, with her regular doctor’s office in Woodstock, miles away.

Such clinic visits generally cost less than a doctor’s office visit and much less than being treated in a hospital emergency room, where many people go for relatively minor health problems.

The clinics also attract many “working poor” who lack insurance, said Michael McCann, director of legislation and public policy for the Georgia Nurses Association. The hours, he added, “are more friendly to working families. Very few primary care doctors offer evening or weekend hours.”

The clinic concept — minus the retail — has surfaced at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. AeroClinic, staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants, serves both travelers and airport employees.

For minor health problems, such clinics make a lot of sense to Gary Starzmann, who recently took son Alexander, 7, who had a sore throat, to a CVS store in Vinings, near their home.

“It’s basically the convenience and speed of it,” Starzmann said.

Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Original Publication Date: May 14, 2008