Retail Healthcare News

Publix Super Markets here opened three in-store health clinics run by The Little Clinic, Brentwood, Tenn., this month. One opened in the Tampa-area town of Palm Harbor, bringing the total of Publix clinics in the market to eight. Another opened in Apopka in the Orlando area. The Little Clinic reported that two additional Orlando area clinics are now under construction and will open later this year. The third clinic, in Miami, was the eighth Little Clinic in Publix Miami-area stores. Six additional Miami area clinics are now under construction and will open later this year.

Source: Supermarket News
Original Publication Date: May 2, 2008

Take Care Health Systems, one of the largest managers of care clinics and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walgreens, has begun accepting Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee.

Twelve Take Care Health Clinics at Nashville-area Walgreens will participate.

With the addition of Blue Cross, which covers nearly one-third of Nashville’s insured individuals, approximately 80 percent of insured residents in the area can receive treatment.

BlueCross plans accepted at Take Care Health Clinics will include Network P/Blue Preferred, Network S/Blue Select, Network V/CoverTN and BlueCross Federal Employee Program and out of state BlueCard.

Source: Nashville Business Journal
Original Publication Date: April 29, 2008

The growth of limited-service clinics — found in pharmacies, shopping malls and big-box stores — could hinge on an inconsistent and shifting regulatory landscape, according to a panel of health care experts who met last week at a public workshop sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission.

In overseeing the new health services market, FTC favors policies that balance consumer protection and business competition, William Kovacic, the agency’s chairman, said at the Innovations in Health Care Delivery conference.

But achieving that balance has been elusive, especially at the state level, industry insiders say. Rhode Island and Illinois, for example, have proposed “onerous bills … that would prevent clinics from flourishing,” said Sara Ratner, senior legal counsel at MinuteClinic, a division of CVS Caremark that operates more than 500 retail clinics in 25 states. 

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National retailers are trying to change the way you get health care — or at least, convince you to add basic medical treatment to your shopping list.

Already, Oklahoma has walk-in clinics in two Wal-Mart Supercenters, three CVS stores and at least one supermarket. Those numbers are expected to increase.

Last year, Wal-Mart announced plans to add 400 more clinics to Supercenters nationwide by 2010. Clinics already in operation are run by third parties, but Wal-Mart is installing co-branded clinics in 200 stores. These are partnerships between the retailer, RediClinic and local hospital systems.

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You had to figure that when CVS rolled out plans to open quick-service medical clinics in Massachusetts, its top rival wouldn’t be far behind.

Now, Walgreen Co. is getting into the act in Massachusetts with its own clinic chain, Take Care Health Systems.
 
Take Care spokeswoman Lauren Tierney confirmed that the chain plans to open Take Care clinics in the Boston metro area this year in selected Walgreens stores. Tierney declined to provide any specifics about the locations or the timing of the openings.

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