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

Consumers today in the United States are increasingly driving their health-care decisions.

They seek and rightly so deserve high quality products at a reasonable price on their own time schedule. This consumer-driven attitude has fueled what some might term a radical evolutionary change in health care: the emergence of convenient-care clinics.

These small health-care facilities are located in high-traffic retail outlets like Kroger, Publix, Walgreens and CVS. They are usually staffed by highly trained clinic practitioners (typically nurse practitioners or physician assistants) who provide basic medical services, no appointments required, at affordable prices, seven days a week.

According to the Convenient Care Association (CCA), nearly 900 were in operation at the beginning of 2008, and it is expected that there will be close to 1,500 by the end of the year.

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Convenient health care just became a little easier to access for CIGNA HealthCare members in Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Arizona and Tennessee, as the company added The Little Clinic health care centers to its network, effective January 1, 2008.

“From the parent running from activity to activity to the working adult who has to cram a visit for minor illness care into a lunch hour, retail clinics offer the convenience and quality our members want,” said Dick Salmon, M.D., CIGNA medical officer. “The Little Clinic is an affordable and efficient option for members with a minor illness.”

The Little Clinic is located in certain Kroger and Publix stores and is open seven days a week, with evening and weekend hours. Members who visit The Little Clinic can receive immunizations, as well as care for a range of common ailments, from influenza or bronchitis and ear and sinus infections, to seasonal allergies, swimmers ear, and skin conditions such as poison ivy, without an appointment. Most visits are completed in less than a half hour.

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