Can Treatment for Chronic Diseases Boost Use of Retail Clinics?

Published On: September 11th, 2009

retail clinic Health clinics in retail stores like Wal-Mart, Walgreens and CVS are expanding services to treat chronic health conditions, as we’ve written about before, but what’s prompting the expansion?

It’s because demand for basic health services in retail settings — like flu shots — has fizzled, according to today’s WSJ.

CVS temporarily closed 90 of its 550 MinuteClinics in March and Wal-Mart, which planned to open 400 clinics by 2010, closed many facilities instead because several operators went out of business. The clinics, which charged between $50 and $75 a visit, didn’t generate enough revenue to cover costs, according to the WSJ.

Now the idea is to offer services for more complex diseases and expensive treatments for conditions like diabetes — and link the clinics more closely to pharmacy services.

But some doctors say the retail clinics result in “drive through” care, not the comprehensive treatment that such illnesses require. The Massachusetts Medical Society thinks co-pays for retail clinics should be at least as high as those for primary care office visits to limit patients’ financial motivation to use them.

Photo: Associated Press

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Can Treatment for Chronic Diseases Boost Use of Retail Clinics?

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