Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1179556
Convenience and Continuity of Care in the Evolving Retail Clinic Model BY JENNA HAINES INDUSTRY OBSERVERS AND INSIDERS PONDER THE ROLE OF RE TAIL CLINICS IN MODERN HE ALTH CARE AND HOW THAT SQUARES WITH PHYSICIAN-PATIENT REL ATIONSHIPS. RETAIL CLINICS — typically housed in pharmacies or grocery stores — provide a number of non-emergency health services, including immunizations, sports physicals and treatment for acute respiratory infections and other minor illnesses, on a walk-in basis. Since the first such facility opened in 2000 — a Minnesota MinuteClinic, a brand that CVS Health acquired in 2006 and currently the largest provider of retail clinics in the U.S. — the number of retail clinics nationwide has grown to more than 2,700. MEETING PATIENTS WHERE THEY ARE Key to the appeal of retail clinics is accessibility. Often located in patients' neighborhoods, they offer shorter wait times and evening and weekend hours. "In this consumer culture in which we live, convenience is at a premium," says Kosali Simon, PhD, health economist at O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University in Bloomington. "Everyone is busy, and more services are catering to this reality. We can have our groceries delivered. We can purchase and receive items off of Amazon within hours. We have come to expect convenience in lots of ways. Yet, it can still be incredibly difficult to make an appointment with a primary care provider within a reasonable frame of time." Signage and visibility help drive the retail clinic phenomenon as well. "Retail clinics essentially have a built-in marketing campaign," says Colin Carr, Founder and CEO of Denver-based Carr Healthcare Realty. "By being located in a shopping area with heavy traffic, retail clinics have an increased amount of effortless exposure." CONTINUITY OF CARE Skepticism remains about this model of care, however. Some providers fear retail clinics may discourage patients from seeking treatment from a single primary care provider, undermining continuity of care. A QUESTION OF QUALITY After evaluating claims data from patients enrolled in a Minnesota-based health insur- ance plan who received care for one of three common condi- tions — otitis media, pharyngitis or urinary tract infection — Rand Corp. researchers found that retail clinic patients reported a similar quality of care as those who went to a physician's office or urgent care center. 1 4