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| Posted on: Thursday, April 24, 2008 |
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In-store clinics may have an edge over traditional private practice clinics for primary care treatment in several ways: convenient locations, quick in-and-out treatment, lower cost due to lower overhead, and often electronic medical records. In addition, as many rural primary care physicians consider closing their offices, in-store clinics promise the continued availability of access to primary care services close to home. For these and other reasons, in-store clinics are gaining popularity and are springing up across the country quicker than Starbucks (well, not quite!).
While there are arguments from privately practicing physicians that retail healthcare is sub-par healthcare (remember, in-store clinics are their competitors), a properly run retail clinic which has oversight by licensed physicians and provides a scope of services that is limited to routine primary care is a great benefit to the average American patient. This is attested to by the fact that one retail clinic, Minute Clinic, is accredited by The Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO) for its high standards related to patient safety and quality of care. Also, many of the in-store clinics are members of the Convenient Care Association which holds all members to high standards of care. Historically, private physician practices have not been subject to independent accreditation standards.
According to a recent study, there are 500 in-store clinics currently operating across the country. More than 1,500 are expected to be open by the end of 2008. In Colorado, Wal-Mart is operating 15 SmartCare clinics (soon to be re-branded as “Clinic at Wal-Mart”). Other retailers such as Walgreens and CVS are reported to be studying the Colorado market, but to date have not opened in-store clinics.
The majority of insurance companies and PPO Networks (including Cofinity, formerly Sloans Lake) are already contracted with the available in-store clinic chains and normal Plan copays apply.
Should employers encourage employees to use in-store clinics?
Where in-store clinics are available, clearly yes. In Colorado, clinics are currently only available in the Metro Denver area (click here for locations). And, Wal-Mart has announced plans for rapid expansion. To further encourage use of this efficient model, some employers may consider financial incentives, such as 50% reduced copays.
With in-store clinics providing quality primary care services at half the cost of traditional pricing, in-store clinics are becoming an integral part of the wider healthcare delivery system. In addition to the convenience of not needing an appointment and quick in-and-out service, the patient (and the employer’s Benefit Plan) can further reap the benefits from competitive in-store pharmacy pricing and generic-based prescribing protocols.
Should you have any additional employee benefit questions or would like to discuss this material in detail, please don’t hesitate to call the Denman Team. |
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