Retail chains begin providing health clinics to customers

By Ken Raymond

Published: April 20, 2008

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.

Work is already under way, with the first of the new clinics expected to open this month.

"So far,” said Wal-Mart spokesman Phillip Keene, "only the cities of Little Rock, Dallas and Atlanta will have co-branded clinics.”

MinuteClinic, which mainly operates in CVS pharmacies, has served over 1 million patients and boasts on its Web site of "aggressive national growth plans (that) mean we hope to have a ... health care center near you soon.”

Dr. Manuel O. Crespo has watched the growth of retail clinics with interest. A longtime family doctor in Oklahoma City, he sees the positives and negatives of the small clinics.

"As a general rule, when someone becomes ill, they wish to be seen immediately,” Crespo said. "Many physicians can't work patients in on a same-day basis.”

Quick clinics provide a handy alternative. Fast and relatively inexpensive, they offer ready access to a medical professional — whether it's an actual doctor or a nurse practitioner.

Got a runny nose and cough? Have a minor infection? Need some vaccinations? Retail clinics are a convenient way to go.

That niche, however, is fairly specific. A quick clinic is no substitute for an emergency room or a primary care physician — someone familiar with your medical and family history, someone who knows what medications you take and how they might interact.

"One of the problems that I have found is that there is a lack of communication between these acute care clinics and the primary care of these patients, and therefore the continuity of care is frequently broken,” Crespo said.

Many clinic patients, however, have no family doctor and no insurance benefits, making it difficult for them to obtain regular treatment.

"According to feedback data gathered by operators of clinics ... approximately 55 percent of customers seeking care at these in-store clinics don't have health insurance,” a Wal-Mart fact sheet notes. "For customers without a primary care physician, they provide an important point of entry into the health care system.”

And they're only going to become more common.

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