A small number of Americans have used in-store health clinics according to a study released on Monday by the Commonwealth Fund and conducted by the Center for Studying Health System Change.
Only 2.3 percent of American families, or nearly 3.4 million families, had used a retail clinic, according to the group’s 2007 Health Tracking Household Survey.
“While overall use of retail clinics remains modest, families with unmet medical needs tend to use the clinics more than the rest of the population,” said Ha T. Tu, M.P.A., an HSC senior researcher and coauthor of the study.
According to the report, there were more than 900 retail clinics in 30 states at the end of 2007, up from just about 60 in 18 states at the beginning of 2006. The study does not include 2008 data. Among a variety of retail clinic operators, Walgreen owns the Take Care brand of clinics and rival CVS runs MinuteClinic.
Also on Monday, Walgreen announced the opening of three more Take Care clinics, this time in the New Orleans area. It now has 312 clinics in 18 U.S. states.
One-third of clinic users in the study said a major reason they chose to go to clinics was because they did not have a usual source of medical care. Not surprisingly, uninsured patients were more likely to visit the clinics.
(Photo from March 2007 Reuters/Take Care Health Systems/Handout)
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I am not surprised that fewer patients are using these “retail clinic” that have limited resources.
- Posted by Peter Lamelas, MD, MBAOn the contrary our independent “Urgent Care” Walk In Medical facilities, are comprehensive clinics always staffed by a doctor, open 7 days a week and treat a majority of patients with major insurance, are growing steadily.
I believe that this is due to a shortage of primary care doctors, more expensive and longer ER waits and the increasing recognition and good reputation of our true Urgent Care Centers.
Urgent Care Centers are not “retail clinics” but provide increased patient and community access to real comphrensive medical services.