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Retail Health Care Clinics

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Operating out of pharmacies, grocery stores, and "big box" stores, retail health clinics provide care for simple acute conditions, typically delivered by a nurse practitioner. RAND research examines all angles of this relatively new mode of care delivery, including the effect of retail clinics on preventive services, doctor-patient relationships, and costs.

Journal Article

Retail Clinics May Increase Medical Spending, Rather Than Trim Costs

Mar 7, 2016

Retail clinics, seen as a convenient and cost-saving alternative to physician offices and hospital emergency departments, may actually drive up medical spending by creating demand for new medical services. They have become an attractive alternative to staying home and suffering through a minor illness.
Research Brief

The Evolving Role of Retail Clinics

Nov 10, 2016

Retail clinics are playing a growing role in the health care marketplace. But they have also generated controversy. Research can provide a factual basis for assessing this new mode of care delivery.

Explore Retail Health Care Clinics

Journal Article

Retail Medical Care Clinics Do Not Reduce ER Visits

There has been hope that retail clinics would help lower health care costs by diverting care from costly emergency departments to more convenient and lower-cost retail clinics, but new findings do not support that idea.

May 4, 2017
News Release

Retail Medical Clinics Do Not Reduce Visits to Hospital Emergency Departments for Minor Health Ailments

There has been hope that retail clinics would help lower health care costs by diverting care from costly emergency departments to more convenient and lower-cost retail clinics, but new findings do not support that idea.

Nov 14, 2016
News Release

Retail Clinics May Increase Medical Spending, Rather Than Trimming Costs

Retail clinics, seen as a convenient and cost-saving alternative to physician offices and hospital emergency departments, may actually drive up medical spending by creating demand for new medical services. They have become an attractive alternative to staying home and suffering through a minor illness.

Mar 7, 2016
Commentary

CVS Health: Breathing a Little Easier and Holding Our Breath

CVS has officially stopped selling cigarettes and other tobacco products, a move that will cost the pharmacy chain about $2 billion in annual profits. It's difficult to say if this will affect smoking. For now, the ban is most significant for what it represents symbolically.

Sep 12, 2014
Blog

CVS and the Effect of In-Store Tobacco Displays on Smokers

CVS Caremark will stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products at its CVS/pharmacy stores beginning Oct. 1. Though it stands to lose $2 billion dollars in annual revenue, CVS CEO Larry J. Merlo said that selling tobacco products is at odds with the company's mission of improving health outcomes.

Feb 6, 2014
Blog

Small Ideas for Saving Big Health Care Dollars (No. 4-7)

Focusing on smaller, more focused approaches can identify less controversial opportunities for modest health care savings.

Jan 15, 2014
Q&A

Quick Takes: The Convenience Revolution in the Treatment of Minor Health Problems

Convenient options for treating minor health problems are an important new feature of the health care landscape. Ateev Mehrotra discusses these options and their implications for the medical marketplace.

Nov 26, 2013
Journal Article

On Call at the Mall: A Mixed Methods Study of U.S. Medical Malls

The decline of the traditional U.S. shopping mall and a focus on more consumer- centered care have created an opportunity for medical malls.

Nov 1, 2013
Journal Article

The Convenience Revolution for Treatment of Low-Acuity Conditions

This perspective piece summarizes recent research on expanding options for consumers who seek treatment for low-acuity medical conditions, such as bronchitis and urinary tract infections.

Jul 1, 2013
News Release

Evidence About Whether Retail Medical Clinics Disrupt Doctor-Patient Relationships Is Mixed

People who visit retail medical clinics are less likely to return to a primary care physician for future illnesses and have less continuity of care. However, no evidence suggests that retail medical clinics disrupt preventive care or management of diabetes, two important measures of quality of primary care.

Oct 31, 2012
Journal Article

Use of Retail Medical Clinics Continues to Grow; Older Patients and Preventive Services on Rise

Visits to retail medical clinics increased four-fold from 2007 to 2009, with the proportion of patients over age 65 growing from 8 to 19 percent of all visits during this period. More than 44 percent of visits occurred on the weekend or other hours when physician offices typically are closed.

Sep 1, 2012
News Release

Use of Retail Medical Clinics Continues to Grow; Older Patients and Preventive Services on Rise

Visits to retail medical clinics increased four-fold from 2007 to 2009, with the proportion of patients over age 65 growing from 8 to 19 percent of all visits during this period. More than 44 percent of visits occurred on the weekend or other hours when physician offices typically are closed.

Aug 15, 2012
Journal Article

Retail Clinics Now Providing Millions of Vaccinations Annually

Retail clinics—which provide health care within supermarkets, pharmacies, and stores—are a promising and popular venue for the promotion and administration of vaccinations. However, they could become more viable by reviewing patient histories and providing counsel about vaccination benefits.

Jul 1, 2012
Blog

Attempts by States to Save Money by Locking Medicaid Enrollees out of the ED Are Likely to Backfire

A better solution than restricting emergency department use by Medicaid enrollees is to reverse what for many years has been a trend of shrinking access to primary care for Medicaid beneficiaries.

May 21, 2012
Journal Article

Do Retail Clinic Visits Interfere With Primary Care?

Researchers determine that retail clinics may disrupt whether patients see a primary care physician first for new conditions, as well as continuity of care. However, retail clinics do not negatively impact preventive care or diabetes management.

Jan 1, 2012
News Release

Use of Retail Medical Clinics Rises 10-Fold Over Two-Year Period

Use of retail medical clinics located in pharmacies and other retail settings increased tenfold between 2007 and 2009. The determining factors in choosing one over a physician's office were found to be age, health status, income, and proximity to the clinic.

Nov 22, 2011
Journal Article

Use of Retail Medical Clinics Rises Tenfold Over Two-Year Period

Use of retail medical clinics located in pharmacies and other retail settings increased tenfold between 2007 and 2009. The determining factors in choosing one over a physician's office were found to be age, health status, income, and proximity to the clinic.

Oct 31, 2011
Journal Article

Reengineering the Clinical Research Enterprise to Involve More Community Clinicians

This paper presents a model for the reorganization of clinical research to foster long-term participation by community clinicians.

Apr 3, 2011

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RAND Topic:
Retail Health Care Clinics

Topic Synonyms:
Retail Healthcare Clinics