"More Patients Choosing Convenient Retail Pharmacy Clinics"


USA Today (8/29, Marcus) reports, "Insured patients are increasingly turning to the convenience of drugstore clinics...and other medical resources outside the traditional doctor's office setting when they can't schedule day-of appointments with their primary-care provider." Patients "without health insurance say they find them a faster, less pricey alternative to urgent care or emergency room visits." These clinics, which are staffed by physician assistants and nurse practitioners, "address acute, but not typically life-threatening conditions, such as strep throat, flu symptoms, and bladder infections," but "many offer vaccinations, and sports and camp physicals as well." Currently, there are approximately 1,250 such clinics across the country, compared to just 175 about five years ago.