America Introduces Healthcare to Commercial Hubs

Retail clinics have grown exponentially in the US over the last five years, and gained significant interest among patients and physicians alike, states a new report by healthcare experts GBI Research.

The new report* shows that the first retail clinic, QuickMedx, opened in 2000 in Minnesota, and since this inception, retail clinics have grown to treat an increasing range of illnesses and offer an increasing range of services. Cash payments from patients have evolved into collaborations with insurance companies, and the retail clinics revolution seems set to continue.

Walk-in medical services are located in convenient, easily accessible places such as malls and pharmacies, where Nurse Practitioners (NP) and Physician Assistants (PA) treat minor conditions such as sore throats, flu and acne and skin irritation, and also provide other healthcare services, delivering vaccinations, weight-loss plans and smoking cessation strategies.

The average waiting time for an appointment in regular clinics surveyed in 10 metropolitan US states is 20.3 days; whereas in a retail clinic a customer can walk in and use any of the services with a maximum waiting time of 15 minutes. In addition to being in convenient locations, retail clinics are open throughout the week, including during evening hours, at fairly low costs in comparison to regular clinics.

The booming retail clinic industry lowers the costs for health insurance policy makers, who can divert minor conditions to retail clinics, reducing costs and the number of emergency room visits. The Convenient Care Association is a US trade association, whose member clinics constitute more than 90% of all retail clinics. The association helps to standardize operations, establish exemplary practices, and share resources to drive growth in the retail clinic industry, ensuring that high standards are met by clinics across the country.

Companies Mentioned

- MinuteClinic

- Take Care Clinic

- Walmart

- The Little Clinic

- Target Clinic

- FastCare

- RediClinic LLC

- Aurora Quick Care

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/b77h3h/retail_clinics_2