Why People Are Looking At Using Retail Clinics To Save On Medical Bills

Why People Are Looking At Using Retail Clinics To Save On Medical Bills

Can't shake a cold or need a camp physical for your child? One option is to visit a clinic nestled in your local pharmacy. Such clinics are spreading and might be priced at a discount to your local doctor's office.

Once reserved for little more than flu shots, these retail clinics are expanding to take on wellness checkups, preventive care and even the management of chronic conditions. Earlier this month, Walgreens announced that its clinics are now treating patients with asthma, diabetes and hypertension.

The list of ailments clinics will treat is long and growing. Urinary tract infections and skin ailments from ringworm to poison ivy are tended to. Minor depression, allergies and cholesterol screenings also are on a list of common conditions treated, compiled by the Convenient Care Association, a trade group for the industry. Most clinics will not see patients under 18 months of age, however.

The sheer number of locations tops 1,400 today, up from 75 in 2006, and one-third of Americans now live within 10 minutes of a retail clinic, according to the Convenient Care Association. Big pluses for the clinics are evening and weekend hours and no need for an appointment. Retailers such as CVS, Walgreens, Wal-Mart Stores, Kroger and Target run clinics. To find a clinic location go to ccaclinics.org.

Most commercial insurance plans contract with these facilities. At the end of your appointment, your provider will scan your insurance card and typically the copay will be the same as it would have been at your primary-care provider's office, according to the trade group. Medicare is typically accepted, while Medicaid acceptance varies by state.

The savings can be significant if you are uninsured or have a high-deductible health plan. One reason is that overhead is less at such clinics, which are staffed by nurse practitioners and physicians' assistants instead of doctors, who command higher salaries.

A 2011 study published in the American Journal of Managed Care found that costs at retail clinics tend to be 30% to 40% cheaper than comparable services at a doctor's office and 80% less expensive than in the emergency room. Walgreens, for instance, posts prices online, which range from $3 for a blood glucose test to $120 to remove a foreign object from an ear.

Still, there are many conditions that would be better treated at a doctor's office or hospital. Symptoms of a heart attack, like chest pain or an irregular heartbeat, merit a trip to the emergency room. Many clinics won't treat broken bones or suture wounds. Situations that require continuous care often are best handled by a doctor, who can form a long-term relationship with the patient.

Indeed, some doctors have opposed the expansion of the retail clinics. The American Academy of Family Physicians worries they will lead to care becoming more fragmented. The group also is concerned about the clinics treating anything more serious than a minor acute illness, saying that more serious medical problems could be missed. They argue that many doctors offices offer same-day scheduling and extended hours.

Retail clinics stress that they are working in partnership with family doctors, not replacing them. Tine Hansen-Turton, who leads the retail providers' trade group, says the clinics often refer patients to local doctors should they need additional help, and share electronic medical records of visits with patients' regular providers. She says the industry is responding to a shortage of providers.

If you get care at a Walgreens clinic, it's still a good idea in many cases to coordinate with a primary-care doctor. For instance, it might make sense for a patient to have his or her blood sugar tested at a clinic, and then have that data sent back to the patient's doctor, says Heather Helle, Walgreens's divisional vice president in charge of consumer solutions.

"Our belief is that every patient should have a primary-care physician," says Ms. Helle.

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