FROM THE FOUNDATION

Redefining the Safety Net

Should California establish a Basic Health Program for certain low-income residents? CHCF's Marian Mulkey captures a recent policy conversation in a Health Affairs blog.

Accountable Care in Action

A new post on the Health Affairs blog details how CalPERS kept costs down in Sacramento through a "virtual" ACO with insurers and providers.

Career Opportunity: Senior Program Officer

This position will play a major role in furthering the goals and objectives of the foundation's Better Chronic Disease Care program.

Public Health

Monday, November 28, 2011

Patients Increasingly Turn to Retail Clinics for Minor Needs

The use of retail-based health clinics in pharmacies, grocery stores and shopping outlets to treat minor health conditions rose tenfold from 2007 to 2009, with the largest growth seen among healthy, high-income adults, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Managed Care. For the study, researchers examined Aetna claims data for 13.3 million patients in 22 different health care markets from 2007 to 2009. Over the three-year study period, the monthly rate of retail clinic use increased from 0.3 visits per 1,000 people to 2.7 visits per 1,000 individuals.

Reader Comments:
  • 2
  • 11/28/2011
  • Audrey Cochran

Studies show that 80% of what doctors do could be handled by a Nurse Practitioner or a Physician's Assistant for far less compensation than doctors expect. Some big shopping malls (but not in California)have clinics where this is done at greater convenience to families and individuals who don't have to take time off from work and wait forever in a doctor's office. In my experience NPs (with their 7 years of education and training are more likely to use natural and/or conservative therapy than PAs who typically only have about 3 years.

  • 1
  • 11/28/2011
  • Hatti Hamlin

Yesterday--a Sunday--I stopped by a local pharmacy to pick up a prescription and decided on the spot to have a flu shot. It was around 5 p.m. and there was absolutely no wait for service. I filled out a simple form and got the shot within five minutes. The woman was apologetic and warned me before administering the shot that my insurance wouldn't cover it. "How much is it?" I asked. "$29.99," she responded.

Now, I find it completely remarkable that I can purchase ANY kind of vaccination for $29.99. I don't give a hoot whether insurance covers it; the $$ I would lose from missing work if I got sick would dwarf that cost, and that doesn't even address the misery of getting the flu. But the broader point here is that a major pharmacy chain apparently can make a profit or at least cover its costs charging so little, while a primary care physician would lose money providing the same vaccination. Our health care system is so out of whack!



Readers are invited to send feedback to: chl@chcf.org

Click to register for California Healthline