Health Care on Aisle 7: The Growing Phenomenon of Retail Clinics

This publication presents information on the growing phenomenon of retail medical clinics, the types of patients they serve and the types of care they provide, and whether some common claims about retail clinics are supported by evidence. Most (88 percent) U.S. retail clinics are located in major me...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Policy File 2009
Main Authors: Mehrotra, Ateev, Liu, Hangsheng, Adams, John L, Wang, Margaret C, Lave, Judith, Thygeson, N Marcus, Solberg, Leif I, McGlynn, Elizabeth A, Pollack, Craig, Armstrong, Katrina, Rudavsky, Rena
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
Health care policy
RAND Corporation
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:This publication presents information on the growing phenomenon of retail medical clinics, the types of patients they serve and the types of care they provide, and whether some common claims about retail clinics are supported by evidence. Most (88 percent) U.S. retail clinics are located in major metropolitan areas, and one-third of the U.S. urban population can easily access a clinic. Retail clinics typically serve younger adult patients who do not have a regular health care provider. For a selected group of conditions, retail clinics deliver lower-cost care of equivalent quality compared with other settings. Approximately one in five visits to a primary care physician and one in ten visits to an emergency department are for a problem that can be treated at a retail clinic.