More medical clinics opening up in retail stores

Eyring said the clinics can operate at a lower cost to patients because there is less overhead for medical office equipment. Cotton swabs, tongue depressors and simple lab work are all that’s needed to diagnose strep throat.

That low overhead, of course, means there are limits on what the clinics can do.

“The biggest hazard is that people could get the impression that these things could be a usual source of care, which they can’t be,” said Dr. Larry S. Fields, the president of the American Academy of Family Practitioners.

Fields, who practices in Ashland, Ky., said clinics are a positive step because they expand access — as long as the clinics can tell the difference between a minor ailment and something that needs a doctor’s attention.

He said many of his patients have gone to walk-in clinics but still wind up with him because they don’t sense a continuity of care. “They realize there’s not that history. They’re not familiar,” he said.

But for the quick fix, clinics can generally see patients much quicker at a lower cost, Eyring said. When a patient’s only alternatives are expensive visits to a doctor or an emergency room, he might forgo treatment altogether.

So far, the clinics are run mainly by local and regional startup companies. Kroger and CVS are testing clinics in select markets, as are large retailers Wal-Mart and Target.

“Wal-Mart is the kind of player that has the power to do it in a big way if it pans out for them and their test mode is successful,” said Sandra J. Skrovan, head of food, drug and mass retailing research at consultant Retail Forward Inc. in Columbus, Ohio.

Eight Wal-Mart stores have set up clinics since September and another four are scheduled to open by mid-March.

“We’ll certainly grow this business if it makes sense,” Wal-Mart spokeswoman Sharon Weber said. “I can tell you the customers have been very pleased.”

With the number of Americans without health insurance at 45.8 million in 2004, the clinics hope to reach consumers who have to pay out of pocket for doctor’s visits — even for simple problems.

“Is this a trend that is here to stay? Yes,” Eyring said.

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