Retail Clinics Have Their Place, Study Says

If you’ve been wondering if those medical clinics in retail stores are safe and trustworthy, a study by Rand Corp. says that they are just fine. The study was done because many doctors disagree with the retail-type clinics, believing that they offer substandard care or may be influenced by the fact that the stores that have these clinics also have pharmacies, increasing the likelihood of prescription medications, which may not really be necessary. The study findings were published in the most recent issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The researchers looked at over 2000 cases of people who went to the clinics for ear infections (otitis media), sore throat (pharyngitis) or urinary tract infection (UTI). Their care was compared to similar patients who had received treatment in a traditional clinic or doctor’s office.

The results of the study were quite clear. When comparing the retail clinic with a doctor’s office or urgent care center, the retail clinic was 30 to 40% lower in cost. When compared with an emergency room, there was an 80% decrease in cost for the retail clinic patient. Actually seeing the patient was less expensive in the retail clinic, as was the cost of tests. The researchers also didn’t find anything that would back up the concern of some doctors that retail clinics would be prescribing more medications than other clinics or office. In fact, the prescription levels were even between all.

Although this is good news for people who rely on the retail clinics, the study authors did point out that this study only included the three common illnesses (ear ache, sore throat and UTI) and that results could be different for other types of illnesses. Only future studies would be able to verify if the same results would be found.

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