August 02, 2007

RediClinic CEO Web Golinkin has an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal today that explains the function of convenient care clinics and how they fit into America's health care markets:

Convenient care clinics are small health-care facilities with new brand names like RediClinic, MinuteClinic, and Take Care Health Clinics. Most are located in high-traffic retail outlets with pharmacies, such as Wal-Mart, CVS and Walgreen stores. Regional health-care systems have also opened retail-based clinics in their service areas, either directly or in partnerships with independent operators. These clinics generally are staffed by certified nurse practitioners who diagnose, treat and prescribe medications for a limited set of common ailments, such as strep throat and ear infections. They also administer health screenings, medical tests, immunizations, basic physical exams and other preventive care.

Convenient care clinics have been embraced by consumers, who give them consistently high marks for patient satisfaction: 97% of the more than 4,000 RediClinic patients surveyed this year said they would recommend RediClinic to their relatives and friends. This is because the clinics are delivering something that is all too rare in our system -- convenient and affordable health care.

Convenient care clinics are emerging as valuable health care providers, helping to alleviate overcrowding in hospital emergency rooms and doctor's offices. They do this by taking relatively simple cases, where care protocols are very well established, and treating them in low-cost, high turnover environments. And, in the process, they are helping physicians focus their time and energy on the most complex, high need cases.

Posted by Paul Howard at August 2, 2007 01:28 PM

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