This is something I’ve never seen in my neck of the woods, but hospitals are now starting to open outlets inside of supermarkets and pharmacies. The outlets are usually staffed by nurse practitioners or physician assistants.
Many primary-care doctors still denigrate the retail clinics as cheap, unworthy competitors. But hospitals see the clinics as a way to reach more patients and expand their business. And they argue that as President Obama and Congress warn of a shortage of primary-care physicians, the hospital-linked retail clinics are filling a vital public need.
I’m not sure how good the actual care is, but this sounds like a nice alternative to heading down to the emergency room when you can’t get an appointment with your general practitioner. Unfortunately, I’d never qualify for the 10 symptoms or less express checkout line.
