retail

Walgreens, CVS, RiteAid Expand Clinic Offerings

MinuteClini

Your local drug store really wants to take your temperature: Leading chains are stepping up the pace of new services offered in their retail clinics, in an attempt to woo new customers with their convenience.

Walgreens just announced that it will now have daily testing available for cholesterol and blood glucose at more than 1,400 pharmacies in 33 states -- with each test coming with a free-blood pressure screening.

MinuteClinic, the CVS-owned clinic that is currently the largest provider of retail-based medical services in the U.S., now says it will offer Vitamin B-12 injections and the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.

And Rite Aid is promoting its new ability to vaccinate patients over the age of 50 against shingles, thanks to an expanded age eligibility from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In addition, it's now offering whooping cough vaccines to parents in California, at some 500 pharmacies.

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Sales at these clinics have been growing, up to $733.4 million this year -- an increase of 81% per year since 2005, according to a new report from independent healthcare market research firm Kalorama Information. And they are "likely to become a durable part of the healthcare system," the firm says in its report, although the rate of expansion has slowed.

The research company says the growth has come despite the recession, and despite some attempts by state legislatures to curtail retail clinic operations. "For example, Florida limits a physician to supervising only one clinic, while North Carolina's law restricts physicians to two supervisees, which could have the same effect," it says. "These laws could go to the heart of the retail clinic concept, which is that some cost savings will come from using nurse practitioners instead of physicians. Massachusetts has regulated what conditions can be treated in clinics and limits immunizations of children to flu shots only. New York State is investigating whether retail clinics steer customers towards the in-store pharmacy, and is among several states considering a ban on tobacco sales where a retail location has a clinic."

The report says that both the lack of federal intervention in retail clinics and the failure of more states to pass retail clinic laws "are indicators that the clinics right now have not lived up to the fears of opponents. If several cases of negligent care arose that could be tied specifically to the retail clinics' unique business model, it might accelerate legislative action."

1 comment about "Walgreens, CVS, RiteAid Expand Clinic Offerings ".
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  1. Lisa Aguilera from sali, May 2, 2011 at 10:36 p.m.

    Having HPV or other STDs is not the end of world. SingleHerpes,com says Over 70 million people are living with STDs in the U.S., as well as an estimated 400 million people worldwide. they have 600,000+ members, some famous ppl also find support there. wish you luck and find someone understand you.

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