MinuteClinics and other walk-in clinics found in retail stores offer a similar quality of service to physicians' offices and urgent-care centers, for prices as much as a third less, a study conducted in Minnesota found.
The average cost of care at a retail clinic was $110, compared with $166 at doctors' offices, $156 at urgent-care centers and $570 at emergency rooms, according to research published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The study examined more than 15,000 cases of ear infection, sore throat and urinary tract infection in Minnesota between 2005 and 2006.
Some doctor groups, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, have expressed concern about the quality of care available at in-store clinics.
"They're serving a patient population that's not frequently going to a primary-care physician," said Dr. Ateev Mehrotra, a study author and a professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, in a telephone interview. "To that degree, retail clinics can improve access to care."
The report focuses on MinuteClinics, which are owned by CVS Caremark Corp. Minneapolis-based Target Corp., Walgreen Co. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. also operate walk-in clinics, which offer services such as treatments for insect bites and stings, minor wounds, sinus infections and earaches, and provide common vaccinations.
The study was funded by a grant from the California Health Care Foundation. It examined claims filed by enrollees in HealthPartners, one of the largest health plans in Minnesota, where retail clinics originated, according to the report.
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