Doc-in-a-Box

DOC-IN-A-BOX |WHAT ELSE COULD BIG-BOX STORES SELL? HEALTHCARE! Everybody's made that quick dash into a big box store on the drive home from the office. You know the drit: run in, pick up some dog lood, grab a quart of milk, undergo a itle surgery and you're back on your wy Hang on. What Ewas bound to happen sooner or latec With HMOS in a cost spiral and 59 milion Americans with no health insurance at alL, retailers like Walgreers, Rite Aid and Target have snitted an opportunity and moved into the healthcare business, opening up in-store medical cinics thatn do a surprising variety of things to your person-treating your pimples, testing for pregnancy and even suturing wounds shut. Five years aga nobody knew what a retal cinic" wa today, there are some U00 of them. Dpect twice as many in the nest four years Es not hard to see the logic here. Not ontly do these retalers get to charge for their services, but aso "cinics provide addtional retal revenue by significantly increasing store tratfic" says Devon M. Herrick of the pro-business think tank National Center for Policy Analysis. The cinics also route customers dresh presoriptions in hand) directly to the store's pharmacy counter, where the real money's made. T's a trifecta of profi" says Kevin Hauser CEO of digital records company Medefle who's been warily watching the retail-clinic explo sion. "This is probably one of the most brillant marketing ideas ever And one of the mont controversial. While studies have shown that "drive RITE AID Head Lice Removal [$59] thru doctors" generally provide a respectable level of care, the truth is that these cinics are seldom staffed by actual MDs and instead rely on nurses and physician assistants. Critics aiso charge that cinics replace the tradition al doctor patient relationship with an a la carte approach "You're putting your healthcare into silos where nobody has ownership of you as an entire person." says Dr. Gien Stream, president-elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians, which officially opposes the ongoing expansion of services these retal cinics offer. But, lke it or not, the "docina box" trend shows no signs of slowing down. Name of peration Lindora Heath Cinic The setup: Rte Aid partnered with Lindona in 2006 to offer a range of healthcare services throughout Southern Caioma Lindora speciales in welght os programs, but you can get a variety of treatments hen from TR bests to treatment of co, cougs and the Market presence Right now, only nine units in Calitornia, making Rite Adthe smatest player on the retain andcape Here's a look at the retalers wearing white coats -ROBERT KLARA CVS Açne Remedy [$59] * Rite Aid Asthma Monitoring [$79] Mame ef eperatien MinuteCinic The setup CVS marketing of s heathcare servicesOuck, Atordable, Convenient-eets a bit tant food , but the cinic does bost a 9 percent cutomer satistaction rating. MinuteCinic ofters a nange of treatments for everything trom sprained Upset Stomach Treatment [$65] e Walmart anes to jetyish stings can unikely injury in nost states but he t's nice to knowits there it you need it Market presences From its fest stare in 2004 MinuteCinic han grown to 500 locations in 26 ates The company plam to ad 00 cnis a year for the nest five yars Blister Treatment [$79] o cvs WAL MART Walgreens DRUG STORES Bladder Infeçtion Treatment [$65] Wart Removal i$85] Name of operation: The Cinic at Waimart The setup No doubt cognizant of the amention t would draw by getting into the heathcare bi. Waimart leases Es cic sace to ndependent loca hospitals or heath systems that the community aready knows and trusts. according to Wamarts corporate Web site. A routine get well vist ranges from nelet for a sore throat to earwax removal Malmart data shows that S5 percent of the people who showup for care have no health insurance which makes the average visit cost of s0 bucks a boon for lots of people Martet presence by our cont, tons in 26 states Mame t eperatien Take Care Cinic The sete As with nost of these places you don't need an appointment. Just show up, check in at the touch sreen osk and wat about 20 minutes to be seen Waigreens will vaccinate you tor chicken po, administer a school physical and even remove your warts A "patient supeort center handies talowup cats unti 0:00 Market presence More than 0 tae Care Cinics have opened acroa the country Burn Treatment [$59] • Target Athletes Foot Treatment [$59] Name of aperation Target Cinic The setup Much ke its telow behemotn aimart. Target was no doubt aware that getting into medicine would dre penty of scrutin which is why the Web site is dorgive us at pains to point out that its team adheres to the quidelines of the American Medical Association and a sew of other heath watchdogs. Prices arage S59 tor treatment of everything from an earache to pirk eye. Market presence Target Clinics are now operating in florida, ino, Minnesota and Maryland.