IN measure would regulate retail clinics

A new bill under consideration by the Indiana state Senate would increase state supervision of retail clinics as well as setting new standards for the clinics.

Right now, the Indiana State Department of Health doesn't license retail clinics, but instead, regulates them under the license of the physician affiliated with that clinic. There are about 300 retail health care clinics there.

Under the pending measure, clinics would have to take on several new operating requirements. These include installing entrances that are separate from the store entrance, training all staff in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, displaying fees outside of exam rooms and providing a detailed report of patient visits to their primary care doctors.

Walgreen's Take Care Health subsidiary, which runs clinics in the state, is among the critics of the bill. The company notes that about 30 percent of retail clinic patients don't have a primary care physician. (You can be pretty sure that the state's medical association is rooting for the bill, however.)

To learn more about the bill:
- read this Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report item [1]

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