California clinic offers care only to the well

According to internist and emergency physician Richard McCauley, MD, it doesn't make sense for sick people and the well to get care from the same clinic. That's why he opened WellnessMart. The Thousand Oaks, CA, based "health store" offers not only immunizations, annual checkups, vaccinations and travel immunizations, but also free information on various diseases and free workshops on how to prevent those conditions. Borrowing a move from existing retail clinics, McCauley lists all service prices on a big menu board so patients know up front what they'll pay. WellnessMart doesn't accept insurance, but it does sell high-deductible plans, which McCauley supports. According to McCauley, patients are promptly sent elsewhere if they show signs of illness. "If someone sneezes, we don't take care of them. I tell them they're in the wrong spot," he says.

To learn more about WellnessMart:
- read this AMNews article (sub. req.)

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