MD-staffed retail clinics becoming more common

Not long ago, we gave you a look at a retail clinic chain, Medical Mart, which staffs its clinics with physicians rather than nurse practitioners. It's worth noting, however, that the model is expanding even further than we'd reported. (With retail clinics, things are moving so fast that what's true last month may not be true today!)

Probably the most visible player in the MD-based clinic space is Solantic, run by former HCA co-builder Richard Scott, which has (comparatively) quietly been running physician-staffed retail clinics in Florida Wal-Marts for a few years. With a $100 million venture investment in its pocket, Solantic should open more than 40 Florida clinics within the next couple of years. In the past, Solantic hasn't labeled itself a "retail clinic" in its marketing materials, but clearly, analysts are.

Also, look for smaller competitors to keep emerging, such as New York-based Consumer Health Services, which plans to have 68 clinics in Duane Reade stores over the next few years. Medical Mart, meanwhile, should have a substantial 400 MD-staffed retail clinics in place over the same time period.

To find out more about this trend:
- read this Wall Street Journal blog entry

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