Physician retail clinic protests miss the point

Anne: I work for Vista Lighting in Erie, PA, and would love to find out what lighting is being used or specified. Nevertheless, I do feel this rush-to-jump-on-the-retail-clinic-bandwagon raises issues that must be addressed:
1. What are the qualifications of the staff members and what are their limits as to diagnosing and performing procedures.
2. With the serious shortage of Nurses and other trained medical people, how do these clinics "find" enough people.
3. Why don't the clinics, in conjunction with nursing and doctor's associations, establish minimum standards, under the watchful eyes of federal and/or state regulatory agencies.
4. How willing or unwilling are the insurance companies to pay for Clinic visits, treatments, etc.

What a blessing it would be if retail clinics could be the first stop for the millions of patients who are jamming up ER's.

Obviously, the Walmarts, CVS's, even Truckstops, are rushing into this to make money. But, without guidelines, regulations, etc. how can the customer/patient be assured of a favorable outcome. And, improving patient outcomes is what we're all about, isn't it?

Regards,
Tony Vespoli
Sales Manager
Vista Lighting
Erie, PA
1-800-576-2135, ext. 13

P.S. I am not a robot.

Anne: I work for Vista Lighting in Erie, PA, and would love to find out what lighting is being used or specified. Nevertheless, I do feel this rush-to-jump-on-the-retail-clinic-bandwagon raises issues that must be addressed:
1. What are the qualifications of the staff members and what are their limits as to diagnosing and performing procedures.
2. With the serious shortage of Nurses and other trained medical people, how do these clinics "find" enough people.
3. Why don't the clinics, in conjunction with nursing and doctor's associations, establish minimum standards, under the watchful eyes of federal and/or state regulatory agencies.
4. How willing or unwilling are the insurance companies to pay for Clinic visits, treatments, etc.

What a blessing it would be if retail clinics could be the first stop for the millions of patients who are jamming up ER's.

Obviously, the Walmarts, CVS's, even Truckstops, are rushing into this to make money. But, without guidelines, regulations, etc. how can the customer/patient be assured of a favorable outcome. And, improving patient outcomes is what we're all about, isn't it?

Regards,
Tony Vespoli
Sales Manager
Vista Lighting
Erie, PA
1-800-576-2135, ext. 13

P.S. I am not a robot.

Anne,
Your editorial inspires me to comment (which is the point, of course).
As we see convergence of multiple trends in healthcare, (high-deductible plans, HSAs, pricing transparency, quality reporting efforts), it seems inevitable that we will begin to see a segmentation of the patient/customer base. This is very much aligned with other industries.
What's more, segmentation will occur not only at the patient level, but at the transaction level.

For example, I personally shop at Saks and Macy's, as well as Target and Wal-Mart.
However, I do not shop at Big Box retailers for my business clothes, nor do I buy my sunscreen and beach sandals at Macy's. As a retail consumer I have a choice to make the supplier selection based on the specific need.

Now we see Healthcare begining to make the same distinction. Right now, it is about access and convenience, as well as the patient's transactional experience. The clinics DO accept insurance, and what's more, they can tell the patient what the cost will be on the spot. In, out and done.
Often they staff with PAs and Nurse Practitioners; guess what? That is usually who I see at my primary care office for routine visits anyway.
I anticipate they effectively refer to primary care when appropriate, (just as my usual PA would), and they administer against a select list of services-no appendectomies at CVS, thank you!

Change is inevitable-this is just the first major competitive impact.
Do the clinics need to meet the same standards as any other walk-in care? Of course they do. Is there an issue that they are co-located with a pharmacy? I doubt it-many hospitals and physician practices have their own pharmacy for filling prescriptions.

Anytime a market grows to accommodate new models, the previous incumbent must adapt or lose market share. This is just a fact of economics.
Providers will not be able to continue to operate as they always have and maintain their revenue. Physicians and other ambulatory care will need to identify ways to differentiate themselves in either quality, service or patient experience. If they do not, they will not survive. The rest is just noise in an effort to maintain status quo.

I believe if more physicians (primary care/private practice) offered extended hours and prices...more patients could be seen at their "medical home". This isn';t unreasonable, this would put lots of people to work, extend hours, allow patients to be seen past the "usual" 9-5 hours and bring money into the practice.