Sutter Health succeeds with retail clinics

Happy with the progress of its initial efforts, Sutter Health is expanding its $2 million retail clinic rollout. The Sacramento, CA-based health system runs six clinics in northern California, all based in Rite Aid pharmacies, and should add several more through 2008. (Rite Aid, for its part, is also happy with the retail clinic concept; it's looking for more health system partners who are willing to create in-store clinics.) Malpractice and liability insurance costs have been a bit of a problem, but otherwise, the numbers have been promising for the pilot clinics, Sutter execs said. Not only has patient uptake been good, insurers have been coming on board; this was a surprise to Sutter leaders, who expected this to be largely a cash business.

To learn more about the Sutter program:
- read this Sacramento Business Journal article

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