Trend: More providers going into retail clinics

As FierceHealthcare readers know, we've been keeping tabs on the retail/convenience market for some time now. To date, we've mostly been telling you about clinic rollouts mounted by private entrepreneurs or giant drugstore chains. However, medical practices, hospitals and health systems are increasingly edging their way into the business too. 

One regional example of this trend is found in Minnesota, where the Mayo Clinic has launched a single retail clinic in the town of Albert Lea--and has set plans to open another in its headquarters town of Rochester. Mayo is looking at opportunities to launch retail clinics across its network, which cuts across southern Minnesota, western Wisconsin and northern Iowa. Meanwhile, Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services has opened up two Fairview Express Care clinics (in Albertville and Elk River), and is planning two more, and Olmstead Medical Center has opened an OMC FastCare store in Rochester.

If this market is any indication, the faint whiff of disrespectability is coming off of the retail clinic model. Look for a big uptick (not an explosion, given the capital and hiring costs) of providers rolling out retail clinics in '08. 

To find out more about this market and trend:
- read this Minneapolis Star-Tribune item

Related Articles:
Providers see future with retail clinics. Report
Resource Center: Retail Clinics. Link
Massachusetts opens door--a little--to retail clinic explosion. Report
Physician retail clinic protests miss the point. Editorial
Wal-Mart plans 2,000 retail clinics. Report
Retail clinics keep advancing. Report
Retail clinics: Thousands on the way? Analysis