walgreens

It looks like full-scale war is on the way. Arguing that they could endanger patients, particularly children, some attendees at the AMA's annual conference are demanding the group ask for a ban on retail clinics. Unless the AMA intervenes, "in five years, the chairs [at the AMA] meeting will be filled with representatives from Walgreens, Wal-Mart" and other retailers, one physician told the assembly. At minimum, speakers told the …

National pharmacy chain Walgreen Co. has agreed to acquire retail clinic operator and partner Take Care Health Systems. The deal positions Walgreen to compete better with CVS/Caremark, which previously acquired retail clinic operator MinuteClinic. Take Care, which operates 50 clinics across the U.S., already runs some clinics at Walgreens locations. Walgreens will use the acquisition to power its upcoming retail clinic expansion. The chain plans to have more than 400 "Health Corner …

> Chain drug store operator Walgreens plans to open 10 to 15 retail clinics in the Milwaukee area over the next 12 months. The Walgreens offering will compete with Aurora Health Care's QuickCare clinics. Article

> California's Los Angeles and Alameda counties have contracted with McKesson to run a pilot disease management program. McKesson will work Medi-Cal patients, who …

Grocery chain Winn-Dixie Stores has become the latest entrant in the retail clinic sweepstakes. The company, which operates 521 stores in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, and Mississippi, is partnering with Birmingham, AL-based Wellspot Medical Clinics. Winn-Dixie will begin its program with three locations in Jacksonville, FL, and roll out clinics nationwide by the end of 2007. The partnership should significantly expand Wellspot's national footprint, as it only serves Alabama and …

OK, maybe you're going to think I'm obsessed with Wal-Mart, but for a second time, it looks like retail giant deserves the spotlight. I …

The fallout from Wal-Mart's $4 generics campaign could be much more dramatic than we thought. A new study from the Wall Street Journal Online and survey firm Harris Interactive predicts that not only will Wal-Mart-style cheap generics attract customers to stores, they could potentially shift long-term U.S. prescribing and purchasing patterns. Dirt-cheap generics seem very …

Is this a sign that the retail clinic model has flaws, or just one company's struggles to establish its footprint? Retail clinic operator Take Care Health Systems recently pulled out of Portland, OR, breaking away from its relationship there with partner RiteAid. This week SSM Healthcare, a St. Louis-area health system, has announced that it will be severing its partnership with Take Care. …

Perhaps responding to the blizzard of industry and consumer PR, Wal-Mart has decided to expand its $4 generic prescription program from a small pilot in the Tampa Bay, FL area to the entire state of Florida right away, rather than waiting for January 2007 for the rollout. With the statewide rollout, Wal-Mart has expanded the list of $4 generics to include 314 drugs, including oncology drug Megestrol and cholesterol …

Retail clinics--nurse practitioner-staffed medical centers that are less expensive than regular doctor visits--began popping up five years ago in such stores as CVS, Wal-Mart and Walgreens. Now traditional medical providers are taking notice of retail health clinics and even throwing their hats in the ring in order to protect themselves from competition. Some health systems have staffed their own clinics, signed contracts to oversee clinic staff or set up referral systems with the …

> Medical tourism is a hot--but controversial--topic. Patients who find they can't afford high deductibles for expensive surgeries are looking abroad for their healthcare. But health officials worry about the safety of going abroad for unregulated care. Article

> Walgreens is jumping on the in-store health clinic bandwagon by opening clinics in Atlanta, Chicago and Las Vegas stores later this …