SPOTLIGHT: Retailers enter clinic business; patients rejoice


One major symptom of consumer-driven healthcare's emergence: No-wait clinics in drugstores and other retail settings are drawing the attention of the mainstream business press. This BusinessWeek piece focuses on the recent acquisition of MinuteClinic, the largest provider of such services, by pharmacy chain CVS. Wal-Mart, Rite-Aid, Walgreens and Osco are also getting into the act with other clinic providers. Waiting 15 minutes for a flu shot--instead of days or weeks--sounds good to an increasing number of consumers. Article