Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement opposing the use of Retail-Based Clinics (MinuteClinic, RediClinic, etc.) for the care of infants, children and adolescents.  The AAP is especially concerned about care becoming increasingly fragmented and uncoordinated if patients use these facilities.  This isn't the first time organized medicine has voiced its discomfort with the retail clinic movement.  The American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Association have proclaimed their own concerns about the proliferation of clinics in pharmacies, supermarkets and other retail locations.

Organized medicine has every right to raise these issues, but I wonder if the real concern isn't more about business and turf than quality.  From what I've seen, retail clinic executives and clinicians are every bit as emphatic about the quality and safety of the care they provide as executives and clinicians overseeing care in more traditional healthcare settings.  I think the question organized medicine needs to ask is; Why is there a market opportunity for retail clinics in the first place and why does the movement appear to be flourishing?

Retail clinics are flourishing because they are giving people what they want; a convenient, lower cost alternative to more traditional healthcare delivery settings.  Healthcare has become too expensive.  People without health insurance, people with health savings accounts, and people facing higher co-pays and deductibles are looking for choice.  They want transparency in the cost and quality of the care they receive.  They want to know what services will cost before they receive them.  They are demanding excellent and timely service. They think healthcare providers should compete for their business like other service industries do; by continually innovating and delivering higher quality products and services at lower cost. 

Retail clinics may not be for everyone, and no doubt some patients will be harmed.  But let's not forget the findings of the Institute of Medicine on the failings of our traditional healthcare delivery system, a system that kills or injures tens of thousands of patients every year due to preventable medical errors.  There's room for improvement across the board.  The challenge for organized medicine is to beat the retail clinics at their own game by providing even better service, convenience, and "customer relationship management".  When was the last time your doctor's office called to recommend a needed "service", or to remind you of an overdue health screening or exam?  You can be sure the retail clinics are totally digital, use the best business and clinical software available, and have CRM and customer service at their core.

Organized medicine, the next move is yours.  The age of the guild is over.  Get on with what you need to do as if your future depends upon it,,,,,,,because it does.

Bill Crounse, MD        Healthcare Industry Director          Microsoft Corporation