Walk In Pharmacy Clinics For Minor Health Issues
Drugstore Drop In Clinics Useful for Uncomplicated Problems
Nov 15, 2009
Pharmacy clinics are a fast growing phenomenon; their numbers have increased from around 250 in 2006 to 800 in 2009, with projected growth into the thousands within the next few years. But there's concern not only about the level of care provided, but whether the giant growth leaps can be sustained.
What’s the Difference Between Urgent Care Centers and Pharmacy Clinics?
Although on the surface, walk-in pharmacy clinics and urgent care centers look similar, they are quite different in a number of ways. Urgent care centers have longer hours; many are open 24 hours a day, while most pharmacy centers close before 10 pm. Urgent care centers can also handle more emergent situations. Some urgent care clinics suture cuts, apply casts, and perform testing beyond what the average pharmacy clinic can handle.
One the most important differences between the two is that many urgent care centers are staffed by at least one physician, while pharmacy clinics are staffed by nurse practitioners and/or physician assistants. This can make a difference in treatment; while nurse practitioner staffed clinics can write prescriptions, give injections, and do routine physicals, some care may be out of their scope of practice.
Both urgent care clinics and drugstore clinics take insurance, and the cost per visit is more reasonable than a hospital emergency room for people who don’t have insurance. Neither one is a preferable alternative to seeing a family doctor who knows the patient and provides continuity of care and follow up.
Going to a Nurse Practitioner Staffed Clinic for the First Time
Not all pharmacies in chains have walk in clinics, but the ones that do make them easy to find, with large signs. Clinics are usually located near the pharmacy, and have a computerized sign in process that’s simple to follow. Patients can see how many people are ahead of them on the list; visits are listed as taking approximately 15 minutes, but sometimes it takes that long for the nurse practitioner to get through the computer data entry and insurance information.
Nurse practitioners at drug store clinics can write prescriptions, give flu shots and other injections, such as immunizations, do sports and camp physicals, check for ear infections and strep throat, test urine and draw blood. They also diagnose and treat problems such as colds, bronchitis and skin rashes. A walk in clinic isn’t the place to go for a heart attack, unless it occurs while the patient is in the drug store.
Long Term Concerns About Pharmacy Based Clinics
Despite their convenience, there are concerns about drug store walk in clinics. One concern is that the pharmacies that run them are driving new business from them; it's more convenient to have a prescription filled in the pharmacy right next to the clinic than to drive it across town to another pharmacy, although the practitioners do offer to send the prescription wherever the patient wants.
Another concern is that patients might choose to use the walk in clinic as their regular medical care, rather than following up with a physician who has access to all their medical records and might diagnose what a walk in clinic would miss.
Pharmacy Clinics Offer Convenient But Not Comprehensive Medical Care
Walk in clinics can be the answer to your prayer on a Sunday morning when Johnny wakes up with a fever and sore throat, but they shouldn’t be relied on as the only source of medical care. They can and do take a burden off overbooked doctor’s offices and provide a very good alternative for simple, acute health problems and routine treatment.
Sources:
Pharmacy Times ; "For Patients at Walk In Clinic, Convenience is Key";Lauren Green;Jan. 1, 2009
StarTribune.com Minneapolis-St. Paul MN;Chen May Yee; Aug. 100, 2008
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