A new study by Rand Corporation, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, concludes retail clinics provide quality care at lower costs and equal or better quality than other urgent care options. The study was based in part on data from MinuteClinic and illustrates the value that retail clinics offer in the effort to provide quality care and lower medical costs, MinuteClinic officials said today. MinuteClinic, the pioneer and largest provider of retail-based health care in the United States is a subsidiary of CVS Caremark.
"This affirms our internal data which shows that costs for caring for common illnesses at retail clinics are significantly lower than other venues, such as doctors' offices, urgent care centers and emergency rooms," said Dr. Andrew J. Sussman, President and Chief Operating Officer of MinuteClinic. "Additionally, this study shows why our customer satisfaction ratings exceed 90 percent; patients get quality care at an affordable price."
The Rand study found that the quality of care at retail clinics is on a par with doctors' offices, urgent care centers and emergency rooms for certain services. The study found that the costs of treating acute illnesses at retail clinics were 30 to 40 percent lower than in physicians' offices and urgent care centers, and 80 percent lower than emergency departments.
Sussman said that while MinuteClinic has developed a care model to provide affordable quality care for common illnesses, the company continues to work to integrate its efforts with primary care physicians for patients who are more seriously ill with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension.
"As Congress debates health care reform and looks for ways to better manage overall health care costs, retail clinics should be looked at as a way help achieve that goal," said Sussman.