Minute Clinic addresses some drawbacks of clinic-in-a-box

Implications: Mini clinics will continue to operate in retail establishments for the forseeable future.  They have raised several concerns, so the company that addresses these concerns while providing the convenience will be rewarded with above average market share.

Analysis: Mini clinics are the direct products of a clear gap in the traditional health care delivery system. People fully satisfied with their provider's ability, responsiveness and access will not choose a miniclinic!

There is absolutely no doubt that these clinics provide a great service to a busy, impatient population willing to pay for convenience. The delivery model raises some concerns though; for example the practitioner is usually a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, not a physician. Will clinics act ethically and legally only within their scope? What if someone delays treatment for serious illness by going to a clinic instead of the ED? These are legitimate concerns.


Minute Clinic seems to be addressing some of these concerns-
- They use a software driven protocol of clinical practice guidelines and algorithms
- Some conditions are immediately ruled "too complex" and refered elsewhere, such as an ED
-Software automatically prepares appropriate prescriptions and patient education material based on documented assessments.
- Significant information is sent to the patient's primary care physician. Of course this might simply annoy some physicians if  they view this contact as an "afterthought" or if they are confronted with an abnormal finding, they now feel pressured to address
- They have an MD on call
-They dont accept patients under 18 months of age.

It appears Minute Clinic is doing something well. It will be interesting to see how well they fare compared to their competitors.