In a conversation with California Healthline, Ateev Mehrotra — a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation — discussed how the demand for retail clinics could grow in the coming years.
According to Mehrotra, a 2010 RAND study found that the quality of care provided at retail clinics is similar to the quality of care provided at doctors’ offices and emergency departments. The study also found that the cost of receiving care at retail clinics is significantly less expensive than the cost of receiving care at doctors’ offices or EDs.
Mehrotra noted that retail clinics have the potential to improve access to care in areas facing a shortage of primary care providers. He added that community health centers could expand their reach by partnering with retail clinics.
Although retail clinics have a great deal of growth potential, Mehrotra noted that some health care providers have concerns about whether retail clinics should expand their scope of practice to help manage chronic conditions (California Healthline, 1/4).
The complete transcript of this report is available as a PDF.
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