Walgreens' chief medical officer Cheryl Pegus delivered a keynote session Tuesday at the National Conference of State Legislatures Fall Forum in Tampa, Fla., to outline innovative approaches in health care today, and shared how Walgreens complements these new models.

The use of retail-based health clinics increased tenfold between 2007 and 2009, and, if the trends continue, health plans can expect to see a dramatic boost in retail clinic utilization, based on the findings of a new Rand Corp. study.

The recently released report by Kalorama Information indicating that retail-based health clinics are a viable business for retailers — if managed correctly — further underscores the importance of the convenient care industry, and comes just as a separate study highlighted the value of employer-based on-site health clinics.

With the cost of employee healthcare benefits on the rise, public employers are under increased pressure to contain costs while also providing benefits that help them maintain a healthy work force and attract the best employees. One solution to consider: on-site health clinics, according to a recently released study.

One very quiet bit of news worthy of a bit more attention: MinuteClinic is up to 645 clinics. Clinic revenues were up more than 15% during the quarter, and the company expects MinuteClinic will break even as planned by the end of the year. That's important because the third quarter isn't exactly a big cold-and-flu month, which means that patients are starting to use clinics for more than just sick care. Third quarter is back to school, which suggests the clinics likely were busier doing other things, such as vaccinations and physicals.

The news that Take Care Clinic nurse practitioner Penny Strong has been honored by the Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing is important as it further promotes and supports the convenient care industry at large.

MinuteClinic continues to expand its reach by opening two walk-in medical clinics inside CVS/pharmacy stores in the Savannah, Ga., market.

The release of the “2010 Census Report and Salary Report,” which indicated that the number of practicing physician assistants has tripled in the past 10 years is important to note, especially as the convenient care clinic model continues to expand.

Hannibal Regional Medical Group has announced that on Sept. 13 it will open its first “The Clinic at Walmart” inside a Walmart in Hannibal, Mo.

Kroger has announced that it is offering early flu vaccinations for patients within its 1,900 pharmacy locations nationwide and at the 79 Little Clinic locations in select stores.

The Little Clinic, which operates clinics inside select Kroger, King Soopers and Fry’s Food Stores, opened on Aug. 5 its first location inside a Kroger store in the Atlanta area and expects to open a second Atlanta-area clinic this year as well.

The news that MinuteClinic has surpassed 10 million patient visits is important because the pace at which these milestones are occurring speaks volumes to the increased patient acceptance.