Mayo Clinic plans second Express Care Clinic

ALBERT LEA, Minn. The Mayo Clinic is wading slowly into the convenient care industry with the expected opening early next year of its second health clinic.

According to a Mayo spokesman, it is planning to open during the first quarter a Mayo Express Care clinic at a strip mall in Rochester, Minn. It is part of a plan to open additional clinics across Mayo Health System, Mayo’s network of clinics and hospitals in communities in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The first such clinic, known as ALMC Express Care, opened in December 2006 in a mall in Albert Lea.

Similar to retail-based clinics like MinuteClinic and Take Care, the Mayo-affiliated clinics are staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants. The clinics treat about 25 conditions such as pink eye, sinus infections and strep throat. Prices range between about $49 and $59.

However, one difference is that the Mayo-affiliated clinics will likely not be embedded within retailers such as pharmacy chains or grocery outlets. As the concept expands, the clinics are likely to be situated in retail settings like strip malls.