Studies further underscore importance of convenient care industry

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — 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.



(THE NEWS: Study: Retail-based clinics a viable business for Walmart, other retailers, if managed correctly. For the full story, click here)



Kalorama’s study suggested that retail-based health clinics are a viable business for retailers given they are managed correctly. Pointing to the success of those clinics within pharmacies, such as MinuteClinic and Take Care Clinics, Kalorama indicated that such retailers as Walmart would benefit from tying the clinics into the store versus keeping them as independent entities outside of the main traffic zone.



The study comes as news swirls that Walmart is looking to form strategic partnerships to expand the service offering within its 140 clinics nationwide.



Meanwhile, a separate study emerged examining the benefits of on-site health clinics.



The study, conducted by the Government Finance Officers Association with a grant from Colonial Life, found that employer-based on-site health clinics not only help employees lead healthier lives given the convenient and affordable healthcare services they provide but also the return on investment is significant — $1.60 to $4 saved for every dollar invested. That is significant and clearly it’s a win-win situation for both the employer and the employee.



Given the rising healthcare costs and the ongoing physician shortage plaguing an already overloaded healthcare system, studies such as these are important as they shed additional light on the valuable role that retail-based and employer-based health clinics play in helping Americans lead healthier lives.