Study finds high-quality, low-cost services at retail-based clinics

NEW YORK Worth repeating: “Researchers reviewed the experiences of 2,100 patients treated in clinics in Minnesota in 2005 and 2006 for middle ear infections, sore throats and urinary tract infections.”

Satisfaction ratings soared above 90% and the healthcare savings were as high as 40%. And every one of those three more popular conditions presenting at retail clinics have over-the-counter product solutions.

For those OTC manufacturers who are not entirely savvy to the value represented by retail clinicians, these are the kind of surveys that should really grab your attention. Couple these kinds of dollar savings with the fact that many consumers today are turning to the lower costs associated with nonprescription offerings and sprinkle in some analysis from the likes of Information Resources Inc.’s Thom Blischok, who suggests that some of the shopping behaviors recession-minded consumers are learning today may not be unlearned come the recovery, and you’ve got the recipe for a budget-friendly healthcare advocate who practices in the same retail setting as another respected healthcare advisor — the pharmacist.

What’s more: The nurse practitioners and physician assistants who practice in these settings are hungry for the clinical knowledge supporting the use of OTC medicines, homeopathic solutions and dietary supplements when a prescription remedy may not be the best solution.