Will retail clinics be big winners under AHCA?

WASHINGTON — One segment of the industry that may see new business out of the passing of the American Health Care Act will be retail clinics. The bill is expected to remove anywhere from 15 million to 20 million Americans from healthcare insurance rolls, even following any Senate action and subsequent conference suggested Kalorama Information. And the big question will be, where will those patients go?



"While there are many questions that follow the recent House vote, one thing remains - Americans will continue to need accessible, affordable quality care," Tine Hansen-Turton, executive director, Convenient Care Association, told Drug Store News. "For nearly two decades, retail clinics have been filling the gaps in healthcare delivery and services for the approximate 40% to 60% of Americans without a primary care provider," she said. "As the next evolution of healthcare is upon us, the industry is perfectly positioned to continue these efforts."



The fact is, retail clinics already have seized a place in today's healthcare delivery paradigm as a convenience-oriented and value driven provider. Just consider where retail clinics were 10 years ago. In 2006, 90 retail clinics were in operation and only one in every 10 customers had reported visiting one, according to the PwC Health Research Institute. Today, there are more than 3,000 retail clinics in operation and one in every three customers have made their way to a clinic.



"No matter what decision is made [in Congress], people are still going to need primary care, and we are an [affordable] option for them," Hansen-Turton said. "Ultimately to get the kind of cost savings we want for this country ... it all starts with having an accessible, affordable and quality primary healthcare service. Retail clinics is one option of several that have been that."



However, some of the preventative and insurance provision measures in the AHCA are expected to boost office visits over retail clinics, such as new features like the creation of high-risk patient pools that wouldn’t be effectively served through retail clinics.  "So one could make a case for reduced patient visits to stores," Kalorama noted. "On the other hand, retail clinic visitors have (according to our surveys over the years) trended slightly higher educated, slightly higher employed and slightly higher income.  They are seeking to avoid waiting times rather than seeking discounted services."