Expect Disruption from Retail Clinics: Report

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- By their very existence, retail clinics could threaten and/or complement at least six parts of the healthcare system, according to a new report from Kalorama Information.  Retail clinics are small one-person healthcare facilities located within a retail store.  The healthcare market research publisher said there are 2,200 of them in the United States.  And they noted that hospitals, doctor's offices, government and private insurance payors, vaccine companies, IVD companies and healthcare IT companies could all be affected by them.  The retail clinic concept is brought up in nearly every discussions of healthcare, in cost-cutting for governments or methods for better preventive care.  Kalorama has delivered its eighth report on the retail clinic market in ten years, Retail Clinics 2017: The Game-Changer in Healthcare. 

Kalorama says the major factor is that these clinics upend the normal healthcare delivery environment and the direction of flow of services.

"They deliver healthcare to customers where they are, where the rest of the healthcare system awaits patients," said Bruce Carlson, Publisher of Kalorama Information.  "Ten years ago, the retail clinic concept was novel. Now, it's rare to hear a discussion of healthcare trends that doesn't include these clinics.  Everyone is thinking about how they can align to the trend."

There are several ways Kalorama thinks disruption will happen, all of which are a focus of their report.

• They are a lower cost solution than the emergency room and can be used both to compete for insurance company business with high-cost ERs and also be used by healthcare organizations to reduce the traffic at the ER. 
• As 85% of retail clinic patients have a physician that they have seen regularly, they are a potential boon or threat to the doctor's office.  On one hand, they offer better hours on average and do provide treatment for routine services like colds and flus.  On the other hand, they do refer patients - even to the point of suggesting the patient obtain a primary care doctor - and don't provide all services. 
• They are already a source of focus in the in vitro diagnostics industry, as major IVDs develop testing units for both retail and urgent care clinics.
• They are building consumer awareness and reputation in each additional year of their existence, which is now more than 15 years, with favorable waiting times and hours.  As our report indicates, high satisfaction ratings are routinely earned. 
• They are in the forefront of electronic medical records and technology in healthcare, introducing EMR, billing innovation and virtual waiting room technology that physician offices are only slowly adopting to.

As an example of companies aligning to the trend, Kalorama notes that some hospitals are founding retail clinics to take pressure off ERs, or to gain patients.  Others are developing retail clinic-like policies of hours or appointments.  Still others are figuring out how they can gain referrals from the trend, or adjust the care they provide to patients to retail clinic customers, given they are a large part of the U.S. population and most do use healthcare services elsewhere, according to Kalorama Information.

Kalorama's complete report on the retail clinic market looks at the retail clinic market for service sales, but also IVD supplier and vaccine supplier markets to retail clinics.  The report can be found at: https://www.kaloramainformation.com/Retail-Clinics-Game-10780773/

About Kalorama Information

Kalorama Information, a division of MarketResearch.com, supplies the latest in independent medical market research in diagnostics, biotech, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and healthcare; as well as a full range of custom research services. Reports can be purchased through Kalorama's website and are also available on www.marketresearch.com and www.profound.com.

We routinely assist the media with healthcare topics. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and our blog on our company website.  

Please link any media or news references to our reports or data to http://www.kaloramainformation.com/.

Press Contact:
Bruce Carlson
212 807 2262     
[email protected]

SOURCE Kalorama Information

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https://www.kaloramainformation.com/

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