Large Retailers Administering Primary Care

[milee]

The article in the OP talks about Walmart opening "Primary Care" clinics, not "Urgent Care" clinics. There is a difference and providers haven't done a great job of educating the public about the difference.

Primary care clinics would offer services more similar to what your primary care doc would provide, an urgent care clinic would see higher severity/more urgent issues.  It's not totally scientific and will vary a little by location, but here's an overview of what the different levels of care might be, from least to most severe:

Minute Clinic/Rapid Care/Doc in a Box - the type clinic you see in Walgreens and CVS; staffed by NPs.  Sees only a very limited menu of low risk services that need quick attention but are common and easy to identify and treat, including DX strep, ear infections, pink eye, flu.

Primary Care Clinic - what Walmart is proposing.  More analogous to the PA at your primary care, GP doc's office.  Staffed by PAs.  Sees the cases listed above plus a few more severe DXs.  However, this is not "urgent care" for treating acute injury.  Just like most primary care docs don't give stitches or treat broken bones, this is for primary care only.

Urgent Care Clinic - sees more acute cases.  May do simple stitches or simple broken bones.  Usually staffed by docs but sometimes by PAs with an emergency care specialty.  Shouldn't be used for severe issues like ruling out MI, major blood loss, possible stroke, etc.

ER - Most acute cases.  In big cities, ERs are even segregated by what level of trauma they can handle with certain ERs having more ability to treat the most severe injuries.

I think there's a need for and a place for all these different types of care.  But insurance companies and the providers need to do a better job educating the public about what types of services are provided at each type of location so that people understand where to go for the best care for their problem.

[Ava]

I would give them a try.
The most important part of this, to me, is the accessibility.
I work in an office 8:30 to 5 Monday to Friday and I do not like wasting my PTO sitting at a doctor's office, AT ALL.
I already have a dentist who works Saturdays and weeknights until 7PM.
If I can find primary care on a Saturday or after work, I'm their customer.