July 28th, 2008

Health clinics at drugstores and supermarkets, where health professionals diagnose and treat minor illnesses and injuries and provide other routine medical care — often in 15-minutes or less, are gaining popularity across the US– including in Pennsylvania.

Reports the Bucks County Courier Times:

“More health insurance plans are covering the visits, but even if customers pay out-of-pocket, it’s often less than the typical co-pay for an ER visit.

Walk-in retail clinics started appearing in Pennsylvania last year, mainly in CVS and Walgreens drug stores.

In the last year, CVS has opened 16 MinuteClinics in the Philadelphia area alone, the most recent one in New Hope last month, spokesman Brent Burkhardt said. The eight Take Care health clinics in the state are located in Walgreens in the Pittsburgh area. ”

For an in-depth report, check out the full article.