By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Hospital Competition: Will Retail Medical Clinics Change From Foe to Friend?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Hospital Administration > Hospital Competition: Will Retail Medical Clinics Change From Foe to Friend?
BusinessHospital AdministrationPolicy & Law

Hospital Competition: Will Retail Medical Clinics Change From Foe to Friend?

Lonnie Hirsch
Lonnie Hirsch
Share
3 Min Read
retail medical clinic
SHARE

retail medical clinicWith 30 million prospective new patients just over the healthcare horizon, hospitals and other provider organizations are rethinking service channel opportunities. (And alliances, perhaps.)

retail medical clinicWith 30 million prospective new patients just over the healthcare horizon, hospitals and other provider organizations are rethinking service channel opportunities. (And alliances, perhaps.)

Retail medical clinics, as one example, appear to be trending from competitive “foe to friend” on many marketing plans. A recent business study by consulting firm Accenture indicates that the number of retail clinics will double in the next three years.

Previously, we’ve written about the influx and influence of clinics that are now fairly commonly seeing patients at Walmart, Target, CVS and other retail locations throughout the nation.

More Read

Hospital Capacity Management: Interview With GE Performance Solutions (transcript)
Providers: Shifting Landscape and Mindset
5 Underrecognized Technological Breakthroughs in Healthcare
Hospitals Are Unsafe – There Are Still Plenty of Preventable Medical Errors
Continuing the Campaign for Increased Quality Measurement

Walgreens has been redefining the competitive landscape with a plan for pharmacy-run Accountable Care Organizations (ACO). And as a result of healthcare reform, large groups of newly insured people are expected to put pressure on the capacity of hospital emergency departments.

“For stretched hospital operators,” Accenture predicts, “the answer may lie in an unexpected place, and one that, until recently, was considered a rival: retail health clinics. This valuable ‘release valve’ to the strained healthcare system could jumpstart a rapid growth in retail health clinics, which may lead to a doubling of their number nationally over the next three years.”

Until recently, growth in the number of health clinics had slowed to a crawl. Competition with hospitals and primary care providers (PCP) was strong, and clinics “found patient volumes were low for all but the narrowest range of services—particularly influenza vaccinations, which tend to be highly seasonal and earn relatively low reimbursements.” Clinics, hospitals and PCPs maintained a competitive perspective and formed few partnerships.

“Today, the landscape is fundamentally different,” according to Accenture, “as hospitals and PCPs now have the opposite problem: many are operating at close to full capacity, with little chance of meeting the coming surge in demand. Now, the very clinics once perceived as rivals may represent a key tool for managing patient volume while more conventional health providers focus on higher acuity and more complex treatments.”

Patient visits at retail clinics are projected to account for 10 percent of non-primary care outpatient visits by the end of 2015. Check out the Accenture report, Why Retail Clinic Counts Will Double in Three Years.  Does this change your competitive map for the coming months? Friend or Foe—is there a retail alliance in your hospital marketing game plan? For additional insight, click through to our article and podcast titled, Hospital Emergency Departments May Be Overrun by ACA Newly Insured.

 
TAGGED:ACOWalgreens
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

dental care
Importance of Good Dental Care for Health and Confidence
Dental health Specialties
October 2, 2025
AI in Healthcare
AI in Healthcare: Technology is Transforming the Global Landscape
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
October 1, 2025
Choosing the Right Swimwear for Health and Safety
News
September 30, 2025
sports concussions
Concussion In Sports: How Common They Are And What You Need To Know
Infographics
September 28, 2025

You Might also Like

Breast Cancer: A Young Woman’s Perspective

January 3, 2013

8 Ideas for Topics You Can Write About in Your Medical Blog

February 16, 2014
healthcare reform
BusinessFinanceHealth ReformHospital AdministrationPolicy & LawPublic Health

Trend Watch: Obamacare Challenging Community Hospitals

May 16, 2013

Determining Paths of Research

October 26, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?