American Medical Association Expresses Concerns About Retail Health Clinics

The increase in the number of retail health clinics available to consumers is raising some alarm in the physician community. The American Medical Association has expressed some concerns about the quality of care delivered by these low-cost clinics. They feel that the clinics may miss more serious medical conditions.

However, many people who visit these clinics do not have insurance coverage or a primary care physician they see regularly. If they did not visit the clinics, they might not seek health care at all until it is too late, or end up in an emergency room at much higher expense. Retail health clinics rose out of patient demand for immediate, low-cost medical attention – if the patients did not want and need them, they wouldn’t exist.

The American Medical Association does have legitimate concerns – it certainly would be ideal if people had close relationships with a primary care physician who met with them regularly and understood their needs well. However, proponents of retail health clinics believe that they are improving access to health care, which is admirable in an of itself.