Accenture: Boom ahead for retail health clinics

Jun 14 2013

According to the consulting firm Accenture, the number of retail clinics will likely double by the end of 2015 -- a trend fueled by the demand for care by consumers who will become insured under the health law. Meanwhile, the Fiscal Times examines why some physicians are choosing not to accept any health insurance.

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Accenture Predicts Growth Surge For Retail Health Clinics As Overhaul Adds Insured Patients
The number of retail health clinics that have been popping up in places like drugstores for years is expected to double by the end of 2015, according to the consulting firm Accenture. Accenture said in a report released Wednesday that a flood of newly insured patients from the national health care overhaul will help stoke demand for those clinics, which typically treat minor illnesses when a patient doesn't have a doctor or the physician isn't available (6/12).

Medpage Today: Boom Years Expected For Retail Clinics
The number of retail health clinics will double in the next 3 years, a prominent healthcare consulting firm said, citing a need for care for newly insured patients under the Affordable Care Act. Accenture projected the number of retail health clinics will grow at 25 percent to 30 percent annually in the coming years and roughly double in number, from 1,400 in 2012 to 2,800 in 2015 (Pittman, 6/12).

The Fiscal Times: Why Docs Are Bailing Out Of Health Insurance
...Ironically, the multiplication of mandates and other regulations in the ACA on both private insurers and government-run programs like Medicare and Medicaid have more doctors opting out of the third-party-payer system altogether (Morrissey, 6/13).

Also in the news -

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Govt. Cautions Health-Related Schools About Possibly Discriminatory Enrollment Decisions
The federal government has cautioned the nation's medical schools and other health-related schools that their enrollment decisions may be based on an incorrect understanding of the hepatitis B virus, resulting in discrimination. The government says updated recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dispel many myths associated with hepatitis B and provide guidance to health-related schools on managing students with the virus (6/12).