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Not Feeling Well?  Better Go to the Mall

1/10/2015

 
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For some people shopping is a form of therapy, which I do not recommend, but that’s not what this article is about.  Increasingly people are going to malls and other retail store locations when they are physically sick.

The evidence of this trend is the growth in retail health clinics, which have increased by 20 percent over the last five years and now total more than 9,400.  These clinics are located in malls, plazas, and other convenient places that people tend to frequent for typical shopping needs.

Big and small firms have capitalized on this trend, the largest being CVS, which operates more than 900 of its “Minute Clinics” in over 30 states.  The company anticipates having 1,500 clinics by 2017.

Apparently, these retail health clinics are good for CVS and the other players that are rapidly opening them, but is storefront healthcare a good thing for consumers?  Several issues threaten to infect the clinics, for instance: Can for-profit providers like CVS be trusted to provide good quality care, and can they avoid a conflict of interest when they also sell the pharmaceuticals that their healthcare practitioners prescribe?

Well, people generally don’t visit these retail clinics for treatment of serious health concerns; rather they typically receive care from nurse practitioners and physician assistants for more routine problems like sprained ankles and the flu.  As Bloomberg reports, “For customers, the clinics fill a gap. Patients who can’t get a last-minute appointment with their doctor or don’t have one can turn to urgent care instead of overcrowded hospital emergency rooms.”

People don’t have to go to these retail clinics, but the fact that so many are going to them suggests satisfaction with the quality of the service they are receiving.  Furthermore, the clinics seem to offer additional customer value in the form of greater convenience and lower costs than typical options, such as hospital emergency rooms.

But what about the potential conflict of interest?  Won’t patients who visit a CVS or Walgreens clinic be led to buy pharmaceuticals from those retailers?  First, the healthcare practitioners should be trusted to be true to their personal/professional ethics and do what’s in their patients’ best interest.  We afford similar trust to other professionals on whom we rely to advise us.

Second, just as people have the option to go or not go to these clinics, they also can choose where they’d like to have a prescription filled—it doesn’t have to be from the associated pharmacy.  Still, there is the very convenient option of buying one’s medications where one is seen, which is particularly valuable for those pressed for time or who would go to the same pharmacy anyway.

So, what’s the final diagnosis?  Retail clinics represent sound marketing that is also good for society’s collective health.  They’re another case of Mindful Marketing.


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Megan Booher
1/11/2015 02:47:07 pm

Last summer I had the unfortunate displeasure of running into a couple poison ivy plants. While playing disc golf with my boyfriend and some friends we lost a couple discs. After our fun round of golf Mat and I decided to go back into all the wooded areas that had captured our discs along the way. Without thinking we plunged into the plants digging and searching for our discs. What we did not know was that the poison ivy plant was among the green wooded area and that it had already coated us in its clear oils. Friday, the next day, Mat woke up swollen just about everywhere. His face was puffy like a fish and because I felt fine I found a lot of humor in the situation. Later that evening I started to feel itchy. I thought I was just paranoid after hearing about Mat’s condition, but less than an hour later I was just as puffy and crusty as Mat. I have had poison ivy plenty of times before and I knew if I could get to the doctor he would give me steroids to prevent the swelling and I would be on my merry way. Although by the time I was swollen the doctor had already closed for the weekend. I knew what I needed and I knew what the doctor would do and say when I got there, but it was not open. I could practically diagnose and prescribe myself! Poison ivy was simple and routine for me in the summer. There was nothing more frustrating than waiting till Monday morning to get the medication I needed. I think that retail health clinics are useful and will grow in popularity. My case was not sever enough to go to the emergency center, although I did want urgent treatment because poison ivy is not a comfortable situation to sit through the weekend with. Urgent treatment centers are able to provide customers with weekend relieve. Somebody on standby who can prescribe drugs and answer any questions about heath you may have while your doctor is enjoying his time off. These places are designed to be fast and easy with less paperwork and nurse practitioners who are waiting for you to walk in. While critics are concerned about the quality of healthcare provided at these centers I am not. They are build purely for convenience and situations that are not sever enough for an emergency room. Patients can always follow up with an appointment at their regular physicians during their hours. While Mat received steroids Friday morning he was able to have his laugh when I continued to stay swollen through the weekend. I even went to work and got a few giggles from shoppers at Old Navy who didn't know how to react to the puffy cashier. If there was a retail clinic in my mall I would have gone. I think this is a case of mindful marketing because retail health clinics are helping make basic healthcare a little quicker and more accessible.

Stephen Kaufmann
1/11/2015 03:20:59 pm

It sounds more like people are not purposefully seeking out the retail clinics in places like malls but rather see the clinics and are reminded about something that they should have done. Sometimes I'll be shopping in a mall and see a Walgreens with a sign for flu shots and simply be reminded that I haven't had mine yet. The placement of retail clinics is more for convenience sake for last-minute medication or a quick fix

Courtney Skinner
1/12/2015 02:43:27 am

I think this is a very good idea for malls and it upholds healthy standards for people. However I can see a problem that would arise with the number of people coming to the mall and visiting these clinics. I would be concerned about the level of sanitation in these clinics due to the variety of people that are passing through while shopping. Also, I personally would prefer to visit my regular doctor for any issues I would have just because they have immediate access to my health records. Although in Megan's above case, I can see great potential benefits in having these mall clinics in dire situations when a doctor's office is not available.

Molly Smith
1/12/2015 02:51:50 am

I have worked at CVS/Pharmacy for over four years, starting in high school. From my experience, Minute Clinic has mostly been marketed as an immediate option for diagnosis/vaccines. However, CVS most advertises the flu shot as a service of Minute Clinic. Because of the simplicity of giving a flu shot, CVS can offer this service efficiently and reliably, whereas it might be challenging to get an immediate appointment at a doctor's office just for a flu shot. Additionally, I have never experienced a conflict of interest with people feeling pressured to get their prescriptions from CVS because they went to our clinic. The situation, in fact, is usually the opposite. Regular customers who rely on CVS for their prescriptions use our Minute Clinic because they are familiar with our staff and have already achieved a certain level of trust with us. Customers don't usually walk into a CVS for the first time to use the Minute Clinic; they require a certain amount of trust for health care needs, so they will go where they have had positive experiences. Therefore, I agree with the fact that pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens who offer services like "Minute Clinic" are participating in mindful marketing.

Jessica Wilson
1/22/2015 05:23:33 pm

These retailer health clinics seem like an amazing idea. I remember back when I was younger, I was very active. I was into sports, dance and many other things. As a result of this, I was constantly breaking or fracturing some type of bone. One time it was my elbow, the next it was my finger and then even my small pinky toe. I remember having to go and wait for what seemed like forever at the hospital because I was unable to get a appointment with my own doctor. These minute clinics would have been the perfect thing to have around back then. It would have saved so much time and money. I also agree that we definitely need to put our trust in the professionals. I believe that they will truly do what is best for the patients. I also agree that it is mindful because as the blog said they are doing very well and I do not see any broken social values.

David Hagenbuch link
1/22/2015 11:27:02 pm

Jess, it sounds like you have a lot of experience (unfortunately) to back-up what it's like to wait on the normal hospital system. Thanks for sharing!

Callie Sterkenburg
1/27/2015 08:41:54 am

I agree that this would be considered mindful marketing. There is no reason to assume a pharmacy like CVS wouldn't be able to give quality service to patients. If they hire professionals who do their jobs right, the service will be fine. If customers continue to go to these places it must be working out. As for the conflict of interest for CVS selling their own pharmaceuticals to the patients, I agree that comes down to the ethics CVS maintains and the ethics the professionals maintain.

Abigail
1/27/2015 02:57:00 pm

I would say that this is mindful marketing. Although this is the case, I am not sure if I would go to one of these clinics in these malls or small shops. Even though the employees are trained professionals in their field, I would prefer to sit and wait to talk to the doctor. Although it may be convenient for some, I cannot get over the fact that physically sick individuals are walking through the same CVS to get treated when I am buying a snack for after school. It does not seem sanitary. Typically when someone in my family gets sick, we buy over the counter medicine and if it continues, we set up an appointment with the doctor. I may be old fashion, but I think going to the doctors is worth the wait.

Alejandra Arreola
10/29/2015 06:34:21 pm

I agree that the advertisement is mindful marketing because retail health clinics fill in the gap for those who have no physician or no time to go to the emergency room. For instance, CVS & Walgreens are retail health clinics that are useful, for their good quality in product and customer service is what makes them mindful. Overall, these retail health clinics aids many around the world.


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