ObamaCare’s flood of newly insured patients will lead to a sharp increase in retail health clinics across the country, according to a new analysis.
Global consulting firm Accenture predicted that the number of walk-in medical facilities located in retail stores will rise to nearly 3,000 by 2015. The clinics are expected to account for 10 percent of non-primary care outpatient visits within three years.
Growth in retail clinics has stalled in recent years, but will begin again as the facilities pick up slack for hospitals inundated with new patients, Accenture said.
Kaveh Safavi, managing director of Accenture’s North America health business, described the clinics as a “release valve” for strained providers.
Want to publish your own articles on DistilINFO Publications?
Send us an email, we will get in touch with you.
“Although primary care physicians and hospitals once regarded retail clinics as a business threat, in a post-reform landscape, they are viewed as critical to facilitating future growth,” Safavi said in a statement.
“Retail clinics will reduce capacity constraints by referring lower-acuity patients to clinics while ensuring hospitals have capacity for more complex cases.”
The Affordable Care Act’s biggest provisions take effect next year, and an influx of new patients could hit providers as early as the spring.
According to the report, new retail-based clinics will add capacity for 10.8 million patient visits per year by 2015. The trend is expected to drive about $800 million in savings, since clinics cost less than other medical venues.
Date: June 12, 2013