For Your Health: Really Quick Care

More than 100 walk-in clinics--including Take Care, MinuteClinic, RediClinic and MedXpress--are now operating across the country in major retail stores like Wal-Mart, CVS and Rite Aid. Several hundred more are slated to open within the next few years. With average waits of 15 minutes and prices at about $50 (or an insurance copay), they can be a convenient and affordable alternative for basic health services. Typically overseen by a nurse practitioner, who can write prescriptions, in-store clinics offer services to patients (usually 18 months old and up) ranging from vaccinations to diagnostic screenings to treatment of minor problems such as strep throat and sprained ankles. But be sure to get a copy of your visit record and have another sent to your primary-care physician. And first check that the clinic is sanitary (with private exam rooms and a clean bathroom). Go to the ER instead if you have a broken bone, chest pains or a cut requiring stitches. Although walk-in clinics meet a need for patients "with minor problems," says Dr. Rebecca Patchin, an American Medical Association board member, for chronic ailments or anything more serious, it's still best to see a doctor.

© 2006