Pediatrician group frowns upon retail health clinics

The American Academy of Pediatrics states that patients should not use retail health clinics at drugstores or outlets for children's pediatric needs, according to a report published in the journal Pediatrics on Monday.

Retail clinics provide the benefit of convenience and affordability; they are not a suitable option, in the AAP's eyes, for primary care because patients won't have a physician who is familiar with them.

"We want to do all we can to support the concept of 'medical home' for kids," said James Laughlin, lead author of the study, according to Fox News.

In recent years, retail health clinics in drugstores, supermarkets and big-box stores have gained popularity as a primary care alternative, and are competing with traditional doctors' offices. Instead of giving the usual flu shot and treating a common sore throat, some have expanded their services, providing sports and school physicals and treating chronic diseases as well.

These facilities are more appealing to patients because they are usually open seven days a week, don't require an appointment, accept more insurance types than doctors do and charge 30 to 40 percent less, a study says. Costs vary depending on insurance and services provided, but, for example, getting a common ailment treated at a retail clinic, without insurance, typically runs between $50 and $75.

The Convenient Care Association, the national trade group, said retail clinics are capitalizing on consumer demand.

"They are a more convenient option for parents with sick children than the alternative, which is often waiting for an appointment or spending hours in a high-cost emergency room for a minor pediatric complaint," Tine Hansen-Turton, the group's executive director, said in a statement.

And companies are responding to demand. The big name CVS Caremark Corp wants to double its MinuteClinic locations in CVS stores to 1,500 by 2017. Meanwhile, Walgreen Co. plans to add 100 more clinics this year, bringing its total to 500.