subject: Walk In Clinics Redefining The Healthcare In Nyc [print this page] It is Friday night, the time is 7PM, and you feel as if your head is going to blast. You are feverish, nauseous and achy, and you know that your physician cannot see you until 10AM of Monday morning. It is not a health malady, which needs to be treated in a hospital's emergency room, but you badly need some treatment to help you through the weekend...what choice do you have? You can visit a Walk in clinic or retail/minutes clinic.
When the NYC, California Healthcare Foundation issued medical care in the Express lane: the Emergence of Minutes Clinics in June 2006, the report showed numerous issues, which had been brought to the fore of this novel model of primary health care. Perhaps, the most eminent was the gulf between people's desire to visit retail health care centres and their need to avail care outside typical physicians' office and alternatives available to meet this particular need. This raised the question of what is the role of retail clinics.
This articles attempt to answer a few prominent questions on walk in health care centres in NYC for instance, what they are? What services do they provide and to which patients?
Retail clinics were first established in early 1980s. This industry doomed, and then expanded in mid-1990s. Since then, this sector has grown swiftly, to 20,000 clinics today. By a study, around 2-new retail clinics open in the US every week.
Walk in clinics NYC focuses on acute episodic care with a considerable emphasis on customer service. The scope of services provided usually falls between that of primary health care physician and an emergency department. A retail clinic offers innumerable services as compared to typical primary medical care clinic, for instance,
On-site radiology
Point of care diagnostic testing
Ability to provide intravenous fluids or repair lacerations services for which most primary care physician would refer a patient to the hospital ER
Occupational health is the major part of the services provided by many retail heath care clinics
Reasons why the concept of Walk in clinic is becoming a hit among New Yorkers
No appointments required
Most insurances accepted
Experienced doctor always on site
Self-pay option
Average wait time is 15-20 minutes
Open for extended hours
A high focus on customer service is a hallmark of the retail healthcare industry. With the promise of shorter wait times, walk in clinic NYC can provide an excellent alternative for patients, who do not wish to wait for a prior appointment with their primary care doctor. Therefore, when you need compassionate, quality care.
