Comparing Costs and Quality of Care at Retail Clinics With That of Other Medical Settings for 3 Common Illnesses

• DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-151-5-200909010-00006
• Publication Date: 2013-04-12T19:00:30Z
• Authors: Ateev Mehrotra; Hangsheng Liu; John L. Adams; Margaret C. Wang; Judith R. Lave; N. Marcus Thygeson; Leif I. Solberg; Elizabeth A. McGlynn
• Keywords: Health Care Quality

Background: Retail clinics are an increasingly popular source for medical care. Concerns have been raised about the effect of these on cost, quality, and delivery preventive Objective: To compare care received at retail 3 acute conditions with that other settings. Design: Claims data from 2005 2006 health plan were aggregated into episodes (units included initial follow-up visits, pharmaceuticals, ancillary tests). After 2100 (700 each) identified in which otitis media, pharyngitis, urinary tract infection (UTI) treated first clinics, matched illnesses physician offices, urgent centers, or emergency departments. Setting: Enrollees a large Minnesota plan. Patients: who UTI. Measurements: Costs per episode, performance 14 quality indicators, receipt 7 services appointment subsequent months. Results: Overall costs initiated substantially lower than those departments ($110 vs. $166, $156, $570, respectively; P < 0.001 each comparison). Prescription similar centers ($21, $21, $22), as aggregate scores (63.6%, 61.0%, 62.6%) patient's (14.5%, 14.2%, 13.7%) (P > 0.05 clinics). In departments, average prescription higher significantly Limitations: A limited number measures studied. Despite matching, patients different sites might differ their severity illness. Conclusion: provide less costly treatment offices common illnesses, no apparent adverse Primary Funding Source: California HealthCare Foundation.