Some retail clinics going "seasonal"

A sign of the trying economic times? Maybe so. A sign of weakness in the business model? Perhaps. Whatever the reason, the closing of 90 MinuteClinic locations for the spring season is sure to put a smile on the faces of family physicians who compete with retail clinics in their communities.

MinuteClinic, the largest U.S. retail clinic chain and at home in CVS stores, is placing 16 percent of its locations (90 of 550) on a seasonal schedule, which means they're closing until the next flu season. A CVS spokeswoman said they're closing the locations to align them with consumer demand, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Tom Charland, chief executive of Merchant Medicine, which consults with organizations developing retail clinics, has described the season fluctuations in demand as a "nagging problem" and the source of a "major structural weakness" in the industry.

Take Care Clinics, operated by Walgreens, plans to offer year-round services such as vaccinations and blood-pressure tests to stay busy during the off season. At this time, there are no plans to close any of the Take Care Clinic locations.

The move to seasonal operations are just the latest sign of trouble in the retail clinic industry, which as I noted in a post on Dec. 23, has seen much slower growth in the past year.

Posted at 12:19PM Mar 13, 2009 by Lynn Hofeldt  |  Comments[2]