In-Store Health Clinics Grow as Does Satisfaction but Not Customers

April 18, 2007 – Health clinics, located in stores like neighborhood groceries and pharmacies, are growing rapidly in numbers and have been expected to be well-liked by senior citizens. The latest facts, however, show that despite the growth in locations, the percentage of people using these walk-in clinics has actually decreased. But, this survey shows that those who do are well satisfied with the experience.

The number of in-store health clinics operating within the walls of retail chains in the U.S. has grown over the past two years and the breadth of services they provide has expanded. One in 20 – more than 550,000 U.S. households – have visited these types of clinic. This is just 5% of households, which is down from 7% in 2005).

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	Senior Citizens May Soon Find Healthcare in their Pharmacy or Grocery Retail health clinics expected to mushroom across the country August 24, 2006 – It is estimated that retail clinics – medical clinics that treat common ailments at a lower cost, in a convenient location and without the long wait for service – will grow from about 150 today to as many as 10,000 in just a few years. Senior citizens will soon find them in their neighborhood pharmacy or grocery store, or beneath a neon sign on the corner. There has been a flood of news coverage on this mushrooming phenomenon, since CVS Pharmacy purchased the industry leader, MinuteClinic. Read more... Read more Features for Senior Citizens

In an era when many adults are concerned about the costs and quality of healthcare, large majorities of those who have used in-store clinics have been satisfied with their quality, cost and convenience.

Almost half of adults who use in-store health clinics have done so to receive a vaccination (44%), while one third (33%) received treatment for a common medical condition like an ear infection, cold, strep throat, skin rash or sinus infection. These clinics are being used by both insured and uninsured households. One in five households that have used an in-store clinic was uninsured at the time (22%). Four in 10 were reimbursed by a health insurer for some or all of the fees for these visits (42%).

There has not been significant growth in the use of these clinics – in terms of the percentage of households that have used them (7% in 2005 vs. 5% in 2007) – but people’s concerns about them have declined.

Compared to two years ago, adults are less concerned about the qualifications of the staff (71% in 2005 vs. 64% in 2007) or their ability to accurately diagnose serious medical problems (75% in 2005 vs. 68% in 2007).

Most adults who do use these clinics say they are very or somewhat satisfied with quality of care (90%), having qualified staff to provide care (85%), cost (80%) and convenience (83%).

These are some of the results of an online survey of 2,441 U.S. adults, ages 18 and older, conducted by Harris Interactive between March 20 and 22, 2007 for The Wall Street Journal Online’s Health Industry Edition (www.wsj.com/health).

In sum, these findings "bode well for the future of in-store clinics," according to Harris, suggesting that as their availability increases, more people will be willing to use their services.

TABLE 1

PERCEPTIONS OF RETAIL-BASED HEALTH CLINICS

"Major pharmacy and retail chains like CVS, Wal-Mart and Target, have opened health clinics in their stores. These clinics provide routine medical services like strep-throat tests, flu shots and sports physicals, without an appointment, for fees that range from $25 to $60 per visit. Based on what you know or have heard, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?"

Base: All adults

			Agree Strongly/ Somewhat (NET)	Agree Strongly	Agree Somewhat	Disagree Strongly/ Somewhat (NET)	Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Not Sure
Onsite health clinics at retail stores provide busy people with a fast and easy way to get basic medical services.	2005	%	78	29	48	12	8	4	10
	2007	%	76	29	48	12	8	4	12
I would be worried about the qualifications of the staff that provides care in a health clinic not run by medical doctors.	2005	%	71	35	36	21	16	5	8
	2007	%	64	26	37	26	20	6	10
Onsite health clinics at retail stores can provide low-cost basic services to people who otherwise might not be able to afford care.	2005	%	75	33	41	13	10	4	12
	2007	%	76	33	43	11	8	3	13
Onsite health clinics are just another way for big companies to make more money.	2005	%	66	29	38	24	18	6	10
	2007	%	59	21	38	27	21	6	14
Onsite health clinics at retail stores can provide basic medical services to people at times when doctors’ offices are closed, like evenings and weekends.	2005	%	83	38	45	8	5	3	9
	2007	%	80	36	44	7	5	2	13
I would be worried that serious medical problems might not be accurately diagnosed by someone working in an onsite health clinic in a retail store or pharmacy.	2005	%	75	35	40	16	13	4	9
	2007	%	68	30	38	22	18	4	10

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.

TABLE 2

EXPERIENCE WITH RETAIL-BASED HEALTH CLINICS

"Have you or has someone in your immediate family ever used an onsite health clinic in a pharmacy or retail chain like CVS, Wal-Mart or Target?"

Base: All adults

	2005	2007
	%	%
Yes, have used an onsite health clinic	7	5
No, have not used an onsite health clinic	93	95

TABLE 3

SATISFACTION WITH RETAIL-BASED HEALTH CLINICS

"Overall, how satisfied were you with your or your family member’s experience using an onsite health clinic in a pharmacy or retail chain on the following items?"

Base: Used an onsite health clinic (n=112)

			Very/ Somewhat Satisfied (NET)	Very Satisfied	Somewhat Satisfied	Not At All /Not Very Satisfied (NET)	Not Very Satisfied	Not At All Satisfied	Not Sure
Quality of care	2005	%	89	46	44	6	5	1	4
Quality of care	2007	%	90	52	38	3	1	1	7
Cost	2005	%	80	42	37	12	12	*	8
Cost	2007	%	80	52	28	8	4	4	12
Convenience	2005	%	92	61	31	2	2	-	6
Convenience	2007	%	83	63	21	4	2	1	13
Having qualified staff to provide care	2005	%	88	50	38	7	7	*	5
Having qualified staff to provide care	2007	%	85	53	32	4	3	2	11

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.

TABLE 4

REASONS FOR VISITING AN IN STORE CLINIC

"Thinking about the last time that you or an immediate family member visited an onsite health clinic in a pharmacy or retain chain like CVS, Wal-Mart or Target, what type(s) of medical services did you receive?"

Base: Used an onsite health clinic (n=112)

	All Adults
	%
Vaccinations	44
Treatment for a common medical condition like an ear infection, cold, strep throat, skin rash or sinus infection	33
Preventive screening tests for conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or allergies	19
Physical exam for sports, school, camp, etc.	5
Received a referral to my family physician or the emergency room	5
Something else	26

TABLE 5

INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR VISITS

"Did your health insurance cover some or all of the costs for the medical services you received?"

Base: Used an onsite health clinic (n=112)

	All Adults
	%
Yes, my health insurance covered some or all of the costs	42
No, my health insurance did not cover any of the costs	36
Did not have health insurance at that time	22

Downloadable PDFs of Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Polls are posted at http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/newsletters_wsj.asp.

Methodology

Harris Interactive^® conducted this online survey within the United States between March 20 and 22, 2007 among a national cross section of 2,441 adults, ages 18 years and over. Figures for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income and region were weighted where necessary to align with population proportions. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All surveys are subject to several sources of error. These include: sampling error (because only a sample of a population is interviewed); measurement error due to question wording and/or question order, deliberately or unintentionally inaccurate responses, nonresponse (including refusals), interviewer effects (when live interviewers are used) and weighting.

With one exception (sampling error) the magnitude of the errors that result cannot be estimated. There is, therefore, no way to calculate a finite "margin of error" for any survey and the use of these words should be avoided.

With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With pure probability samples of 2,441, one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the results would have a sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points. Sampling error for data based on sub-samples would be higher and may vary. However, that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

About The Wall Street Journal Online

The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com, published by Dow Jones & Company (NYSE: DJ), is the largest paid subscription news site on the Web. Launched in 1996, the Online Journal continues to attract quality subscribers that are at the top of their industries, with 811,000 subscribers world-wide as of Q4, 2006.

About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is the 12th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides innovative research, insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world’s largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiaries Novatris in France and MediaTransfer AG in Germany, and through a global network of independent market research firms. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at www.harrisinteractive.com.

To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be invited to participate in online surveys, register at www.harrispollonline.com.

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