The American Medical Associaton is wary of MinuteClinics because they do not provide continuity of care. One of our local physicians wrote an op-ed challenging their effects on the "efficiency" of primary care.
My biggest concern is that some people with apparently simple problems, even sore throats and bronchitis, actually have serious ailments. Will a nurse inside a "tiny kiosk" be able to identify them? The nurse may have a good protocol (although the contents of the protocols they use have not been made public), but I wonder how nurses in tiny kiosks can do adequate physical examinations, even for simple complaints. If they can't do a good chest examination, for example, they may miss the heart murmur that suggests a patient with a sore throat might merit antibiotics even with a negative rapid strep test, or they may miss the signs of pulmonary congestion that suggests a patient with "bronchitis" might have pneumonia or congestive heart failure.
But MinuteClinics also provide a telling example of how health care is now lead. This article provides a brief biography of MinuteClinics new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Michael Howe, who was, it says, "recruited for his leadership experience." Howe is the former CEO of Arby's Inc./Triarc Restaurant Group, and had previously had executive positions with KFC. These days, leadership in selling fast food is now considered equivalent to leadership in health care. Would you like fries with that rapid test for strep?
Post Title → MinuteClinics
