Massachusetts’ first retail-style health clinic, MinuteClinic, opened yesterday targeting clientele in search of quicker and cheaper healthcare – basically greater convenience. MinuteClinic, a subsidiary of CVS Caremark Corp., promises to “brings a new style of health care… with patient rooms in a local pharmacy, offering same-day treatment for basic illnesses and vaccinations,”  reports  Milford Daily News. 

The clinic, which opened after months of policy debates, plans  ”to open 27 more clinics statewide before year’s end and 100 over all,” states Milford Daily News. Wallgreens has submitted similar applications to open its own retail-style clinics. 

It will be interesting to see what concrete ethical dilemmas the medical staff encounters.  “Several medical associations have been skeptical about the idea, saying it pulls patients away from their primary care physician, who coordinates their treatments. They have also raised questions about maintaining public health in a retail setting, disposal of medical waste and supervision of the nurse practitioners who staff the clinics,” summarized Milford Daily News.  

By Jennifer Miller, Bioethics International (c) 2008