By Healthcare Facilities Today

When her primary care physician was not an option, blogger Kristin Lanning was faced with a choice between an affiliated urgent care center and an equally convenient retail clinic.

According to the article on the Health Forum website, the urgent care's electronic health record capabilities became the deciding factor.

"If retail clinics are truly going to be part of the care continuum, making sure my retail pharmacy clinic down the street can talk to my electronic health record, regardless of whether they affiliated or connected with my health system, will be important as more people seek medical attention," she wrote.

Hospitals and health systems now know they are in direct competition with retail pharmacy chains for walk-in patients, Lanning said, so health systems are focusing on their advantages. 

Read the blog.