Studies have shown that retail clinics have little effect on visits to nearby emergency rooms, according to an article on the Becker's Hospital Review website.
Although retail clinics are often seen as a means to reduce visits to the emergency department, clinics that opened near EDs had a minimal effect on the rates of low-acuity visits to them, according to the results of a study in Annals of Emergency Medicine.
Retail clinics may encourage an increase healthcare use rather than be a substitute for visiting the emergency room.
The number of retail clinics grew from 130 in 2006 to nearly 1,400 in 2012.
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