Do Retail Health Clinics Offer Quality Care?

Imagine driving home from a long day of work.  Dinner needs to be prepared, the kids' homework needs to be completed, and one of the kids might have symptoms of the flu.  To save time, one stop needs to be made to get everything on the to do list accomplished.  Visiting a retail clinic might be the best option in situations similar to this.  Retail health care clinics have become quite popular over the last few years.  Retail clinics can be defined as health care facilities that are located in retail settings for the convenience of the patient or consumer.  Walmart, Target, and CVS all have retail health care clinics.  Usually these types of health facilities offer care for general ailments, such as the common cold or pink eye.  Although these types of health care settings can prove highly convenient for multitasking moms, on the go business professionals, and individuals who do not have a primary care physician, the quality of retail clinics in comparison to other health care organizations is often questioned.

A recent study was performed by Dr. Ateev Mehrotra.  He analyzed the quality of retail health clinics in relation to other types of health facilities.  His statistical data showed that a majority of retail clinics indeed offer a high standard of quality care to patients.  Mehrotra stated that in his study he found that patients enjoyed the convenience of the clinics and the decrease in costs.  Mehrotra stated that paying for health services at a retail clinic is forty percent less expensive than visiting a primary care physician's office, and eighty percent less expensive than visiting the emergency room.  Many of the patients that Mehrotra interviewed stated that they were content with the quality care of the retail clinics they visited.  However, in spite of Mehrotra's study, some doctors question the aptitude of these facilities, and worry that patients will be misdiagnosed and provided with subpar information in regards to their illness.  These physicians feel as though too many Americans are attempting to replace primary care physician's offices with retail clinics, which is not the role of retail clinics.  Some are concerned that as a result, they will lose business.


The growth of these clinics is quite impressive.  It is important for retail clinics to strive for excellence, especially because of the increasing number of skeptical primary care physicians.  Despite the small size of many retail clinics, they should provide an aesthetic appeal, inviting aroma, friendly staff members, and a very clean and organized appearance.  Patients should feel welcomed and confident in the capable hands of the staff.  Properly training the staff, only hiring the most qualified medical personnel, and requiring employees to adhere to strict guidelines, will ensure that the retail clinics continue providing quality care, and will leave very little room for doubt in the staff's competency.  Retail clinics are in the future of healthcare.  In order to demand respect from other health agencies, they must put forth optimum work and continue to issue quality service.  




Reference: 

West, P. (2009, August 31). Retail medical clinics offer quality care: Study. Retrieved from http://health.usnews.com/health-news/managing-your-healthcare/healthcare/articles/2009/08/31/retail-medical-clinics-offer-quality-care-study

    

Patient’s Perspective

In any type of business environment, the patient's perspective is vital to the survival of the organization.  This is specifically even more true in health care organizations.  Medical facilities generally have a strategic marketing plan.  However, word of mouth is usually just as effective in attracting high numbers of patients, if not more.  One family may share their account of the experience with another family, and that will either positively or negatively affect whether or not they choose to visit the health facility.  Failing to listen to a patient's account of an adverse incident, is basically ensuring that your organization receives negative feedback.

Different people can take offense to different situations.  If a patient complains about one of the attending health professionals, it is imperative to console the patient and correct any problems they are experiencing immediately, even if the medical professional did not intentionally inflict any kind of physical or emotional harm.  If something was interpreted wrong, and the proper actions were never taken to address the issue, then the medical facility becomes at risk for negative publicity, and even worse malpractice suits.  For example, imagine for a moment that an elderly woman is a patient in the hospital due to her extremely high blood pressure.  If a medical attendee makes a mistake while helping the older woman, and she decides to complain, then it is imperative for the hospital to acknowledge her claims, because if she is ignored, she will more than likely either sue as mentioned before, talk to a higher authority within the hospital, or ensure that none of her friends and family return to the establishment.  

Learning how to properly communicate with patients to effectively decipher whether an adverse event has actually occurred, is extremely important and should be included in employee training.  If a patient complains, they could have a completely valid argument or they could have taken something a medical employee did or said in the wrong way.  Whether or not either of these is the case, nothing a patient says should be taken lightly or ignored.  The employees must listen to the patient's allegations, and work towards calming them down if they are over-heated and upset.  The job of any health facility is to provide optimum medical services.  If the patient does not feel that they received that level of care, then they have every right to complain.  However, for minimal issues, sometimes a kind word will cause an overheated patient to relax and drop their argument or qualm.  Recognizing and dealing with these problems is the key to running a sucessful health facility.  

Actions Taken By Hospitals to Improve Quality and Lower Costs

On June 2 of this year, the New York Times reported that many hospitals are successfully improving their overall quality, and surprisingly still managing to reduce their costs.  The article gives examples of several health care facilities who are learning how to master their short comings by finding efficient solutions.  For instance, at the Virginia Mason Medical Center, a facility previously recognized for its costly services, has  reduced the usage of allergy related CT scans by 27 percent and headache related MRI scans by 23 percent.  This was simply because of a newly enacted regulation within the hospital which required all providers to enter appropriate explanations for requesting scans for each patient in the computer.  It obviously forced providers to think twice before issuing a costly test without sufficient reasoning.   The Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center now heavily relies on computer technology to regulate their bed capacity, which is working to reduce current costs.  There are many other hospitals who are working together to find ways to improve their medical facilities individually, and our health care system as a whole.  The article also mentions that health insurers are beginning to shift their focus to quality by basing the funds allocated to health providers on quality of service instead of the number of patients the health professional can see in a specified amount of time.

This article was certainly a glimpse of hope in this seemingly never ending dilemma of finding both quality and low costs.  There is no question that Americans need better access to health services.  It is baffling to think that numerous U.S. citizens are fearful of their future because of our health care system's lack of stability.  Although these different health institutions have proven that it is possible to improve on all levels, this progress did not come without hard work and dedication.  Other health care facilities need to follow suit and  implement regulations that ensure accountability.  All health professionals must be properly informed that careless mistakes, ordering unnecessary tests in excess, and failing to provide the utmost in quality to each patient, simply will not be tolerated.  The consistent reinforcement of these policies will undoubtedly help to sustain positive results.  Requiring health professionals to take their time and think before they make decisions is critical in the health care field.

We certainly have a long road ahead of us.  However, if more hospitals will take a few days each month to brainstorm, provide quality care workshops for employees, and cut out unnecessary spending, we will begin to see continuing progress.  Learning how to effectively communicate with health professionals and patients is vital and will only lead to a more positive outcome and hopeful future.

Reference:

Treating you better for less. New York Times . Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/opinion/sunday/treating-you-better-for-less.html

What Does Quality Mean To Me?

Imagine walking into a health care facility and being instantly greeted with a pleasant yet subtle, vanilla aroma.  The office is immaculate.  The front desks and patient chairs in the waiting area are regularly wiped down with disinfectant cloths, and even the trashcans are kept tidy and out of plain sight.  The office staff is friendly, available for assistance with paperwork, and makes an effort to ensure comfort to each patient in the waiting room.  The clinical staff is as equally effervescent.  The physicians actually listen to inquiries from patients and make an effort to communicate with each individual and their families.  Unfortunately, many Americans would find this description of a quality ridden health clinic polar opposite from their own personal, less than perfect experiences.

Providing high quality care and service should never be an option, especially for a health care facility.  As a former Marketing Director for an urgent care, I have seen how quality and the lack thereof can make a substantial difference in the number of recurring patients to any given facility.  In my own personal experience, I have found that patients need to feel secure.  Cleanliness, a friendly staff, and a substantial amount of time spent with the physician, provide patients with that necessary security. 

As a preventative health enthusiast, I am always trying to remain my healthiest to avoid visiting the doctor for anything other than a regular check-up.  Visiting my primary care physician is a necessary action to ensure healthiness, but my number one concern is becoming contaminated with someone else’s germs while I’m in the waiting area with other patients, or through shared medical equipment.  Everyone gets sick, but we all go to the doctor for different reasons at different times. This is why it is vital for health clinics to have an organized and deliberate office layout to ensure efficient wait times and to prevent cross-contamination.  Cross-contamination happens recurrently.  Last year, the New York Times reported that nine patients in Alabama lost their lives because of an intravenous supplement that had been infected with deadly bacterium.  My own desire for sterile conditions significantly helps me target these problems to ensure success in avoiding them in the future.   Many of the aforementioned steps to quality were required at my former jobs, and will most certainly be performed at my facility when my dreams come into fruition and I become the owner of my own wellness center.  

   

Obtaining high quality in any business operation requires diligence, especially in medical facilities.  However, with dedication and teamwork, it is very possible to achieve.  Patients want complete peace of mind that they are in capable hands.  They require a certain standard of quality.   If a health clinic is willing to provide that standard, then they will begin to see the fruits of their labor when more patients increasingly return with their family and friends.  

Sack, K., & Williams, T. Deaths of 9 alabama patients tied to intravenous supplement. New York 
         
         Times.Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/31/us/31intravenous.html