AAP against retail-based clinics for children primary care

[pstokely]

http://www.kshb.com/news/health/aap-against-retail-based-clinics-for-children-primary-care

"KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Many parents who are pressed for time and money look for convenient ways to get medical care for their children. But doctors say convenience may not be the best option.

Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a report updating their current polices which strongly oppose retail-based clinics.

According to the Convenient Care Association, the trade group that oversees retail-based clinics such as MinuteClinic and Healthcare Clinic, there are currently more than 1,600 retail-based convenient care clinics in 39 states and the District of Columbia that have served more than 20 million consumers to date-- including the pediatric population. It said the clinics offer a quick, affordable alternative for patients with pressing, non-emergency medical needs.

In the report by the AAP, it emphasized retail-based clinics are an inappropriate source of primary care for children because they do not provide children with high-quality, regular and preventive health care"

[Nuclear Unicorn]

1. Most monopolies hate competition.

[meadowlark5]

2. Having kids, I love having those kind of clinics available

For instance, my boys need a sports physical for school. They're in good health but just need to be ok'd by a medical person to play. I would have had to set up an appt with their doctor at least a week in advance, if not more and then spend probably a 1/2 an hour with each boy with most likely the physician's assistant and not the doctor anyway. We go to these little store clinics, see a nurse practitioner and we're on our way.

For anything more difficult, I don't hesitate going to their doctor. But for simple things like ear infections, these places are convenient and not to mention open all day - not closed 2 hours for lunch like my regular doctor's office is

[WorseBeforeBetter]

3. I live in an area where many doctors/dentists don't have Friday hours.

It's really inconvenient. Hell, if my kid had pink eye or something simple, I'd take him or her to one of these clinics. I'd try to establish a relationship at just one in particular, though, like the shiny new Walgreen's down the street.

[meadowlark5]

4. I ended up going to urgent care

for my son's ear infection. We were doctoring it here at home and I was watching and waiting when it just blew up. He started getting so much pain. Of course it happened after 11:30 am when the peds office closes for 2hrs for lunch. No one answers the phone, you have to go through the answering service and have them page the doctor like an emergency on-call service So we ended up having to go to urgent care. If these little clinics were around then, I could have taken him there saving myself the higher deductible of urgent care and saving the insurance company the higher charge of urgent care.

[uponit7771]

5. +1

[wocaonimabi]

6. If the AAP is so concerned about the Chillin then they should have the AMA stop limiting

the number of Doctors in America.

What is the AAP doing to sovle the problem of having doctors providing high-quality, regular and preventive health care to the chillin?