Thursday, June 05, 2008

Retail Health Clinics in the U.K.?

The demand for cheaper and more accessible healthcare in the U.S. has led to the proliferation of retail health clinics, which offer simple medical treatments for walk-in patients. Could a similar model work in the UK?

Retail health clinics have succeeded in capturing the US public's imagination because they are organized around principles valued by their customers. Retail health clinics:
  • Offer easy access to healthcare
  • Are backed by strong consumer brands, such as Wal-Mart and CVS Pharmacy
  • Offer value for money, created by the focus on specific treatments, low turnaround time and the use of non-doctor clinical staff
  • Are regarded positively by regulators

As a result, they have tapped into both revealed and latent demand and boast high customer satisfaction rates. In terms of a business model, the obvious comparison is with the hospitality industry. Just as motels forego room service and fancy decor to offer clean, comfortable and economical rooms for the night, so retail health clinics dispense with the complex and costly apparatus of full-service medicine to offer quick treatments for minor ailments.

Conclusion: PA Consulting, a global management consultancy, believes that so-called “retail health clinics” in the U.K. have the potential to provide a wider variety of care for patients, delivering more convenience and greater choice. (News report here)


4 Comments:

At 6/05/2008 7:52 AM, Blogger randian said...

Sounds great, but I suspect NHS would squash any attempt to start one.

 
At 6/05/2008 11:40 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why so randian?

I've read that the UK has intended to migrate from public to more private care for some time now; with the knowledge that it would take some time to transition.

So, I would expect this to be a welcome change but am interested in evidence otherwise.

 
At 6/05/2008 5:02 PM, Blogger Marko said...

I have a friend that tried to start a small internet cafe in London a few years back when he noticed that none of the bars served food late in London (for the late night hipster crowd after the clubs let out). It turns out the government won't let people serve even a sandwich late at night, just booze. Brilliant.

Good luck trying to open a health clinic there!!

 
At 6/05/2008 6:52 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good luck trying to open a health clinic there!!

How about this one? :)

 

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