Visits To Retail Clinics By Commercially Insured BCBS Plan Members Doubled Over 5 Years

Visits to retail health clinics — a low-cost option for consumers seeking convenient care for simple, acute conditions — nearly doubled between 2011 and 2015 among commercially insured Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) members. The number increased from 12.2 visits per 1,000 members in 2011 to 24 per 1,000 members in 2015. Among individually insured BCBS members, the rate of retail clinic use increased by 48.8%, from 13.3 per 1,000 in 2011 to 19.8 per 1,000 in 2015.

“Retail clinics” are defined as a clinics staffed by nurse practitioners located in pharmacies . . .