Walmart brought the cost of prescription drugs down when they came out with the $4 and $9 prescriptions. All the other drug stores had to match Walmart’s prices. Question is can they do the same for primary health care?
Most of the time a nurse practitioner is all one needs, but then for serious illnesses, I would prefer a doctor.
If you know SC, then you would know Sumter and Florence are heavily black. That’s a fact, not a racist statement.
Kroger’s has the “Little Clinic” with a NP, but it only takes care of small stuff, like infected insect bites, or a school physical, stuffy noses, small cuts, flu shots.
I’ve used them, a couple of times for infected insect bites, the visit and the cost of the script goes on your gas points. They even take Medicare and Tricare Life. Beats the Minor Med, that I by pass, If I’m at the point I need care beyond what the Little Clinic can handle it is ER time with a usual 3-4 day hospital stay.
I’ve tried using the Minor Meds, but usually they send me on to the ER. So now I just by pass them.
As long as they use doctors and a NP it would not be a bad deal.
Youngest son hurt his foot, went to a Minor Med, they did xrays. Then they sent him to a ortho, who could NOT open the CD to access the xrays, and had to do more. Double stress fractures. We used Campbell Clinic (Ortho) after hours clinic for that as it would take 2+ weeks for him to get a regular appointment. He has a return visit in 2 weeks, and sees a Ortho of the foot in a month. He has Athena and the co-pay was $75 per place because of the xrays.
I can see more specialist going this route. And yes PCP can go this route, for after hours and a Sat if they have more than 1 Internist on staff or a few NP’s. Rotate out the after hrs and Sat. So you don’t have burn out. There is always a need for after hours and weekend doctor visits because of life’s unexpected stuff, that your regular PCP could take care of that does not need a ER visit.
It will fill a niche as our hospitals are over run with ILLEGALS and welfare queens.
I have to solve the issue of how I’m going to pay for very costly hearing aids. I’ve priced them. Factored in the travel, and up keep, and the cheaper ones from places like Costco don’t fit the bill. We live in the boonies, it’s a 2 hr round trip drive. Medicare nor Tricare Life cover these necessities beyond the audio testing.