The Future of Healthcare: Pharmacy-Based Convenient Care Clinics

​At the beginning of September 2022, UnitedHealth Group and Walmart announced a new partnership within the convenient care clinic space. Many experts believe this represents a game-changer when it comes to the future of healthcare in America. Convenient care sites provide low-acuity care, including retail clinics and urgent care. Besides UnitedHealth Group and Walmart, other brands already invested in this new direction include CVS and Walgreens.

Although these companies have been making forays into the medical care industry for the past decade, the last two years have witnessed the biggest gains and disruptions. In the wake of these developments, primary care providers are facing increased pressures to provide patients with the right care in the proper setting. 

Keep reading to learn more about the future of healthcare and where convenient care clinics fit into the mix.

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Challenges Facing Primary Care

There are a handful of reasons that convenient care clinics have emerged as the greatest disruptors to primary care in recent years. These factors include a shortage of primary care physicians and difficulty accessing medical care promptly and conveniently. 

The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown further exacerbated these difficulties. In this challenging environment for primary care, convenient care clinics have made significant advances, sectioning out a piece of the $300 billion medical industry pie.

Convenient care clinics have also influenced how patients view healthcare and the delivery of primary care to various communities. Although primary care providers will continue to play a major role in healthcare moving forward, convenient care services are becoming increasingly vital to healthcare in the United States. This represents an opportunity for your pharmacy to get in on the action.

PHARMACY-BASED Convenient Care Clinics

Over the past ten years, urgent care clinics and retail clinics have expanded, providing first access for many patients. Although these facilities were initially envisioned to take some of the pressure off emergency rooms, their scope of care has shifted in recent years. Over the next five years, the urgent care industry will increase by nearly six percent annually. Moreover, 20 percent of urgent care clinics have plans to expand into primary care. 

Retail clinics like Walgreens, Walmart, and CVS have invested in population health management to better address the needs of those struggling with chronic diseases. And since the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been a shift among the population toward these facilities. 

Post-pandemic, 55 percent of patients now turn to retail health clinics for their medical needs. These consumers want convenience, and they place a premium on quick access to care. Moreover, it makes sense for them to turn to the medical professionals they trust most: their pharmacists.

Take Advantage of This Opportunity

​Dealing with disruption has become a part of doing business in the 21st century, no matter your industry. It’s important to remember that disruptions like this always come with new and better opportunities. 

In other words, if you can find convenient and affordable ways to fill the gaps left by your customers’ primary care providers, you can capitalize on convenient care clinic disruptions moving forward. 

When you recognize these opportunities and take effective action, your facility will benefit. An easy way to do this is by ramping up the care you offer to your customers. That’s where the NeuropaCalm Care Program comes into play. We provide the only effective, holistic care plan that addresses peripheral neuropathy, a painful and debilitating disease.

Peripheral Neuropathy and Your Facility

Peripheral neuropathy affects approximately 25 to 30 million diabetic patients in the United States annually. These are people that visit pharmacies or convenient care clinics daily. When this condition is left untreated, it leads to chronic pain and discomfort, loss of independence, and amputations. 

Until recently, a shortage of healthcare options existed for treating this condition. But NeuropaCalm has changed this, offering everything your patients need to improve their quality of life at an affordable price that ensures increased revenues for your facility. 

​Best of all, we’ve streamlined our NeuropaCalm Care Program to make it an effortless sale to those who need it. We have the resources and support you need to improve lives and your bottom line. Ready to find out more? Schedule a call today to explore the benefits of membership and how we can provide your pharmacy with the resources and support to ramp up your revenues.