Practice picks a spot where the patients are

A primary care practice gains visibility from its location: inside a Pick'n Save grocery store.

By Mike Norbut, AMNews staff. May 10, 2004.

While the typical grocery list includes items like milk, butter and eggs, some shoppers at a Milwaukee store also get physical examinations, throat cultures and blood draws.

In yet another example of physicians going to where the patients are, one primary care group practices out of a Pick'n Save store, mere steps from the deli counter and bread aisle.

From a traditional perspective, it's an odd fit. But the clinic, run cooperatively by Aurora Health Care, a nonprofit network of physicians, hospitals and pharmacies in eastern Wisconsin; and the University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, also can be viewed as a tool for reaching out to those in an underserved community who need primary care.

"The office is right across from the pharmacy, so it's not unheard of for a [clinician] to walk across with a patient to pick up medication," said Nick Turkal, MD, a family physician, senior clinical vice president and chief medical officer for Aurora Health Care. "And going a step further, with some diabetic patients, they'll take them out into the store and help them shop better."

The location gives the practice tremendous visibility, especially compared with a typical medical office building. Outside the office, the clinic uses bulletin boards and running videos to highlight certain health topics for current and potentially new patients. While some patients may have viewed the clinic with a skeptical eye when it initially opened several years ago, the schedule is always full now, said Janice Litza, MD, a family physician, medical director of the clinic and an assistant professor with the University of Wisconsin.