More Americans find insurance pays for visits to retail clinics

However, many consumers are still skeptical about whether those clinics can offer quality care.

By Pamela Lewis Dolan, AMNews staff. June 16, 2008.

A recent poll finds that the proportion of Americans using retail-based clinics hasn't changed appreciably, but the percentage of patients using insurance to pay for those visits has. The poll also showed that while most visitors to retail clinics were satisfied with their experience, a large -- but declining -- majority of respondents still have qualms about the quality of care they might receive.

The Harris Interactive poll of 4,937 Americans found that 7% were treated at a retail clinic -- the same proportion as in 2005. About 90% of those treated said they were very or somewhat satisfied with the service while 94% said they were satisfied with the convenience, up from 83% in 2007.

The Harris study, conducted for The Wall Street Journal's Online Health Industry Edition, found that the percentage of retail clinic visitors who said that all or part of the visit was covered by insurance rose from 42% in 2007 to 62% in 2008.

The study's authors say, and experts agree, this reflects the trend of more insurance plans covering services offered at retail clinics.

Mary Kate Scott, principal of the Marina del Rey, Calif., consulting firm Scott & Co., said it's probable that the ratio of uninsured to insured hasn't change, but that insured patients previously had paid cash during their visits.