In-store health clinics' popularity grows in Pittsburgh market

In-store health clinics continue to expand in the Pittsburgh market, but research is raising concerns about their long-term viability. The Pittsburgh area is expected to have 24 retail clinics by the end of 2008, almost evenly divided between Take Care centers at Walgreens and MinuteClinics at CVS. But a HealthPartners study and another led by a UPMC internist acknowledged that several key issues were ripe for further research, including assessing the quality of care given the absence of a physician and whether the cost savings merely shift the burden onto primary care physicians who see fewer and sicker patients.