Health Care at the Mall

According to a press release today by PDQ Care (Patients Deserve Quality Care), the first-ever retail health clinic/pharmacy duo to operate in a shopping mall opened its doors at The Mall at Wellington Green in Wellington, Florida.

This is another logical step in the evolutionary path of the retail health industry. Locations with high traffic are going to be successful because they provide health care where patients already are. Retail health clinics already exist in grocery stores, drug stores, airports, and big-box retail stores.

The PDQ Care clinics will operate just as other retail health clinics do, with one interesting and crucial twist: if there is a wait, patients will receive a beeper that will go off when the NP is free (like in a restaurant). Patients will be able to continue their shopping until -- voila! -- the beeper goes off. If you ask me, that sure beats staring at the walls of the primary care office waiting room for an hour!