Greg Crisp

Woke up with a nasty head cold today. The Minute Clinic was a quick, no-hassle way to get the care I needed.

The last time I had a cold, I let it go for several days, expecting it to get better on its own. It didn’t. Because of the missed work, it affected two “lines”:

• My client’s time line
• My bottom line

This time, I decided I wasn’t going to waste any time. My doctor is usually pretty good about getting me in on the same day, but his office isn’t open on Sundays, and the last time I went to one of those “Doc-in-a-box” clinics, I had to wait over an hour in an uncomfortable chair, and picked up a secondary infection from the other sick-ies waiting with me.

Today, I decided to try out the latest innovation in medical business practice, and proceeded to the local CVS for a visit with the Minute Clinic.

What is the Minute Clinic? It’s a small medical facility co-located within a retail pharmacy. Generally manned by a Registered Nurse (RN) or Nurse Practitioner, they’re able to treat light-weight illness, administer flu shots, and other nominal medical care needed in [my guess] 80% of the cases that come to a typical doctor’s office.

I suspect the only thing that limits what can be done at these facilities is lack of equipment (I.e. no X-ray or lab on site.)

The operating costs are kept low, using automation in the registration process, and without a full MD on staff. Plus, it can drive new business to its “host” pharmacy, since it’s convenient to pick up your prescription on site.

The experience was wonderful.

They had a bright, touch-screen registration kiosk outside the door. My data was all pushed to the PC where the RN was able to enter my insurance, input all the diagnostic data, and select the recommended medication. There was no paper involved from start to finish, until the receipt was printed. The examination was as thorough as any of the recent exams I’ve had for a cold at my primary doctor, and since I’m not waiting in a room full of other sick folks before hand, it’s probably a lot safer.

I was checked out and on my way in about 15 minutes. Plus, since the clinic is located in a pharmacy, I was able to get my prescription filled on site. A nice business driver for CVS, since I don’t normally get my prescriptions filled there.

What were the downsides? Honestly, I can’t think of any. I got the same care I would have at the regular doctor’s office, it was more convenient and timely, and I didn’t have to wait amongst the heard. And it was a one-stop-shop for care and medication. The one thing that was less integrated than it could have been was that the RN had to pick up the phone and call the pharmacist in the back. Since they’re in the same store, shouldn’t she be able to just push it to the pharmacist’s PC or Blackberry?

I’m pleased to see this sort of innovation in the medical business. As a consultant, my time is valuable and precious, and I would prefer not to spend it waiting for basic medical care. I expect the Minute Clinic and other, similar services to become more common in the coming years.

Today’s post was originally planned to be about my recent switch from Blackberry to iPhone. Because of this cold, my head isn’t in it. I expect to be feeling much better in a couple of days, so look for “Three weeks with the iPhone” next Sunday.