Former HCFO Grantee Quoted in Harvard Health Blog on Retail Health Clinics

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In a piece on retail health clinics, Heidi Godman of the Harvard Health Blog outlines the pros and cons of the emergence of this recent trend in health care. She notes that retail clinics offer convenient, accessible care for many people. Former HCFO grantee Dr. Ateev Mehrotra of Harvard Medical School references his own work by saying, “We’ve found that the quality of care at retail clinics is equal to or superior to some doctor’s offices, because the clinics are more likely to follow national guidelines of care.” Godman emphasizes that retail clinics may not be suitable for everyone and should not replace a long-term relationship with a primary care physician. In his HCFO-funded study, Mehrotra examined the impact of retail health clinics on health care utilization and costs and found retail clinics may disrupt the use of primary care physicians and ultimately continuity of care.