The Disappearing Doctor: How Mega-Mergers Are Changing the Business of Medical Care

People are increasingly going to retail clinics and urgent care centers in strip malls or shopping centers, where simple health needs can usually be met by professionals at far less expense than in a doctor's office, reports the New York Times . Meanwhile, office visits to primary care doctors fell 18 percent from 2012 to 2016, even as visits to specialists rose, according to analysis of insurance data by the Health Care Cost Institute. New mergers between insurers and major corporations also are straining small practices and threatening them with extinction. "With all of these deals, there is so much we don't know," says American Academy of Family Physicians President Dr. Michael Munger. "Are Aetna beneficiaries going to be mandated to go to a CVS MinuteClinic?" Physicians such as Pennsylvania pediatrician Dr. Susan Kressly are worried about losing customers to retail clinics or urgent care centers, while even more concerning is the risk of such customers receiving inappropriate treatment at those outlets. Dr. Mark J. Werner with the Chartis Group warns the convenience of care at such clinics is not equal to quality, nor is less expensive care. Opponents of retail clinics say customers are given short shrift by health professionals unfamiliar with their history, and may receive unnecessary prescriptions. However, researchers argue neither has been proved in studies.