Soda with that?

Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007 | 10 p.m.

Frustrated by long waits in the doctor's office -- or the challenge of finding a primary physician at all -- patients are turning to what is becoming an increasing number of medical clinics that are opening in drugstores.

A story by The New York Times last week says 700 such clinics, typically staffed by nurse practitioners and physician's assistants, have popped up across the nation in pharmacy chains such as Wal-Mart, CVS and Walgreens.

Customers of these clinics told the Times that treatment for minor maladies, such as sniffles and sore throats, is faster and easier to obtain from walk-in pharmacy clinics than by making appointments with traditional medical clinics.

The visits typically are less expensive for people who have no health insurance. And for people who live in rural areas, miles from the nearest conventional clinic, these drugstore clinics have the potential for increasing access to immediate care.

Still, the practice is largely unregulated, and that has raised a few red flags with state regulators and medical professionals. Officials in New York, for example, are examining whether such clinics violate that state's laws regarding types of services pharmacies are licensed to offer. In other states, regulators question whether the clinics are designed to steer customers to the stores, where they will buy other items.

The American Medical Association has raised concerns about the standards of care at such facilities and questions whether patients may be placing themselves at risk by seeking assistance in a pharmacy clinic for conditions that may actually need the attention of a doctor or hospital.

All these are issues that should be carefully and seriously considered -- not only by regulators and medical professionals, but also by the patients who are choosing to use these clinics.