In-store health centers

Posts: 35 · Joined: 02 Mar 2005 Posts: 35

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One example of someone who might use one of these centers is a mother who picks up her child from school and finds out that the child has an earache. It's too late to make an appointment at their primary care physician that day, and it's not serious enough to visit an emergency room.

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"This is an extension of care. We are not to take the place of primary care providers,"

This is one step towards the nurse shortage solution. After reading this article I think we should give our support to what they are doing. These new in-store health centers could prove to be great for the long waits in emergency rooms. Check it out at

Six Osco stores in the Kansas City area will soon have more than a pharmacy and the usual drugstore offerings.

Albertsons is partnering with Take Care Health Systems to open in-store health centers, staffed by nurse practitioners, in six Greater Kansas City Osco stores by Nov. 1. This means that patients ages 24 months and over will have another option if they have a common family illness, need immunizations such as hepatitis B or tetanus, or would like to undergo certain diagnostic health screenings. Patients can visit the Take Care Health Centers without an appointment seven days a week.

"We're not an emergency room and we're not a primary care office," said Sandra Ryan, CPNP, national director of nurse practitioners for Take Care Health Systems, based in Conshohocken, Pa.

Take Care is looking to hire 20 to 30 family nurse practitioners with at least one year of experience in the Kansas City area. The company, she said, is built around nurse practitioner-centered patient care.

Founders Hal Rosenbluth, a travel industry expert on customer service, and Peter Miller, a former Johnson & Johnson consumer health care leader, did their homework, Ryan said, and realized that nurse practitioners provide high-quality, compassionate care and are loved by patients. But they are often underutilized in the health care community.
In the centers, nurse practitioners will be working alone while they are there. After patients check themselves in at a computerized kiosk, the nurse practitioner will call the patients back to one of two examination rooms.

But the nurse practitioners will have support from electronic medical records and information systems that will help to guide them through a diagnosis after they input symptoms. In addition, a network of physicians will be available in the Kansas City area for the nurse practitioners to consult with.

"Even though they are functioning independently in the centers, they have built-in support systems through the electronic medical records system and network of providers," Ryan said.
One example of someone who might use one of these centers is a mother who picks up her child from school and finds out that the child has an earache. It's too late to make an appointment at their primary care physician that day, and it's not serious enough to visit an emergency room.

"This is an extension of care. We are not to take the place of primary care providers," Ryan said. "...It will take the burden off emergency rooms having health care centers like this available."
Patients can get their prescriptions filled at Osco or they can take their prescriptions to a pharmacy of their choice. The prescriptions can be sent electronically as long as the pharmacy receiving the prescriptions has the electronic capabilities, she said.

Patients also will have paperwork they can take back to their primary care physician regarding their visit to the Take Care Health Center.
The Osco locations will be 5314 N.W. 64th St., Kansas City, Mo.; 11729 Roe Ave., Leawood, Kan.; 8101 State Ave., Kansas City, Kan.; 7501 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, Kan.; 3848 S. Noland Road, Independence, Mo.; and 3701 W. 95th St., Overland Park, Kan. The hours for the Take Care Health Centers will mirror the hours at the pharmacy.
"This is a wonderful environment for the nurse practitioners," Ryan said. "We feel this is going to be a real changing point in health care."
Besides Kansas City, Take Care Health Centers also are opening in 10 Rite Aid stores in Portland, Ore.

"The mission is to provide high-quality, easily accessible, affordable care," she said.

By: Heather Swan, Contributing
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15037193&BRD=1441&PAG=461&dept_id=155395&rfi=6