Traffic at retail clinics within stores has more than doubled over the past five
years, growing faster than traffic at urgent care centers, at primary care
practices and at hospital emergency rooms, according to a report from health
care data firm Definitive Healthcare. About 1,800 such retail clinics are in
operation. Only 2% are in rural areas, representing an opportunity for further
expansion. In rural Michigan for example, Rite Aid is working with rural medical
provider Homeward to provide integrated pharmacy and clinical services in
small-format, rural stores.
CVS has 63% of the market for clinics within stores and owns half the clinics in
rural areas, according to the report. Kroger Health is the second-largest such
operator in the U.S. Its 220 retail clinics give it a 12% market share. Walgreens is
third with 8% of the market, and other players include Walmart and Dollar
General.
Most such clinics are in the Southeast and the Midwest, nearly half of them
concentrated in a few populous states, Definitive Healthcare found. Most
patients visit these clinics for immunizations, COVID vaccines and diabetes
treatments. Chronic illnesses like diabetes represent a growth opportunity for
clinics as they broaden their services, according to the report.