The key to providing the best possible care for your child is to provide a medical home where there is a continuity of care.  It seems that you can hardly open a newspaper or turn on your radio without hearing about retail-based clinics (RBCs), also called convenient care clinics.  They are often found in supermarkets, pharmacies, and other retail locations.  They pride themselves on getting patients in, making a quick diagnosis, and getting patients out the door with medications in hand.  You should know that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has some concerns.

• The AAP has taken a strong stand against RBCs, stating that it “opposes retail-based clinics as an appropriate source of medical care for infants, children and adolescents and strongly discourages their use.” *
• The AAP supports a model of care called the medical home, which provides accessible, family-centered, comprehensive, continuous, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally effective care for which the pediatrician and family share responsibility.**
•  Retail-based clinics are staffed by nurse practitioners or physician assistants with no physician on site to help these providers.
•  No one reviews these clinics for compliance and quality issues the way that our office is reviewed.

There is no such thing as a “minor illness” when it comes to children.  We use these “minor illness” visits to identify other, potentially more serious issues.  We also use this time with you to stay current on the events in your family’s and your child’s life.

Getting routine care for your child should be done by your pediatrician who knows you and your family.

Our office is working to ensure that we meet your needs while also being the medical home.  We are open 7 days a week and can accommodate same-day “illness” appointments in most situations.  You can be sure you will get the highest quality care from us, in a way that works for you and your family.

REFERENCES

• *American Academy of Pediatrics, Retail-Based Clinic Policy Work Group.  AAP principles concerning retail-based clinics.  Pediatrics, 2006;118:2561-2562
• ** American Academy of Pediatrics, Medical Home Initiatives for Children With Special Needs Project Advisory Committee.  The medical home.  Pediatrics. 2002;110:184-186
  

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