February 15, 2007 Wal-Marts open walk-in clinics

Non-emergency medical help will be available at walk-in clinics opening
today inside eight Wal-Mart stores in Alabama.

The CheckUps clinics, staffed by nurse practitioners, are scheduled to open
at 9 a.m. today in two Wal-Mart stores in Huntsville and one each in
Trussville, Gardendale, Hartselle, Athens, Bay Minette and Mobile.

The nurse practitioners, who work with local physicians, diagnose common
ailments, provide routine pediatric care, blood screenings and
immunizations, and can write prescriptions, according to a company news
release.

A routine visit for a medical problem such as a cold or flu costs $65,
while routine child and adolescent health care ranges from $30 to $50,
according to the CheckUps Web site, which lists charges for its various
medical services.

This is a BIG step in the right direction. People with colds don’t
need doctors who spent four years in med school and then eight more in
internship and residency to write their prescriptions. And – with as
much of that routine-level care in physicians’ offices as is now
actually done by nurse practitioners anyhow – it will cost a lot less
when it’s done without the huge overhead typical in a physician’s
office (secretaries, receptionists, huge rent, huge utilities,
nurses).