However, there were certainly no-show jobs for Bob Brady... and possibly other members of his family. Hmmm.

Wait Dan, what's a good idea?

I mean, I am guessing.

Inquirer, March 12: Now: Fast, affordable health clinics (on the increase in small for-profit health clinics inside supermarkets and drug stores)

I think any increased access to the (nearly free) clinic system would certainly help--it's horrifying that there's such a waiting list for the existing clinics--but I do wonder about the feasibility in terms of funding. What's the deal with the idea that insured people are going to use these places and subsidize the uninsured? Do the insured people not have access to other services--why would they choose to visit somewhere staffed mostly without full doctors? How would you control the balance of types of clients?

Here's the part of the article detailing profitability in the private clinics.

AtlantiCare Health System is bringing its HealthRite clinics into central New Jersey ShopRite groceries. MinuteClinic Inc., which started the idea of retail health clinics in Minneapolis in 2000 and is now owned by drugstore chain CVS Corp., is in North Jersey and eyeing this market.

Rosenbluth, Take Care's cofounder, said it had delayed entering the Philadelphia market while one of its retail partners, Eckerd Corp. drugstores, was merging with Rite Aid Corp. "We're going to be coming to Philadelphia, and we're coming in a big way," he said.

Take Care has 42 clinics in Kansas City, Mo.; St. Louis; Pittsburgh; and Chicago, and it will soon open five in Milwaukee. It plans to have 200 open by the end of the year and eventually wants 2,500, Rosenbluth said.

While many patients pay cash, clinics may also accept insurance. Some employers, such as Black & Decker Corp., encourage workers to use the clinics.

Scott, the California consultant, said most of the clinics were not yet making a profit, because customers are slow to change. The Allentown clinic, for example, is seeing an average of just five patients in a 12-hour day.

It takes 24 to 36 months - and 17 to 23 patients a day - for a clinic to break even, Scott said. She said she thought they were most likely to work in big stores that draw 25,000 shoppers a week. Owners have been reducing clinic sizes - down from an average of 350 square feet to 220 - and increasing marketing, she said.

Interestingly, the company running the for-profit clinics plans to expand to Philadelphia. Would the city be using a private company to run the clinics, or doing it themselves?

Jennifer