Massachusetts Physicians Call for Stricter Rules on Retail Health Clinics
Massachusetts physicians at a state Department of Public Health hearing on Wednesday said the state should impose stricter regulations on retail health clinics to protect patient safety, the Boston Globe reports. The department developed rules for retail clinics after CVS asked for permission to open 30 MinuteClinics in the state. Under the proposed rules, clinics would be required to limit the number of repeat visits, refer patients to primary care physicians for complex illnesses, and provide patients and their doctors with a copy of records from the visit.
At Wednesday's hearing, Bruce Auerbach, president-elect of the Massachusetts Medical Society, said the regulations were "an open surrender of basic standards," noting that the rules do not require clinics to have their own sinks, which could pose a public health threat at a time when hospitals are working to reduce the transmission of germs.
Paul Dreyer, director of the public health department's Bureau of Quality Assurance and Control, said the basic services retail clinics would provide do not require the same level of sanitation as hospitals or doctors' offices. However, he added that the department will consider whether to require clinics to answer phone calls after hours and whether to establish a minimum age for patients, as recommended by state pediatricians.
Physicians at the hearing also expressed concern that the clinics would create a conflict of interest when staff prescribe drugs sold by their own employer, the Globe reports.
MinuteClinic CEO Michael Howe said the regulations will allow clinics to provide affordable, convenient services as demand for primary care grows because of the state's new health insurance law. Howe also said the clinics, if approved, will charge $59 per visit, and negotiations are ongoing with state insurance providers to cover services received at the clinics (Mello, Boston Globe, 9/6).