There’s a growing trend happening in the United States which represents an important medical safety net for many people who can’t get the insurance or coverage they need. Pop-Up Health Clinics.
Considering all the innovative methods for improving access to care in various urban areas, the one that can provide the most bang for the buck is undoubtedly the pop-up health clinic.
Growing Need For Care
Over four years into the rollout of the Affordable Care Act’s major provisions, nearly 30 million Americans still lack health insurance. Millions live in areas that didn’t expand Medicaid to childless adults among the working poor, as the law allowed. Even for people helped by government programs like basic Medicaid, veterans care and disability, there are a lot of serious gaps, low income people struggle to afford co-payments, the gas to drive to a doctor and prescriptions.
Serving vulnerable populations and promoting high-quality care at a low cost
Pop-Up Health Clinics represent an integral component of the healthcare system that serves vulnerable populations and promotes high-quality care at low cost. What’s fascinating is that these clinics are starting to Pop-Up in retailers like Walmart and Safeway.
There are big retail players starting to get involved in Health
New entrants from the supermarket industries are expanding interest rapidly. Walmart for example has been taking proposals from established medical care companies to get involved. There’s a lot of big brands lining up to take advantage of the growth of people wanting more convenient health care. CVS Caremark’s MinuteClinic subsidiary already has generated partnerships with half a dozen major health care systems including Cleveland Clinic and the Henry Fold Health System. Walgreens has a partnership with Ochsner Health System in New Orleans and is open to partnerships with individual hospitals and doctors across the country.
We’re beginning to see newfound cooperation in the marketplace between retailers and their local hospital systems as well as physician groups.
President Obama passed a health care law which provides financial incentives for more coordinated approaches. The patient protection and affordable care act intended to improve health care quality by using pay for performance payment strategies to put pressure on medical providers. In such programs reimbursement reflects provider performance on quality metrics based on adherence to certain care processes, scores from patients or patient outcomes.
This trend is being fueled by aging financing structures
Payment for medical services, particularly by the larger government health programs doesn’t reflect value or benefit to patients. Addressing this issue: the US should move toward a market-based payment system that would lead physicians and hospitals payments to reflect quality naturally as opposed to perpetuating flawed financing structures. The current arrangements encourage doctors and their hospitals to do more tests, as well as more procedures which result in higher pay for patient complications.
How are Pop-Up Health Clinics helping to save costs?
In some instances pop-up clinics are free and in others they’re lowering cost and increasing accessibility. Health Clinics are typically staffed by an advanced-degree nurse known as a nurse practitioner. These position is generally less expensive for an insurer or employer than a visit to the doctor’s office. Not all health needs are remedied or required by a doctor.
If you have questions about fabricating your own Healthcare Pop-Up or have questions about Pop-Up Logistics in general contact BeCore today! We’d love to partner with you.