A new RAND Health study examines the types of patients who use retail health clinics and the health care services delivered by the clinics, which they say are growing in number and popularity. Researchers analyzed details about more than 1.3 million visits to retail clinics from 2000 to 2007. Key findings:

• Patients aged 18 to 44 accounted for 43% of the people visiting retail clinics, compared to 23% for primary care physician offices. Just 39% of the patients at retail clinics said they had a primary care physician, while 80% of people surveyed nationally say they have a personal doctor.
• Patients visiting retail clinics when they first opened were likely to pay the cost out of their own pocket, but most patients are now using insurance to pay the bills. The percentage of retail office visits paid for out-of-pocket dropped from 100% in 2000 to 16% in 2007.
• About 90% of the visits to retail clinics were for 10 simple acute conditions and preventive care such as upper respiratory infections, sore throat, and either a screening test or a blood test. The same conditions accounted for 18% of visits to primary care physician offices and 12% of emergency department visits.

Daniel Costello, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, writes about retail clinics "bulls" and "bears" and their differing visions of where this new site of health care is heading. Costello also describes the history of retail clinics, drivers of growth, quality of care issues, and regulatory concerns.