Lemos esta notícia, que não nos surpreende: Patients who are tired of waiting days to see a doctor for bronchitis, pinkeye or a sprained ankle can instead walk into a nearby drugstore and, at lower cost, with brief waits, see a doctor or a nurse and then fill a prescription on the spot.
E pronto, já está! Vai ao consultório do seu médico, espera mais de uma hora como é habitual, está numa sala pouco cómoda e acha que paga muito. Se acha que é "paciente", aguenta a situação. Se acha que é "cliente", procura uma alternativa.
Nos EUA, as farmácias vendem serviços clínicos e de enfermagem. E por cá? Caberá a resposta, provavelmente, ao Dr. João Cordeiro.
Veja-se a dimensão do negócio, por lá:
- With demand for primary care doctors surpassing the supply in many parts of the country, the number of these retail clinics in drugstores has exploded over the past two years, and several companies operating them are now aggressively seeking to open clinics in New York City.
- But with their increasing popularity, the clinics are drawing mounting scrutiny. Several states including New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and California are examining ways to more closely monitor the clinics, which are overseen by a hodgepodge of state agencies applying a wide and inconsistent range of regulations.
- More than 700 clinics are operating across the country at chain stores including Wall-Mart, CVS, Wallgreens and Duane Read.
