Admittedly, it's been a while since I got one, and rates could have increased since then, but $50 is still less than $65, whether you've got insurance or not.

If patient B comes in without insurance they'll bill him the entire $1500 and, not knowing that he can negotiate, he'll either pay it all (yaaay for the hospital!) or skip out on the bill, which gets passed on to other customers.

Always negotiate with healthcare providers - although hopefully that mess will be behind us soon.

yes, many of them are indeed viral. AT FIRST. unchecked, unself resolving viral infections turn into bacterial infections just as often.

URI such as sinus infections are no joke & neither is damaged hearing or deafness.

notice how we DON'T have people going deaf, getting scarlet fever, or dying of septic shock or any of the other little gems which used to be typical of the pre-antibiotic age.

it's posted prices.

lovin' it :)

@wchamilton:

I don't necessarily agree with people being ridiculous for going in with a cold. I'm one of those people that goes to Urgent Care when I have a cold. I do it for 2 reasons:

1. Many times, I've had more than a cold (Bronchitis, sinus infections, ear infections, strep throat). Some of these things are treated with antibiotics that I can't buy over the counter and are really only properly diagnosed by a doctor.

2. I like to take advantage of my insurance. Haha... why have it if you're not gonna use it!

@Erwos: Affordable healthcare? BUT IT IS FROM WALMART. IT IS SURELY EVIL AND MUST DIE.

@pecan 3.14159265: Sometimes, we use liquid stool softeners to loosen up tough wax! I've never used OTC ear drops on people. Mostly just hydrogen peroxide and warm saline, plus the "squirty plastic tube".

I think the $70 charge is for the gross factor. Ever seen a huge clump of ear wax? nasty.

@inadequatewife:

"It's potentially faster and cheaper than a trip to the doctor or emergency room (which is what people around here use as a clinic since the doctors never have appointments available on short notice and constantly refer everyone to emerg)."

Sure you don't live in my town? I work ER and that's basically what we're used as- a super expensive clinic.

@wchamilton: I'm an ER nurse. People not only come in for the common cold, but yell at me when I bring people having heart attacks back before them.

Hallelujah for Walmart taking some of the load off us. Plus, it's much cheaper than an ER bill for the cold!

As a side note, I've been joking for years that we need a "menu" for our treatments... "I'll take the sore throat with a side of headache please..."

"IRV! I NEED A PRICE CHECK ON COLD SORES AND A URINARY TRACT INFECTION!"

My MIL always comes up positive as well on the first test; she was exposed as a child. Again, not that big a deal.

Hmm $70 for earwax removal...

I figure I've gotten good enough at not smashing q-tips through my ear drum that I'd be willing to do it for $50...

** slinks off to scrub self with hot water, horsehair scrub brush & lye **

I smell an american scared of health care reform. I grew up near Canada and never heard people complain about health care there.

You live on LI?

@pecan 3.14159265: Heh - and that's the confusion that I was describing. I'm neither a carrier, nor do I have a latent infection.

There was a vaccine years back for TB which had this annoying side effect of flagging positive on the first test. I don't think it was used in the states, but I wasn't living in the states when I got this vaccine.

I wouldn't want to go ten rounds about that with a WallyWorld sawbones.

Been there, done that. I went through two primary care docs before I got sick at one point due to the docs playing musical insurance groups.

With insurance, no one knows what anything costs. Having menus listing what things cost is great.

John Stossel talked about them in his documentary, "Sick in America":

I mean, they couldn't fix my knee, because I did too good a job of busting it up, but it was very speedy and everyone I interacted with was professional and courteous. Next time I have something that actually falls within their scope of practice I'll absolutely go back.

If Wal*Mart can run their system as well as CVS can, that's great. Easier access to healthcare is easier access to healthcare. I probably won't ever use it, because it's still Wal*Mart, but it's not a bad idea at all.

They should have a prescription service for refills for regular prescriptions like Birth Control, pain pills, daily medications, and stuff.

I'd go to them instead of my GYN/Rheumatologist/ENT DR if they had something less than my co-pay for those things. ...understanding I would also have regular annuals with my DRs as well.

My regular dentist has worked with me to get my dental issues fixed at a rate that I could afford them. I have zero debt and healthy teeth, I haven't had healthy teeth for most of my adult life.

Still it would be great to be able to find out real prices before you go. Calling normally gets me the run around.

Also, I would be a bit concerned about the quality of the nurse practitioner or physician's assistant that would be treating me.

I also fear that this is going to lead to even more unecessary overuse of antibiotics. Are they really going to tell people, "You have a cold (/flu/other illness caused by a VIRUS), go buy some Nyquil, that'll be $55"? Or are they going to be passing out antibiotics to all comers in order to make them feel like they didn't waste their time and money? Ugh.

@pinecone99: Right, cause we can all do our on TB testing, sport physicals, acute bronchitis diagnosis, and treat UTIs at home.

Having doctors and patients fully aware of the price of health care, without obfuscating it behind hospital networks and insurance companies, will go a long way toward fixing our health care mess.

@RedCatLinux: Well, millions of people are TB carriers but never develop active TB. Being a carrier isn't a problem - it's developing active TB that is. If there are two tests, there's no reason why you should have been flagged just for being a TB carrier. That's not the problem. It's if you start coughing and vomiting and such and they find out your inactive TB has become active.

@shepd: Yeah, I would know. I have always had earwax problems. But most people don't. I asked a nurse one time why I had these kinds of earwax problems and she said it was a hereditary condition.

You can't always get to see your doctor when you want to, so I can see this being a useful substitute in some cases.

@floraposte: I'm not overly attached to one in paticular.. but I would probably go to the same one where my husband went a couple of years ago.. They were really good and everything went well.. but the price was 2500 dollars when all was said and done. We have a thing called "Ameriplan" which gives us a discount on dental work.. but only 20%. Which is better than a sharp stick in the eye.. but still not affordable right now.

Also please excuse my spelling/grammer errors above..
=)

Take it from someone with the problem: The drops don't work that well. They help somewhat. My parents had used them religiously on me, and I still had to go to the doctor.

Using drops like that too often can result in ear infections and fungal infections due to the moisture being introduced. I know, I've had them! You can dry the ear canal out with 99% IPA, but then it stings like absolute hell and leaves you with a lasting irritation, and you have to do it every single time you clean them. And the dryness from the IPA can cause a whole different set of infections. Woohoo!

The worst result I've had with drops is having them get trapped between the eardrum and earwax. That usually involves being unable to drive, never mind negotiate stairs for several hours. It also causes headaches, extreme disorientation, nausea, and occasionally vomiting. Did I mention last time this happened I fell over before I left the bathroom due to a lack of balance?

Some people's earwax is just a bit more like gorilla glue than others who are lucky enough to have something the consistency of the white glue half the class ate in Kindergarten. In fact, earwax is a defining family trait. Many Asians, for example, have such dry earwax they sell devices over there to simply pick it out.

Only one time has my earwax ever actually just "fallen" out of my ear without drops.

(They actually gave us the card at the hospital when he was born. I find it difficult to believe I will manage not to lose it for FIVE. YEARS.)

@UCLAri: Something tells me that most board certified physicans are going to avoid working the clinics like the plague. Betcha they get nurse practitioners like everybody else.

I like what wal-mart is doing. When was the last time you saw a fee schedule in a Drs. office? When was the last time you could price shop physicians? The transparency of prices is a great thing, it will go a long way to reducing costs.

Just 3 more months to go until Uncle Sam has me covered.

@widmer: Yep and I bet there is a battle between the doctors/nurse practitoners to spend there time at the WallyWorld clinic. Probably more of a "Remember your poor record at this hospital? We will let you stay here if you practice at Wal-Mart!"

CIA, NASA, FBI, AIDS, HIV, TB, MRSA, UCLA, etc.

TB is just one of those acronyms that everyone uses, so I see no problem with its being put on a board.

I would be thrilled if this were available in my area. Probably the only thing that could get me to set foot in a Wallmart again, granted. I have ongoing health issues, no health insurance, and anything beyond dealing with my diabetes (my doctor is very helpful/understanding)gets the standard well, I'll have to hope it just goes away on its own treatment. Trust me, vitamins and suppliments don't make arthritis go away, diet & exercise alone aren't enough to lower my blood pressure and sugar alone. Knowing that i'll have to come up with X amount period to get something checked out will make it much easier for me to justify going to the doctor's.

@UCLAri: I'm guessing it's TB testing. Jobs in some fields, (working around kids, day cares, nursing homes) require a clear TB test before you can start working.

Don't be too fast to demonize this new development. I'm a guy and I naturally avoid the doc. just like the rest of the male population, and this new development is convenient as hell. They accepted my insurance, and took good care of me. It was clean, and quick.

@pecan 3.14159265: What spooks me is that there are two tests for TB. One comes back positive for past or present exposure. The other comes up positive for active infection. At least that is the way it was explained to me once. Something to do with the vaccines at the time I got mine.

Health department regulations probably require them to report any positive findings, too.

I've had clinics flag me as positive after the first test then run the second test to find out that I didn't actually have it.

I'd hate for a WallFart physician's assistant to flag me as a rogue TB carrier by accident.

@UCLAri: It makes sense though. UCLA is well, UCLA, but UC Berkeley isn't UCB. I can see how someone would go with one but not the other.

A standard price list at a doctor's office would be a huge win for healthcare in general.

It's potentially faster and cheaper than a trip to the doctor or emergency room (which is what people around here use as a clinic since the doctors never have appointments available on short notice and constantly refer everyone to emerg).

If you don't think you need a prescription or any lab tests, just skip the clinic and ask the pharmacist for a recommendation of an over the counter medicine. It's likely these clinics are staffed with nurse practitioners or physician's assistants, so it's not like you're going to see a specialist.

I think having flat prices like this is actually kind of neat, and I wonder if it may be better for both the patient and the GP.

@Rectilinear Propagation: I agree. This is a case where the acronym has more meaning. If you said International Business Machines or Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apperatus, most (Wal-Mart) people would stare at you. If you said IBM or SCUBA, they'd get it.

The $70 suture removal.... because alcohol, tweezers and small scissors aren't $12.00 (total) in the health and beauty aisle?

I'm no saying that people need to be Rambo and pull out their own arrows, but $70 to snip and pull threads...

I lived in northern Vermont for several years and if you got sick, sprained your ankle, whatever between 4pm on a friday and 9am on a Monday, the ER in Burlington was the ONLY place you could go within about 85 miles.

The urgent care clinic was only open 4 hours a day, and was right down the street from the hospital, so no closer than just going to the ER.

If there had been MinuteClinics or whatever in the outlying towns, you can bet that Fletcher Allen's FastTrack would have seen a lot less activity.

Get the generic from Kaiser Permanente for even less! I think they'll mail it, too...

@UCLAri: This is where the debate on healthcare has been lacking. Most current insurance companies don't cover preventative care. So in this case, he/she would have to wait before it gets worse and then treat it.

I just love the idea of actually showing what is charged for what. If every doctors office posted its rates on a big board, (kinda like fast food has to post calories in many areas now) people could make better choices about what they need.

That is, if you slum it with us proles on mass transit.

The generic version of Zyrtec is about $6 for a month's worth when prescribed. The over the counter version is about $40 for the SAME PRODUCT.

@shepd: In Soviet Canuckistan, you keep ears open to hear glorious message of sorta-socialist but-not-really revolution clear!

@antisan: I wouldn't be surprised if there were still a lot of people who didn't know that there's no way to cure the common cold, and that you just have to ride it out. I bet that's one reason why it's on there - it's partially to educate people for the next time they have a common cold, and it's partially to get them to actually take medication so they don't spread the germs.

$300 here, $500 there, and the actual amount paid? $100.

@sammy_b: Imagine how shocked I was to go to my regular doctor that I always went to when I was under my dad's insurance.. but I didn't have the insurance anymore.

They didn't tell me the price until it was time to leave.. I nearly had a heart attack. It was a good thing I didn't! I couldn't afford that!

@bobateaforyouandme: At one time my husband did have a job that offered health insurance and we had it.. but when he left that job and we got the letter in the mail about COBRA.. it just wasn't an option. It cost more than we could ever afford to pay.

Our employment doesn't offer health insurance right now so we're kinda stuck at the moment.

Generally you'd need people to handle or at least sneeze on the food directly and then for it to be consumed pretty speedily; otherwise, food isn't special in the fomite aea, in that handling the baby food jar is much like handling the pen or doorknob that the sick person just handled. If there is a greater risk, it probably has little to do with the food, it's got to do with being in an enclosed space with a higher number of sick people, with the additional temptation of their shopping--and thus handling objects that other people will handle--on their medical visit.

So I would agree that this could possibly heighten the risk of transmission within the store generally, but probably not because food's there. If you're a checker, now's the time to invest in hand sanitizer and learn to keep your hands away from your face.

@UCLAri: You win! If it was something more serious I would bite the bullet (hah.) and take out the credit line.. but at this point I feel like it's best to wait.

I don't mind the idea of in-house clinics at all, but I'd pay a fair chunk more going to Wal-Mart than I do otherwise.

If you just need an oil change at a low price, it's fine.

But when things get a bit complicated or there are subtle hints of bigger problems, what then? Will the person going in for sore throat just be checked for strep? What if it's mono instead?

The menu board seems limited. I can think of many other conditions that aren't exactly ER worthy but should be seen. In the interest of efficiency and the bottom line, will some medical problems get overlooked because the focus was on "menu choice #3" on the board?

@cookmefud: Given the nature of the things they treat, would you rather 10 sick people be concentrated in the clinic area, 20 feet from where you are ringing up your baby food...or 10 sick people spread out all over the store, infecting other people, who in turn end up 20 feet from where you are?

@UCLAri: I agree, and that's why I always go to a doctor. But the idea behind the OTC drops is that you put them in and wait for it to soften the ear wax and for it to naturally come out. You'd be an idiot to put in the drops and then ram a q-tip into your ear.

But the thing most people don't know is that when you go to the doctor, they use the same OTC ear drops. The difference is, they use the squirty plastic tube. You don't.

Bingo!

I get this done every 3 or so years when my hearing gets so bad I can barely hear (again), usually requires someone telling me I'm yelling at them to notice, though.

Yes, I try doing it at home, but it doesn't work as well. Sometimes Hydrogen Peroxide helps break up the wax, and the ear syringes help too, but after a few years the wax just gets impacted to the point only a waterpik gets rid of it.

For $70 every few years, it'd be a good deal to ensure my hearing is 100% (Although, weirdly, this is one of the few non-life-threatening things covered for free in Canada, so I don't pay). Takes the doctor about 15 minutes with me as a patient to do it, and I expect about 15 minutes total for setup and cleanup.

BTW: It is true, someone whose hearing is blocked for a long time can hear *everything* for a day or two. Stuff that others would never notice, like your watch ticking even though it's nowhere near your ear.

My GP billed my insurance like $300 for my visit, and the insurance in turn gave him $100 or something. I paid a co-pay of $25. That's how it works everywhere.

Maybe I'm a bit more clued into how this works than most people, but all those private practice docs you visit are essentially small business owners, and you're a customer. Sure, the good is something a bit more important than a durable good, but it's still a good nonetheless.

@Loias: Lots of jobs require TB testing. School workers.

I used to see a Dr. who gave me a break bc I have no insurance, and it was $80-$100/visit and there was always a 45 minute wait. When I called them about bring my GF there, they wanted $250(!) for the visit because she was a new patient, no matter that I have been a pataent for years. Suffice to say, I have found an easier way and wont be returning there.

I used one of these Alegent/Hy-Vee clinics once and did not have an issue.

@morganlh85: If you have TB, you need to treat it. You can't treat it by taking NyQuil, so you better get your butt to a doctor right away.

You should know whether you have the inactive TB in your body already. Like morganlh85 said, you have to be tested early on to go to school or in some cases, to work.

Pretty sure a Walmart employee won't be the one you see in the clinic.
"the local hospital has partnered with the store to offer services right next to the vision center."

They can do a lot of things. If it's an upset stomach, they can check for ulcers or other chronic conditions. if it's a cold and someone is immunocompromised (elderly, for example), they can give them treatment to ensure they don't get sicker.

Allergy sufferers, such as myself, can be given prescriptions for specific allergies, rather than Zyrtec. I have nasal allergies that cannot be treated through Zyrtec alone, and spend a good chunk of change on spray antihistamine and corticosteroid treatments. I was lucky to have an ENT and insurance, but I bet a GP could have done the same for less.

Or, in the case of oral complications, it can lead to a serious complication: abscessing, infections, etc.

Your case may be only some impacted wisdom teeth (my bet), but too many people wait on teeth. Bad bad bad.

@pecan 3.14159265: Agree with you 100%. Also, people go to the doctors to take something like antibiotics for a cold, the body gets used to said antibiotic and starts to resist it, next time that person is REALLY sick and in need of an antibiotic it becomes a guessing game for those doctors to find the right one and dosage to work. I don't want to waste any antibiotic efectiveness on a cold that I know sleep and nyquil can destory in a few days.

Considering the reputation of their Lube, Tire, and Battery centers, would you want to take your kid to the same place that you can't trust with your car?

Oh, and pecan, I don't doubt at all that they can treat TB at a clinic. Treatment is just a long course of antibiotics which are fairly affordable. You don't need to see a pulmonary specialist to get that.

Although I do like the $70 for a sprain...my emergency room copay is $150. That's a case where I would totally go to Wal-Mart in lieu of the hospital.

You still have to go into a Wal-mart to get to the clinic but if there aren't any other prompt care clinics in the area...

Yeah...good idea! "Honey...I think I might have TB. Lets go to Walmart and spread it to hundreds of people". Around my way, at a little hospital downtown, if you have TB, you're locked up in a room, and anyone coming in is gowned up from head to toe, complete with mask. Keep your dang TB to yourself!

@Urgleglurk:
Well, it really relates to the hospital they are partnered with, doesn't it? I know that's what I would base my decision on.

@captadam:

I think it would be great if medical pricing were this transparent everywhere.

@Rectilinear Propagation: Right, cause most doctors' offices don't keep weekend hours, and ER visits are expensive and you have to wait.

So if enough of us come in with sinus infections, will they lower the price? Isn't that what Walmart is all about - purchasing power? Seriously, though, for people with little or no health insurance, what is wrong with this option?

@CFinWV: I can tell you from current and personal experience that this is very true. I need oral surgery but I can't get it beacuse I don't have enough money to pay in full right now.

I'm not going to take out a line of credit just for this either.. so I'm waiting. Hopefully I'll have enough saved soon to get it done.

It's hard to be afraid of the dentist in genral AND be afraid of the cost.. but here I am.

Now, if only my doctors would be a bit more upfront about the costs of an exam. It shouldn't take 3 days to calculate what they will charge the insurance company and what I have to pay.

With their reputation, why would anyone in their right mind go to a Wal-Mart for medical care, good prices or not?

@Loias: TB is indeed tuberculosis. I'm pretty sure it's not spelled out on there because it would probably cost a good chunk of change to print out thousands of signs with an extra 10 letters rather than a ton of little elipses.

Also, TB is more identifiable, IMO. I wasn't aware that these kinds of clinics could actually treat active TB, so maybe they are offering TB tests instead.

I think this is a good thing. It has certainly alleviated the strain on local emergency rooms. I expect that there will be people ripping on it just because Wal-Mart is involved, but that's just silly.

So, my vote: Good Thing.

Not to nitpick, but is TB tuberculosis? Were they really unable to type the whole thing out? They had plenty of room, as it stands it says "TB...................................." Yup, plenty of room.

But, hey, let's shut 'em all down because it's Wal-Mart. Screw those sick people, we can't let Wal-Mart win!

@barb95: I didn't even see that! Wow, that's expensive. I mean, most people can just buy the $8 medication and be done with it, but I guess water and plastic squirty tubes are expensive!

Hi, everybody!

Ear Wax removal for $70?!?! Jeez!

@VooDoo288: Richmond, VA? Do you know why they failed? I can see how a service like this wouldn't get a ton of business, but I can't necessarily see how it would fail - the prices are cheaper than most doctors, and if you have no insurance you can't go to the doctor anyway. And doctors don't keep weekend hours.

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): I almost went to one last week. I had a cold for a few days, and then bam - I had a 101 degree fever, and it was the weekend. Since doctors' offices weren't open, I took a ton of meds to lower the fever and we made plans to go to the Walgreens or CVS clinic if it didn't lower by the next morning.

I don't have health insurance and I am happy about this.. The more companies that offer this kind of care means that I have more choice in where I can go when I get sick, and this is a great thing.

@wchamilton: That I don't understand. When I was lying on my couch last week and I could no longer smell anything since my nose was so stuffed up, I knew I had a cold. I took my meds, slept a lot, and that was it. There's no reason to go to the doctor to treat a cold unless you have underlying medical conditions, you are prone to more serious illnesses or are recovering from another illness and are afraid of resurgence (sometimes colds can exacerbate bronchitis), or you fear it is something else entirely (like swine flu).

More competition isn't going to hurt the medical field, and if they're staffing this thing with RNs and NPs rather than full-on MDs, more power to them. The idea that I need a _doctor_ to tell me I have a cold or the flu or whatever seems silly.

I gotta say, I've been to the Take-Care twice now -- flu shot and a dire ear infection -- and I think it's awesomeburgers. I love my GP and I have insurance, but the Take-Care is just so convenient and fast. I could even walk if I had to, although it's a bit of a hike. (Also, my insurance covers treatment at the Take-Care.) And it's nice to be able to get my Rx at the same place as I got the exam, and pick up sick-person food and trashy magazines at the same time.

The only issue I see is that walmart's method of operation is to offer the lowest price by pushing suppliers to sell for less, often time forcing a cut in quality - hopefully the doctors and nurses will be ethical enough to follow all proper rules and procedures for these services.

Other than that, I know that my doctor billed my insurance over $125 for my last phyiscal, so $80 seems pretty good if you don't have insurance.

I don't know if the get well services are worth it for some of them - common cold, upset stomach, allergies? What are they going to do - tell you to go to aisle 5 and pick up some Allegra?

WRJ

Although Target has had clinics in Maryland for a couple years, so the idea of a big-box store with a clinic isn't that weird to me.