We Join the AAP in Advising Parents Against Retail-Based Clinics

Families may decide to use a retail-based health clinic because they believe it is convenient and less expensive, but according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), these clinics do not provide children with the high-quality, regular preventive health care children need.
In an updated policy statement, the AAP emphasizes that retail-based clinics are an inappropriate source of primary care for children because they fragment children’s health care and do not support the medical home.
We at Kids First are proud to be a certified Medical Home and are open seven days a week with extensive hours to make it as convenient as possible for families to schedule appointments.
The policy statement, “AAP Principles Concerning Retail-Based Clinics” updates the Academy’s 2006 policy statement, which expressed strong opposition to the use of retail-based clinics. The AAP acknowledges that the number of retail-based clinics has grown to more than 6,000 as of 2012. Surveys indicate 15 percent of children are likely to use a retail-based clinic in the future, although the majority of patients are adults.