Starting next week, a quick run to a grocery store might feature grabbing a loaf of bread, snatching a bag of potato chips and getting treatment for that pesky ear infection.
Intermountain Healthcare will start a new clinic service called ExpressCare at Smith's Marketplace in East Millcreek on Wednesday and will open another at Smith's Food & Drug in Farmington in May as a way of providing quick treatment of some minor ailments.
With a motto of "Get in. Get out. Get better," the ExpressCare clinics will offer treatment for conditions that typically do not need ongoing treatment or follow-up visits, with patient stays typically lasting about 15 minutes.
"It's a result, I think, of what is happening in our society — the need for increasing convenience and obviously affordability as it relates to health care, and accessibility," said Phil White, assistant vice president of operations for Intermountain Medical Group. "These clinics are being designed and operated to really focus on service."
The clinics, at 150 to 175 square feet, will operate daily.
"There is no substitute for the relationship between a patient and his or her primary care physician, particularly if that patient has chronic conditions or health issues that need to be followed on a long-term basis," White said. "So these clinics have limited scope. They treat a very specific list of ailments and conditions.
"In terms of ones on the bubble, we definitely are not going to be treating lacerations or broken bones — nothing like that. In those situations, people would need to go to instant cares, their doctor's office or emergency rooms, if that's appropriate."
ExpressCare clinics will have a basic charge of $35 per visit. They will accept Medicare. "Otherwise, it is up to the patient to obtain reimbursement form their insurance company," he said.
ExpressCare is believed to be the first provider of medical clinics in grocery stores in the state.
"It gives us a chance to provide another needed and popular service for our customers," said Marsha L. Gilford, vice president of public affairs for Smith's Food & Drug Stores Inc. "This has been tried in other grocery stores in the eastern part of the U.S., and they've seen real success.
"Customers lead busy lives, and this leads them to quickly take care of some of their less-serious medical needs right in their own neighborhood."
Convenience has become more important to customers over the years and stores have often added pharmacies, bank branches, photo services and other components to meet that need. "We've seen many different convenience services that customers have responded to, and I think probably banks are the most common that you see in grocery stores now, and it's just expanded from that," Gilford said.
Kroger and CVS are among chains testing clinics in select markets, joining large retailers Wal-Mart, Target and Cub Foods. Eight Wal-Mart stores set up clinics since September, although four more were scheduled to open in March.
E-mail: bwallace@desnews.com