Retail health clinics are becoming more popular as a cost-effective, convenient choice for care. 
 
What happens if your child wakes up with a sore throat? You could take time off from work, make a doctor&rsquo;s appointment, sit around in the waiting room, and eventually see the doctor. Or, you could go to a retail clinic and be done in 30 minutes or less.
If you need care for an earache, sore throat, or other minor health problem, going to a retail health clinic can save you both time and money.&nbsp;
Visits to retail clinics nearly doubled from 2011 through 2015, a Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) study shows. So who&rsquo;s using them? Here&rsquo;s what the study found:&nbsp;
<ul>
 <li>Women use retail clinics at a much higher rate than men do.</li>
 <li>Younger adults are more likely to use retail clinics as compared with older adults.</li>
 <li>Members with employer-based insurance are more likely than individually insured members to visit a retail clinic.</li>
 <li>As you might expect, visits to retail clinics surge during cold and flu season.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
The study also showed that members with individual insurance increased their use of the emergency room from 2013 through 2015. They probably didn&rsquo;t know that their share of the costs can be more than 10 times higher at the ER than at a retail clinic, for the very same health condition.
For example, the average out-of-pocket cost for members to receive care for an upper respiratory condition at a retail clinic was $35 in 2015. A trip to the ER for the same health condition cost an average of nearly $400.&nbsp;
According to the study, almost a third of ER visits could have been handled at a retail health clinic instead.
<img alt="" src="[BASEDOMAIN]/Client_Files/azblue/CM/System/Out%20of%20Pocket%20Costs_Retail%20Clinics_600.png"> 
&nbsp; 
There are thousands of retail clinics across the country, with more opening all the time. Virtually all of them take walk-ins and are open days, evenings, and weekends. For the parent of a sick child, or the college student on a budget, a convenient, low-cost visit to a retail clinic beats other care options time and time again.
To find a retail clinic near you, use the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Find a Doctor tool at azblue.com/FindaDoctor. Search for &ldquo;Health Service Clinic/Center&rdquo; for a list of participating locations.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.bcbs.com/the-health-of-america/articles/retail-clinics-convenient-still-need-catch-more-widely" target="_blank">Visit BCBSA to learn more</a> about the convenience and costs savings of retail clinics. 
 
Source:&nbsp;&nbsp; 
<a href="https://www.bcbs.com/the-health-of-america/articles/retail-clinics-convenient-still-need-catch-more-widely" target="_blank">Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Convenience and Costs Savings with Retail Clinics</a>

Want to save money and time? Visit a retail health clinic

Retail health clinics are becoming more popular as a cost-effective, convenient choice for care&nbsp;