Walgreen Clinics Will Soon Treat Chronic Diseases Like Asthma and Diabetes

Walgreens has announced that its chain of drugstore clinics will now treat certain chronic diseases including asthma, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Over 330 of the company's roughly 370 in-store clinics will offer the new services.

These drugstore clinics are run by nurse practitioners or physician assistants, instead of doctors, and have rise in popularity in recent years. Walgreens attributes this to the difficulty and expense of seeing a physician.

The company isn't looking to replace doctors however, stating they are trying to provide people with more options in treating minor ailments. However, the American Academy of Family Physicians has spoken out against the move, saying it comes between the relationship between patients and doctors, leading to less effective care. Dr. Jeffrey J. Cain, president of the organization likened these clinics to fast food restaurants, in that they shouldn't become a mainstay of someone's healthcare plan.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Cain expressed his belief that because physicians know their patients, they are better qualified for helping someone with their diabetes for example, by helping them to develop and follow through with an exercise and diet plan.

"It's not about telling somebody what they have to do, it's helping them make choices in their life to move toward a healthier lifestyle," he said.

He also stated his suspicions that miscommunication between clinics and health care providers could lead to duplicate tests and information that a physician is unaware of.

Walgreens' new initiative seems well timed, with the country currently experiencing a significant shortage of health care professionals. Some studies are predicting a lack of 40,000 needed primary care doctors over the next few years.

Walgreens isn't the first drugstore to head in this direction. They're following on the heels of competitor CVS, who started chronic condition monitoring at its 640 "MinuteClinic" centers a few years ago.

Their third major competitor, Rite Aid, doesn't offer chronic illness care, but will soon start offering 10-minute doctor consultations at a rate of $45 in several cities.