MinuteClinic Case Study

This assignment is a case study analyzing MinuteClinic, a retail healthcare clinic. The solution addresses two key questions: what products or services are substitutes for MinuteClinic, and what products or services complement it. The analysis highlights MinuteClinic's role as a substitute for traditional doctor's offices, emphasizing its lower cost and convenient access. However, it also points out limitations, such as the lack of on-site physicians to handle emergencies and the potential for medication conflicts due to limited patient history access. The solution suggests a need for better coordination between MinuteClinic and traditional healthcare providers to improve patient care.

MinuteClinic
Question: For what products is MinuteClinic a substitute?
Answer: MinuteClinic is associated with curing and giving medication for common diseases like
flu, common cold, fever, headache, etc. They offer healthcare services for those
individuals/patients under their insurance scheme which other physicians and hospitals are
failing to, and as a result, they are paying out of their pocket. They are substitutes for doctors’
offices, physicians that are located in retail stores. The other substitute is that the services
provided by MultiClinic are much cheaper as compared to physician prices and all the costs are
showed to the patients when you visit their office. They also substitute for the services as the
quantity of physicians has decreased substantially. They are not limited to certain weekdays and
extend their services to the weekend also. This has led MultiClinic to open their clinics in
approximately 600 different locations. The other benefit of going to MultiClinic is they do not
have appointment system that clearly addresses emergency situations without compromising
patient’s health.
Question: For what products is it a complement?
Answer: Retail health clinics began showing up15 years ago. Today, there are about 2,000
clinics across the United States, located mostly in drugstores, supermarkets and other large retail
chain settings in 600 different locations. They are staffed by Nurse Practitioners, physician
assistants and accept most insurance. The major issue with MultiClinic is the lack of supervisor
or physician to handle emergency situations. The staff appointed by MultiClinic is to provide
medication for a common illness and hence lack the facilities to tackle emergency situations.
Moreover, the medication provided by these clinics will vary to that of a physician as they are
unaware of patient's medical history. This may lead to allergies and severe complications. So a
proper cannel must be formed between MultiClinic and physicians to serve better for mankind as
they share a common goal.