By Josh Fineman
Sept. 7, 2006 (Bloomberg) -- Lillian Grabel had one day of blood pressure medication left and didn't want a long wait in a doctor's office for a new prescription. So she turned to the drop-in clinic at a Duane Reade drugstore in New York.
``It's wonderful,'' says Grabel, 66, after a stop at the RediClinic on the second floor. ``It was worth every penny not to sit in any doctor's office.''
To capture walk-in patients who will buy drugs and other merchandise, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Duane Reade Holdings Inc., CVS Corp. and Walgreen Co. are opening clinics mostly run by nurse practitioners and physician assistants who treat everyday ailments and write prescriptions. Executives say at least 5,000 U.S. outlets will open in the next few years, even as doctor groups express concern over the quality of patient care.
``This is a first step by CVS and some of the others to say we are going to fill the void of where the general practitioner used to be,'' says Dan Genter, president of Los Angeles-based RNC Genter Capital Management, which manages more than $2 billion including CVS shares. ``It's a big void, and there's a real need for it.''
CVS, the second-biggest U.S. drugstore chain, agreed to buy MinuteClinic Inc. for an undisclosed amount in July to enter the market for walk-in health-care services. MinuteClinic, based in Minneapolis, was founded in May 2000.
Former America Online Inc. Chairman Steve Case, who has a minority stake in RediClinic, has also entered the market.
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