Photo courtesy RediClinicRediClinic is planning to add H-E-B–based clinics in the Central Texas area, and Hays County is among the areas being considered for new clinics, said Dr. Greg Sheff, executive vice president of clinical systems for Seton Healthcare.
As part of the expansion, the retail-based health care provider is partnering with Seton Healthcare, whose physicians will provide medical supervision at each of the Central Texas–based clinics.
RediClinic has locations in 30 H-E-B stores in San Antonio, Austin and Houston. The first in the Austin area opened in 2006.
Sheff said the intention of the partnership is to increase delivery of care.
"It's very much focused on access to care," Sheff said. "The delivery of health care today is a complex puzzle, and this is one piece. So this is an appropriate access point for a limited number of conditions."
Patients can be treated at RediClinics for ailments such as colds, strep throat and urinary tract infections, Sheff said. The six H-E-B–based RediClinics in Central Texas also provide preventive care, including vaccinations, medical tests, physical exams and a weight-management program.
RediClinic will add six locations in the Austin area. Although specific sites have not been identified, Hays County is a possibility, especially given that Seton Medical Center Hays is in Kyle, Sheff said.
RediClinic has an existing location in Kyle at 5401 S. FM 1626. It opened in 2007 and serves about 20 to 40 patients a day, according to RediClinic data.
Sheff said walk-in clinics are part of a broader trend to provide basic health care and increase convenience and access.
"There's a movement, which we support, that health care should meet the life demands of the patient," he said.
For example, RediClinic patients do not need to set up an appointment and lose work time. They can receive quality care in a convenient setting, Sheff said.
The cost of receiving care in a retail-based clinic is generally lower than a visit to a private practice office, Sheff said. However, the clinics are not geared toward any particular socioeconomic class.
"It's not a payer-specific strategy," he said. "It's for all patients."
Each RediClinic is open seven days a week with extended weekday hours. Patients can expect 15-minute-long visits, according to a RediClinic news release.
The company accepts most insurance plans, the news release states.
The partnership with Seton Healthcare provides a medical home for patients to be referred, Sheff said.
"Our new partnership with Seton gives RediClinic a resource for patients who have medical needs that are outside of our limited scope of practice, and it gives Seton a resource for patients who want the most convenient and affordable routine care," RediClinic CEO Web Golinkin said.
