Discount Clinics Raise Safety Questions

Published January 14, 2015

Discount medical clinics around the country offer low-cost health care to those who have trouble making ends meet, but the American Medical Association (search) worries about their ability to treat patients effectively.

The InformEd Technologies (search) clinics are designed like membership discount retail stores such as Costco and Sam’s Club. Families pay an annual fee and get basic medical services at slashed prices — sometimes as much as 50 percent off.

But nurse practitioners, not doctors, run the clinics, which is why the AMA is concerned.

The AMA says that for simple medical needs, the facilities can help, but they aren’t necessarily equipped to handle more serious health problems.

But for the uninsured patients who use the clinics, some health care is better than none at all.

Click on the box near the top of this story to watch a report by FOX News' Steve Brown.

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https://www.foxnews.com/story/discount-clinics-raise-safety-questions