AeroClinic debuts at Atlanta airport, more to come

Drug Store News (Magazine)
June 25, 2007

ATLANTA - Anyone who has experienced health issues while traveling, whether it be a stomach flu, infection or allergies, knows all too well that it can be an unnerving experience, especially if you are in the airport and not conveniently located near a medical facility. Well, that appears to be changing. Airports are becoming the next hotbed for walk-in health clinics as newcomer AeroClinic has announced the opening of its first such clinic at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Earlier this year, Harmony Pharmacy & Health Center opened its first location in New Jersey at Newark Liberty International Airport. The concept makes sense for several reasons. It enables clinic operators to reach millions of people and affords ill travelers convenient access to health care. Not to mention that the clinics can offer such vaccinations as travel medicine. “It is about being accessible to the public and being affordable, as well. It [the airport] is a good market and it is another good trend, just like we have seen in the community with both the pharmacies, supermarkets and some of the employer-based sites,” said Tine Hansen-Turton, executive director of the Convenient Care Association.

This summer, AeroClinic is expected to open a second clinic in Philadelphia International Airport. Looking ahead, the clinic operator plans to add about four to five locations a year over the next five years. Located pre-security, above The Atrium of the main terminal, The AeroClinic Health Center is within easy reach of the more than 80 million air passengers who travel through the Atlanta airport annually. The clinic also serves the some 55,000-plus Atlanta airport employees and airline professionals. In fact, for the airport employees and airline partners, the clinic offers physical therapy and other occupational health services.

The clinic, staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants, can diagnose and treat such common ailments as the flu, sinus infections, headaches, burns, rashes and skin conditions. Preventative testing for chronic diseases, health screenings and physical exams are also performed. The clinic also offers such vaccinations as travel medicine, meningitis and shingles. The average visit takes 15 to 20 minutes. Prices range from $10 to $200, with vaccinations being among the most costly services. However, the average prices range between $75 and $85 for minor illness care treatment. No appointments are necessary and a check-in kiosk puts patients in control of such customary tasks as entering registration and personal information, family medical history, confirming insurance coverage and making co-payments.

AeroClinic has teamed up with McKesson to provide patients with a Web-based health care information system. Through the system, patients have direct and secure access to their personal health record and all of the treatments and services provided by AeroClinic. The health record, which includes the results of any tests, is available to the

patient's health care providers to ensure complete and accurate reporting of all clinical services administered through AeroClinic. “Since we utilize evidence-based medicine guidelines, and rely on an electronic health record system and other state-of-the-art IT from day-one, we believe patients will have a much different health care encounter than they have experienced in traditional clinical settings,” stated Dominic Mack, M.D., chief medical officer for AeroClinic.