Convenience care clinic appointment at a Walgreens in northern Michigan was different

Two nights into a weeklong vacation Up North at the end August, my 11-year-old son started to feel sick.

He spent the next day in bed, busting a low-grade fever. He was tired, achy and congested, with a sore throat and clogged ear. An at-home COVID-19 test I brought along was negative.

I know the Petoskey area from previous vacations, but finding medical care while on vacation thankfully is a mystery to me. We were four hours from home, from his regular pediatrician's office and known medical care facilities.

When he didn’t improve on the second day, I used my cellphone, as we had reception, to find a nearby urgent care. I booked online with the closest one that had the most positive online reviews.

I wasn't sure what to expect when we into the McLaren Now+Clinic at Walgreens. To be honest, I didn't do a deep dive into what the visit would entail before going. I just needed to find out why my son was sick and what I needed to do for him to feel better.

Most of my more urgent, non-primary care doctor experiences in metro Detroit have been in person with nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants or physicians. And I had a couple of virtual visits during the pandemic.

This visit was different.

In-person, yet virtual, visit

We were greeted by a registered nurse, who was the only person in the small clinic inside near the store pharmacy. The clinic had two patient rooms. One was where the nurse swabbed my son for COVID-19, flu and strep, running the approximately 20-minute tests in the room while we waited.

The second room had a large kiosk with an oversized screen and a touch screen below that, where it appeared information could be typed in. There also were a half-dozen slots with devices attached to cords. A scale and a stadiometer to check his weight and height were on the side.

After a short wait and negative COVID-19, flu and strep tests, a nurse practitioner appeared remotely on the large kiosk screen, like video calls I've done with doctors and urgent care personnel at home on my cellphone or iPad.

The registered nurse returned to the room and used the devices — pulse oximeter, blood pressure, thermometer, stethoscope and otoscope to see into the nose and ears — on my son. The nurse practitioner received the information.

The nurse practitioner said she could see redness in his ear and post-nasal drainage. We, too, got to see inside his ear and nose as the large screen split into three video sections — the nurse practitioner, my son and live video from the device inside his ear and nose. The nurse practitioner, who was in Sterling Heights in metro Detroit — deduced he had an ear infection and probably a sinus infection. We got a prescription for an antibiotic, which I picked up at the pharmacy a little later that day.

A local resident told me a few days later that she, too, used the clinic recently for an illness, so it wasn't just tourists coming in for care.

I was curious about this in-person yet virtual experience in this more rural, albeit touristy, part of the Mitten State, and wanted to learn more.

The big picture: Closure of hospital in small Michigan village is window into rural health care challenges

'Convenient care clinic'

McLaren Health Care spokesperson James Curtis said the McLaren Now+Clinics are centered on the registered nurses, with tele-located nurse practitioners, who are all Michigan-based. He said the clinics have treated "in the thousands" and are the most highly rated service in the health care system.

The clinics were a critical resource for testing and anti-viral treatment for COVID-19 cases.

"They're truly designed to be a big health care solution in a small space," he said of the nine clinics statewide, which began with the first one in Fenton in November 2020. "In many instances, they have become our new primary care providers."

Many of the clinics are in rural Michigan. Curtis said they're located in areas that support the McLaren hospital and primary care services and in "shoulder communities" where more access is needed. There is one each in Bad Axe, Davison, Fenton, Lansing, Midland, Mount Pleasant and Okemos, and two in Petoskey, offering virtual or book-ahead appointments. Curtis said walk-ins are welcome.

"Supporting access in our communities and supporting access in the rural areas, they go hand in hand," he said. "More and more access is needed as we have an aging population."

The first clinic opened two years after the health system entered the partnership with Walgreens in 2018, he said, to provide more access and convenience in a world where more people are choosing care outside primary care and where care can be difficult to access. He said Walgreens has similar partnerships across the U.S., but the health system is the sole partner in Michigan.

The clinics are considered "convenient care clinics," Curtis said, and not urgent cares. They’re often used by people and families who can't get into their primary care physician or urgent care.

The clinics, formerly called McLaren CareNow, offer care for minor illnesses and injuries, wellness physicals, health screenings, vaccinations, rapid PCR COVID-19/flu tests and lab testing for patients ages 2 and older.

Treatable conditions include: cough, colds and upper respiratory infections; sore throats and ear infections; pinkeye and sties; sinus infections, allergies and congestion; heartburn, indigestion, nausea and vomiting; sprains, strains; short-term medication refills for stable chronic conditions; bug bites and skin conditions; employee health screenings; sports or camp physicals; sexually transmitted infections; urinary tract infections, and birth control consultation, according to the website.

The clinics do not treat broken bones, lacerations, heart attack, stroke and other major illnesses or injuries. Recently, however, Curtis said a patient who came to the clinic in Davison for an unrelated reason was having a heart attack and the nurse there saved her life.

The clinics accept most major insurance plans, and a basic provider visit is $75 for self-pay. Curtis said the clinics are open every day of the week except major holidays.

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter

Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Free Press.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Convenience care clinic offers in-person, virtual health care visit